Cleaning Antistatic Lab Coats
Antistatic lab coats are special work clothes with cleanliness and antistatic properties, suitable for industries such as electronics, optical instruments, pharmaceuticals, microbial engineering, and precision instruments. The fabric is generally a synthetic fiber fabric with embedded conductive yarns. The most important aspect of managing antistatic lab coats is cleaning. Although the fibers themselves are inherently clean and difficult to soil, maintaining their cleanliness is crucial, and that's where the cleaning method comes in. Ordinary washing methods will, conversely, cause them to become soiled. Therefore, special methods are necessary. From a management perspective, cleanroom work clothes must be cleaned, finished, and packaged in a cleanroom.
Generally, antistatic lab coats should be washed at least once a week, and some high-requirement jobs may even require daily washing. Washing in ordinary rooms allows dust and bacteria to accumulate, as well as contamination from detergents. Furthermore, there is a risk of dust and microorganisms adhering during packaging and handling.
Cleaning of antistatic gowns is generally handled by professional cleaning companies. The following precautions should be taken during cleanroom cleaning:
(1) Newly sewn gowns can be washed directly. However, if oil stains are found on recycled gowns, they should be carefully removed before washing.
(2) Before washing, inspect for tears, damage, and fasteners. Repair, replace, or discard any defective items.
(3) Cleaning, drying, and packaging must be carried out in a cleanroom with a higher cleanliness level than the cleanroom where the gown was used.
(4) The water used for wet and dry cleaning must be filtered, and the solvent must be distilled before use. At the point of use, use a filter membrane with a pore size of less than 0.2 μm for filtration at least once, as needed.
(5) To remove water-soluble contaminants, after washing with clean water, perform a final wash with distilled solvent to remove oily contaminants. (6) Wet washing water temperatures are as follows: Polyester fabric (60-70°C) (maximum 70°C) Nylon fabric (50-55°C) (maximum 60°C)
(7) During the final rinse, an antistatic agent can be used to improve antistatic properties, but the selected antistatic agent should be well bonded to the fibers and not shed dust.
(8) Work clothes with snaps should be washed with the snaps fastened.
(9) Dry in a dedicated clean air circulation system for washing. After drying, fold in a dedicated cleanroom and pack into clean polyester or nylon bags. Double packaging or vacuum sealing is acceptable depending on requirements. Packaging materials should ideally be made of materials with good antistatic properties. Since the folding process is most prone to dust generation, it must be carried out in a higher-level cleanroom. For example, the folding and packaging of Class 100 cleanroom work clothes should be done in a Class 10 environment.