So what makes a cleanroom a “cleanroom”

• The internal surfaces of the clean room and the equipment within them;
• The control and quality of air through the clean room;
• The way the clean room is operated (i.e. the number of staff).
• Each of the three items above are equally important. Let’s look at them in more detail.

The internal surface

For GMP compliance and to achieve the cleanliness specification, all surfaces in a cleanroom should be “smooth and impervious”, and:

• not generate their own contamination i.e., don’t create dust, or peel, flake, corrode or provide a place for microorganisms to proliferate
• are easy to clean i.e., all surfaces are easily accessible, there should not be any ledges or recesses
• are rigid and robust and won’t crease, crack, shatter or dent easily.

There are a wide variety of suitable material choices, ranging from the more expensive Dagard paneling, as shown in the photo below, with sliding doors (not recommended as mentioned earlier), or the best and most aesthetically pleasing option is glass, i.e., as at the end of the corridor. Among the cheapest options, can be plaster-board with a two pot epoxy coating,  and there are a range of other options available.