Small metallic items (screws, nuts, washers) and non metallic items that are safe to use with solvents must be cleaned using the ultra sonic cleaner located in the chemical lab. Upon entering the cleanroom anteroom remove from packaging and visually inspect for any obvious signs of contamination that may have been missed and re-clean if necessary. The best way to visually inspect any item is to view the item surface at a five degree angle with good background lighting
When cleaning items using wipes provided in the anteroom do the following:
• Fold the wiper in half and then fold in half again.
• Now apply IPA to the folded wiper
• The maximum number of wiping actions per fold should be no more than four times.
• Wipe the surface in a single direction
• Once four wiping actions have been done, use the other folds to continue cleaning as above procedure.
If the person who performs the cleaning operation then goes into the cleanroom, a new pair of cleanroom gloves must be fitted. The clean item can then be taken into the cleanroom and any necessary final cleanup can be done within the cleanroom as described above using wipers and IPA provided. (see note 1 and note 2)
NOTE1: There are two sets of solvent carriers and solvent wash bottles in the cleanroom. The first set is located in the anteroom which is used for item cleanup and the other is located within the cleanroom. The second set located within the cleanroom is ONLY for use on optics and flight instruments/hardware. The solvent used in the second set is UVASOL and is spectroscopic grade propan-2-ol (IPA). Do not use this second set for general/surface cleaning. When using the spectroscopic grade IPA ensure that the nozzle of the wash bottles do not come into contact with the wiper or any other surface as cross contamination will occur if this happens
NOTE2: There are two grades of wipers used in the cleanroom. General purpose grade wipers (non woven polyester) are available in the Anteroom. These wipers should be used for item and general cleanup and should be recycled by disposing of them in the cleanroom laundry basket and NOT in the refuse bins. The second wiper is of a better quality (sealed edge non woven polyester with low particulate and extractable's). These wipers are available within the cleanroom in dispensers and should be used on flight quality instruments and hardware.
General cleaning guidelines
It is recommended you read the list of approved and banned materials first. For computers and associated equipment, please let the cleanroom manager knows you plan to bring these items in and if you require LAN access from within the cleanroom. Before entering any part of the cleanroom, pre-clean the items with IPA and fibre free wipes. Detailed cleaning instructions will follow this general guideline. For equipment such as computers, keyboards etc, vacuum clean using a general purpose vacuum cleaner. Particular attention should be paid to the ventilation ports. This pre clean should be done external to the cleanroom and anteroom and items should be covered with clean bagging material, but not of cleanroom quality. As a guide, notebook computers are preferred to desktop computers (although this is not always practical) not only due to size but also from a cleanliness aspect. Clean all equipment at an external location to the cleanroom. This equipment can then be bagged to minimize contamination.










