Cleanroom Entry Procedures

The Pre-Change Zone

This area contains things like lockers for outerwear clothing, and cleaning mats for your shoes. This is where you should remove all jewelry, watches and items like cigarettes, wallets and keys. All cosmetics should be removed, and a disposable hairnet should be put on to keep stray hair from sticking out from the cleanroom hood. There are even beard covers, should they be needed. Depending on the facilities, there may be over-shoe coverings to put on, or they may have specific footwear dedicated to use in the cleanroom. There may also be a sink or hand washing system in this area.

The Changing Zone

Sometimes the handwashing area will be located in this area instead of in the prechanging zone. Either way, wash your hands thoroughly before changing into the cleanroom garments.

In this area you will put on cleanroom outer garments. Here you may find a hood, face mask, coveralls and overboots or a cap, gown and over-shoe coverings, depending on the type of cleanroom and the facilities. For either of these, changing requires that the garments be put on top to bottom. Put on the face mask or hood first, and then the coverall (or gown). It's important that the gown does not touch the floor at any point. If a coverall and hood are used, the hood should be tucked into the collar.

The Cleanroom Entrance

There is often a bench marking the crossover point between the changing area and the cleanroom entrance. This is to allow for the proper fitting of the overboots or over-shoe coverings. Once the overboot is on, it should not touch the floor of the changing room, and so you should sit on the bench, fit one foot with the overboot, put it in the cleanroom entrance area, and then do the same with the other foot. Put on the cleanroom gloves now, gripping them at the cuffs to keep them uncontaminated while they're being put on. If necessary, this is also the time to put on protective eyewear.