Do You Need a Gowning Room?

In a previous blog about cleanroom walls, we discussed the potential to add more walls within a cleanroom. When a space requires a separate room or defined area, such as a gowning room or an anteroom, a qualified cleanroom supplier can adjust the modular cleanroom system to accommodate that need.

If you’re in the early stages of planning a cleanroom, you may not yet know whether you need a gowning room. Understanding the role of this space and the advantages it provides can help clarify that decision. 

What Is a Gowning Room?

A gowning room is an anteroom that serves as a buffer between the cleanroom and other areas of a facility. Its primary purpose is to provide cleanroom personnel with a controlled space to change in and out of street clothes. This action reduces the risk that contaminants carried on clothing or on exposed skin enter the cleanroom.

Most gowning rooms include both a dirty side and a clean side, with the clean side located closest to the cleanroom entrance. Personnel change out of street clothes on the dirty side and don the required cleanroom garments before entering the clean side.

Depending on the application, required garments may include coveralls, hoods, gloves, booties, goggles, and aprons.

Design Considerations for a Gowning Room

A well-designed gowning room minimizes airflow disturbances and temperature differentials, keeping the cleanroom environment as stable as possible. The space should remain compact while still allowing personnel to move freely during gowning and de-gowning.

Placement of cleanroom accessories within the gowning room should support these goals rather than interfere with them. Benches, storage, and air-handling components all play a role in maintaining proper flow and cleanliness.

Airflow, Filtration, and Pressure Differentials

Gowning rooms typically use an air filtration system similar to a cleanroom’s, though it does not achieve the same cleanliness rating. In most cases, the gowning room meets an ISO cleanliness level at least one class higher than the cleanroom itself.

This design supports proper air pressure relationships. Higher pressure in the cleanroom relative to the gowning room creates a pressure cascade that directs airflow outward. That airflow pattern helps prevent contaminants from entering the clean space.

Proper Gowning Procedures

Proper gowning room procedure requires personnel to leave personal items such as keys and cell phones outside the gowning room. Street clothes remain on the dirty side, where they are removed before gowning begins.

Once fully gowned, personnel move to the clean side of the gowning room and then into the cleanroom. The clean side should maintain cleanliness levels comparable to the cleanroom itself.

What Kind of Gowning Room Is Best?

The appropriate gowning room design depends on several factors, including:

• Cleanliness requirements
• Workforce size
• Specific operational needs

The layout should allow personnel to move from the exterior environment through the gowning room into the cleanroom efficiently and safely, without compromising cleanliness.

If you have questions about anterooms or gowning rooms, their design, or their use, let us know. Technical Air Products provides cleanroom solutions across a wide range of industries and can help determine the best approach for your facility.