13 May White Rooms: Features, Uses, and Best Practices

For manufacturing and scientific purposes, a strict cleanroom isn’t always necessary, or even the best choice. If you need to reduce contamination, but don’t need to follow strict standards, such as ISO, then a white room is exactly what you’re looking for.

White rooms can provide many of the same protections that cleanrooms can, and use similar tools, only they aren’t nearly as complex or expensive, and don’t require certification.

In this guide, we’ll cover what white rooms are, who uses them, their features, and more.

What Are White Rooms?

White rooms are controlled environments that are designed to, first and foremost, reduce particles. They also often control other environmental conditions too, such as temperature and humidity. While they share many characteristics with cleanrooms, they do not need to be certified or meet formal ISO standards.

Instead, what they do is create an environment that is cleaner than normal and has some of the same protections as cleanrooms, like HEPA filters, special surfaces that are easy to clean, positive air pressure, etc., but lack the advanced features that may be used in very strict cleanrooms, such as ULPA filters and laminar airflow.

People are often confused about the difference between cleanrooms and white rooms. But a white room can be thought of simply as a basic or no-frills form of a cleanroom.

Who Uses White Rooms?

White rooms are used in industries where controlling contamination and the surrounding environment matter, but where formal regulations generally don’t apply. Some common applications include:

• General manufacturing
• Research
• Medical Devices
• Packaging Rooms
• Aerospace
• Military
• Electronics

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and there are almost too many sectors to name, but in general, white rooms are used in more or less the same industries that cleanrooms are used in. They provide enough protection for your operation, without over-engineering the space or needing it to meet ISO and other regulations.

Important Parts & Systems in White Rooms

While white rooms don’t have to meet formal standards, they still need to use many of the most important elements used in cleanrooms. Below are some of the most important parts and systems found in a typical white room:

1. Positive Air Pressure Control

White rooms, in general, make use of positive air pressure to keep particles out. This means that when a door opens, air flows outward to prevent contaminants from rushing in. There are other types of cleanrooms that use negative pressure, especially ones following USP <800>, to handle hazardous drugs (and keep them inside the space). But with white rooms, you will rarely if ever find negative pressure spaces.

2. HEPA Filtration

Most white rooms will include HEPA filters, which capture 99.97% of particles at 0.3 micrometers (though they can also catch smaller particles above and below this size).

There are even more advanced filters, called ULPA filters, but they are almost never necessary for white rooms. Air changes per hour (ACH) are also going to be quite low for them, especially in comparison to stricter cleanrooms.

3. Surfaces and Materials

Walls within white rooms, and especially for modular ones, often use vinyl-coated gypsum or FRP (fiberglass-reinforced plastic) to create smooth and wipeable surfaces. They need to be cleaned often, so it’s important that surfaces are easy to wipe down and don’t trap particles in cracks or seams.

Furthermore, ceilings may be sealed tiles or hard panels, and it helps if they have similar features to the walls. Floors can be epoxy-coated, vinyl, urethane, and other materials.

4. Temperature and Humidity Control

Temperature and humidity control are also important in white rooms, and they can be used to help prevent microbial growth, reduce static/ESD issues, stabilize materials, and improve employee comfort.

5. Relevant Industry Controls

Finally, they can also include many extra features, depending on the industry. The list is almost endless. For example, in electronics/semiconductor manufacturing, many spaces will need some form of ESD (electrostatic discharge) control to protect vulnerable products/equipment. Other additions might include pass-through chambers, shelving, storage cabinets, and more.

Cleanliness Best Practices in White Rooms

Even if your white room is perfectly designed, it’s still going to need to be kept clean. They don’t need to follow formal cleanliness protocols, so procedures are typically left up to the user. However, there are many best practices that one should keep in mind when operating one:

• Gowning & PPE: Personnel should wear items like gloves, shoe covers, masks, boots, hair nets, and more (depending on the exact work being done in the white room).
• Wipe down surfaces regularly: It’s best to use lint-free cloths and cleaners that don’t leave residues; make sure you have a cleaning schedule as well.
• Choose supplies that don’t shed: Ensure your white room uses non-shedding materials so that they do not add to particle concentrations.
• Limit traffic: Keep the number of people entering and exiting to an absolute minimum; unfortunately, people are some of the biggest contributors to contamination in clean spaces.
• Keep doors closed: Always keep doors shut to help the air stay clean.

The Bottom Line

White rooms create a clean and controlled environment without the cost or complexity of a certified cleanroom. They’re great for lower-risk applications that need contamination control but don’t require formal certification. With the right setup and basic precautions, they can meet many if not most of the needs that cleanrooms can.

Interested in setting up clean spaces at your location? Reach out to the experts at Allied Cleanrooms to get a quote on new, American-made white rooms today:

FAQs About White Rooms

1. Can a white room be upgraded to a cleanroom later?

Yes, absolutely. Modular white rooms are built in such a way that makes future upgrades easy. We can add airlocks, tighter controls, and whatever you may need to reach ISO cleanroom requirements.

2. How long does it take to install a white room?

As with most buildings, it will depend on its size and complexity. That being said, with modular, you can rest assured that the process will be much faster and smoother than with traditional construction. Once the parts and materials are ready, modular white rooms can be installed in a matter of days to a few weeks.

3. Can white rooms be installed inside an existing building?

Yes, absolutely. They are often built inside warehouses, labs, or even on the floor of a manufacturing area. They can be freestanding or self-contained, which means there’s no need for renovations to the building itself.