The first cleanroom wipers were made of woven long staple cotton. Since then, cleanroom wipers have been produced using several different synthetic and natural materials with a variety of manufacturing techniques. Today, 100% polyester wipers are chosen for the most critical environments.

Polyester possesses a unique combination of characteristics that make it especially suitable for critical environments.

1. Strength & Abrasion Resistance

Polyester is extruded in long, continuous filaments. These continuous strands are knit together to form a very strong, abrasion resistant material. This material does not release many fibers, unlike short fibered natural materials such as cotton.

2. Sorbency

Knit polyester features excellent liquid sorbency. Both the loops in the knit structure as well as the voids in the yarn will effectively adsorb liquid. Although not as sorbent as natural yarns, the reduction in contaminating fibers makes this an acceptable tradeoff. Microdenier polyester is notably excellent at sorption, particularly oily contaminants, due to the micro filaments in its structure.

3. Chemical Resistance

Polyester is compatible with most cleaning solvents including isopropyl alcohol and bleach making it useful in a variety of critical environments.

4. Laundering Ability

Polyester can be laundered to reduce the number of fibers, particles, ions, and NVR in the material. Removing these undesired contaminants is key to preventing cleanroom contamination.

5. Edge Sealability

Synthetic materials such as polyester can be laser or ultrasonically edge sealed to reduce fiber release along the perimeter of the wiper.

All of these characteristics put polyester far above other wiper materials in all but the most niche of requirements.