MopScoop - Simplify your cleanroom cleaning

Fig. 1: MopScoop dosing tube

Fig. 2: Adjustment of the desired fluid amount by pressing the mop handle onto the control lever

Fig. 3: When recording the desired amount of liquid, MopScoop automatically doses for the next wiping process

Fig. 4: CR4 SC GMP

The name MopScoop says it all: With this complete new development, all known problems and requirements from daily cleanroom cleaning and disinfecting are optimally solved.

Cleaning and disinfecting in the cleanroom are two purity-critical processes. They directly affect the required level of cleanliness of the production environment and thus influence the processes taking place in the cleanroom as well as the quality of the products manufactured there. Since these processes are carried out by humans, the goal is to make their implementation as self-explanatory, reliable, and error-free as possible. The principle applies: the simpler the execution, the safer the implementation — or also: Simplify your cleanroom cleaning!

Single-use mop cloths or reusable mop cloths

The decision between single-use or reusable mop cloths depends on various operational factors and must be made process-related by the user. MopScoop combines the ambivalence, as both types of mop cloths have been considered from the beginning in development. Switching between single-use and reusable is easily possible.

Continuity, flexibility, and active ingredient change

Especially in the pharmaceutical industry, the efficacy of a cleaning and disinfecting agent must be confirmed. Changes to active ingredients are therefore often undesirable. MopScoop can be used flexibly with all commercially available cleaning and disinfecting agents. Re-qualification of cleaning and disinfecting agents is not necessary when changing the mop system. This flexible application offers the user the additional advantage of systematically using disinfectants with defined efficacy to inactivate specific germ spectra and dosing cleaning agents targeted according to the level and type of contamination. The active ingredient change required by regulations can also be easily covered. While pre-dosed and ready-to-use mop systems can only be offered with a limited number of active ingredients, users can also use active substances that are only available as concentrates with MopScoop.

Precision, validity, and exact calculation

Processes and work procedures are safe and verifiable when their implementation is traceable and repeatable. The basis for this reproducibility is precise and uniform saturation of the mop cloth. MopScoop achieves an accuracy of +/- 1.3% (maximum value, with the average deviation well below 1%) and is thus more precise than previous saturation systems. MopScoop allows the exact setting of the required liquid amount depending on the intended use for each mop. The amount of liquid dispensed and surface wetting remain constant. This not only ensures high safety for the processes themselves but also enables good calculation and control of the quantities of ready-to-use solution and mop cloths needed.

Hygienic process safety and longevity

Particles and germs can be transferred through contact. This mainly occurs directly through hand contact but also indirectly via the air. Especially during manual activities, the critical transmission route via the hand is often unavoidable. The MopScoop system is designed for touchless operation and is conceived as a closed system. The closed storage of the ready-to-use solution prevents indirect contamination of the solution and allows proof of maintaining efficacy over a defined period of use, as required by the draft of Annex 1 of the EU-GMP guidelines. Due to its impermeability, the prepared solution can be used longer than a working day depending on the application area, active ingredient composition, and proven shelf life. Open liquids, which are always considered critical in the cleanroom, are avoided. No residual liquid remains in the container except for the amount needed for final cleaning. Saturation occurs immediately before use, and unused mop cloths are stored dry. The entire system thus offers maximum hygienic process safety.

Cleanability, particle release, and hygienic design

MopScoop has been designed according to the recommendations of the European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG) and can be disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled with a few hand movements and without tools. All components are autoclavable. Dead spaces, hard-to-reach areas, and unwanted wear or particle generation have been avoided. MopScoop features only two moving parts, guided in cleanroom-compatible bearings, with material pairing chosen so that no particle release occurs through friction. The excellent cleanability and optimal implementation of hygienic design standards have been confirmed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology and Automation IPA in Stuttgart.

Space requirements, equipment features, and durability

Storage of cleaning equipment in every cleanroom is a challenging issue. The entire MopScoop unit is designed to be accommodated in a space of only 0.4 m². It can be placed like a wall-mounted holder but remains freely movable thanks to its wheels. MopScoop follows the PPS modular system, allowing each system to be retrofitted and combined, and offers high durability. The dosing unit has been tested over 55,000 cycles, corresponding to just over 1 million square meters of cleaned cleanroom area, without wear.

Ergonomics, motivation, and ease of handling

Cleaning and disinfecting, especially in the cleanroom, are activities that require a lot of motivation. The touchless process, the consistent implementation of back-friendly ergonomics, and the extremely lightweight working materials lead to optimal ergonomics and increase user motivation. The entire system can be operated almost entirely without physical effort, as dosing and liquid absorption are driven by physical forces such as gravity and capillary action or through lever force conversion. At the same time, simple handling and clearly structured work steps promote safety in implementation despite the unpredictable factor "human".

Conclusion: Simplify your cleanroom cleaning

With MopScoop, a system for cleanroom cleaning and disinfection has been developed for the first time with the goal of covering all known issues while considering the relevant regulations. The central task for developers was to make the daily implementation of the purity-critical processes — cleaning and disinfecting — as easy and safe as possible.