It’s a fact that data center cleaning is a preventive maintenance item that every facility manager should plan for each year. Cleaning your data center is an industry best practice that helps ensure your IT equipment is operating in an optimal environment. But how often should facility managers clean their data center?
Recommended frequencies are based upon guidelines provided by ASHRAE in their publication Particulate and Gaseous Contamination in Datacom Environments. According to ASHRAE, datacom equipment center cleanliness can be maintained by establishing a consistent cleaning schedule. Cleaning frequencies are designed to provide an easy and clear standard for determining what services and frequencies are needed for your data center. Please note that cleaning frequency should be increased during construction or other contamination-producing activities.
The essential areas to clean and time intervals are described below:
Under Floor and Ceiling Plenums – Minimum of once per year:
- Remove large debris that cannot be vacuumed by hand
- Vacuum all accessible surfaces with a HEPA or ULPA filter vacuum
- Vacuums motor should be shielded to prevent RFI and EFI interference with servers
Floor Surfaces: Minimum of once per quarter:
- Vacuum and damp-clean entire floor surface
- Scrub floor surface as needed
- Remove contamination beneath equipment racks and cabinets by brushing and HEPA vacuuming
Equipment and Cabinet Exteriors: Minimum of once per quarter:
- HEPA or ULPA vacuum
- Hand wipe exterior surfaces with an anti-static cleaner
A professional data center cleaning company can help design an appropriate scope of work and frequency of needed services. Always use a certified vendor that specializes in cleaning data centers that has experience working in critical environments. Data center cleaning vendors will deploy crews that are company owned employees, supervised, uniformed, trained, and utilize the proper equipment and cleaning chemicals.