A sticky mat, also called a tacky mat or cleanroom mat, is a mat with an

adhesive Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation. The use of adhesives offers certain advant ...

surface that is placed at the entrances or exits to certain workplaces to remove contaminants from the bottoms of

footwear Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serves the purpose of protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from ground textures and temperature. Footwear in the manner of shoes therefore primarily serves th ...

and wheeled carts such as hand trucks. They are an example of an

engineering control Engineering controls are strategies designed to protect workers from hazardous conditions by placing a barrier between the worker and the hazard or by removing a hazardous substance through air ventilation. Engineering controls involve a physic ...

within the hierarchy of hazard controls. Sticky mats are typically used in cleanrooms and construction sites. Their purpose is to prevent contaminants from entering the site with personnel, and hazardous materials from exiting. In a cleanroom setting, airborne particles that are not removed by the ventilation system deposit themselves onto a surface, where they can be transported by personnel walking on or past them. Sticky mats can be temporary or permanent. Temporary sticky mats are made of a stack of

plastic film layers that are periodically peeled off and discarded. Permanent mats are made of a polymer, usually

polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natural ...

- or polyvinyl chloride-based, that binds particles through electrostatic forces. The peeling process for temporary mats may dislodge particles from the mat, causing inhalation risk. However, permanent mats must be washed with a mop and

detergent A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleansing properties when in dilute solutions. There are a large variety of detergents, a common family being the alkylbenzene sulfonates, which are soap-like compounds that are more ...

, which is more time-consuming and may be done less often. A 2012 study found that temporary adhesive mats reduced the particle level on shoes and

overshoes Galoshes, also known as dickersons, gumshoes, rubbers, or overshoes, are a type of rubber boot that is slipped over shoes to keep them from getting muddy or wet. In the United States, the word ''galoshes'' may be used interchangeably with bo ...

by 20–50% while permanent polymeric flooring reduced it by approximately 80%, and that adhesive mats released more particles when they were dirtier and when they were peeled quickly. However, sticky mats placed outside the entrance to an

operating room Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

or suite have not been shown to reduce the number of organisms on shoes or stretcher wheels, nor do they reduce the risk of surgical site infections.

References

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External links

Ereada Far Infrared Amethyst Mats
Cleanroom technology Adhesives Safety equipment