Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Clean a Data Center?
Data centers are prone to dust build-up, especially if there are areas of your data center that see a significant amount of foot traffic. Dirt, dust, and debris tend to track in on clothing and footwear or travel on air currents through opening doors. How do you reduce dust in your server room? We have you covered.
Cleaning a data center is a delicate job that should only be done by qualified professionals with experience in the field. All surfaces within the data center should be handled with care and cleaned on a routine basis to maintain maximum server efficiency.
Raised flooring plenums, for example, are prone to clogging and should be HEPA vacuumed clear of debris and dust to ensure that they allow proper airflow to the equipment.
Surface Cleaning
It is important that all surfaces in the data center are cleaned with a professional hand, whether it is equipment services, ventilation screens, or flooring. Liquids must be monitored and used sparingly, which is why our team uses low-moisture mops and wipes surfaces with low-lint anti-static wipes.
Our team additionally uses specialized equipment, such as HEPA-filtered vacuums which remove 99.97% of particulates from the air to ensure that dust and contamination build-up remains minimal. From Virginia to Maryland we have you covered.
How Often Should a Data Center be Cleaned?
Large, successful businesses often choose to place their data within the hands of controlled data centers for safeguarding. This means that, when data is transferred to the storage and processing equipment in-house, the data center takes responsibility for the data they store.
These equipment rooms must be routinely maintained to prevent physical clogs and build-ups of dust and debris from corrupting or affecting data processing. But the questions always come up, how often should a data center be cleaned?
At Foreman Pro Cleaning, which delivers critical environment cleaning in Reston, VA, we typically recommend that data centers are cleaned thoroughly on a quarterly basis using a standardized data center cleaning checklist. This checklist involves making sure all surfaces are wiped free of dust using certified safe materials. Likewise, the sub-floors and raised floors must be treated similarly to prevent dust clogs and allow unrestricted airflow to reach critical server cabinets. Everything should be left exactly as it was, only cleaner.
It can be difficult to spot when a data center needs cleaning; much of the dust is trapped in corners or along ventilation screens and builds up gradually. In addition, a data hall may ‘seem’ clean, when in actuality, air quality is low and full of particulate.
For larger data centers, or data centers with more foot traffic than average, more frequent routine cleaning may be necessary. This is especially true if you notice a dust build-up between maintenance visits. Want even more info? Check out our in-depth guide on the topic here.
Do Server Rooms Need Cooling?
Yes, server rooms need cooling. Outside of cybersecurity and electricity, cooling is your data center’s top priority. Server racks are prone to overheating quickly with even a little bit of dust build-up. It is important that your server location is clean and free from debris to allow proper airflow throughout the room.
Data centers must be maintained at a delicate temperature between 64.4 degrees Fahrenheit and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The maximum recommended temperature sits at 80.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Anywhere above this temperature, you are risking overheating the server room, which can cause a significant loss in data, time, and business revenue.
The best way to ensure this does not occur is to keep your server room cooled and to keep it clean and free of dust and debris so air can properly circulate between individual machines. Proper airflow allows each server to operate continuously without exceeding recommended temperatures within the casing, even if the room itself is cooled.