Laura Mahecha
Director of Professional Cleaning, Chemicals and Materials
Cleaning wipes continue to be a growing segment of the commercial cleaning industry overall. However, one end-use application stand out: data centers offer strong growth opportunities for specialized cleaning wipes and wipers.
Data centers are facilities that house the computing infrastructure used to store, process, manage, and distribute digital data and applications. These are buildings or a campus filled with servers, storage systems, networking equipment, power supplies, and cooling systems that enable businesses, governments, and cloud providers to run digital services.
Current estimates put the number of data centers in the U.S. at over 5,000, according to CloudScene data published by Cargoson in November 2025. Projections point to growth of close to 8,000 centers over the next five years. Primary growth drivers for more data centers opening in the U.S. are:
AI model training and inference
Cloud computing expansion
Hyperscale investments by AWS, Microsoft, Google, Meta, and Oracle
Edge computing deployments
Enterprise digital transformation initiatives
Why Data Centers Need Specialized Wipes
In data centers, wipes are primarily used for contamination control by removing dust, oils, fingerprints, and other particulates that can interfere with cooling efficiency, equipment reliability, and maintenance activities. As servers and networking equipment contain sensitive electronics, technicians typically use lint-free, low-particle, and often ESD-safe (electrostatic discharge-safe) wipes rather than conventional cleaning cloths. Wipes are important in data centers to reduce particle contamination, prevent electrostatic damage, improve equipment reliability, support cooling system efficiency, minimize downtime during maintenance, and help meet cleanliness standards for mission-critical facilities.
There are various types of wipes used to clean data centers, including:
| Wipe Type | Typical Use |
|---|---|
| Microfiber wipes | Dust and particulate removal |
| Polyester cleanroom wipes | Sensitive electronic surfaces |
| ESD-safe wipes | Static-controlled environments and electronics |
| Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) pre-wetted wipes | Removal of oils, residues, and contaminants |
| Cleanroom wipes | Ultra-low particulate cleaning requirements |
Training Requirements for Data Center Cleaning
In this setting, wipes are less about janitorial cleaning and more about precision contamination control, similar to practices used in electronics manufacturing and cleanroom environments. Cleaning the white space (server rooms), raised floors, network equipment areas, power rooms, and cooling infrastructure typically requires specialized training, and many operators will only allow trained contractors into these environments. Some of these training requirements include:
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Awareness: is particularly important when cleaning around servers, switches, storage systems, and fiber infrastructure.
ESD Awareness is where technicians learn:
How static electricity damages electronics
Proper grounding procedures
Use of ESD-safe tools, wipes, vacuums, and clothing
What cleaning methods to avoid around live equipment
Data Center Contamination Control: specialized data center cleaning firms adapt practices from semiconductors and cleanroom environments.
Training typically covers:
Particle and dust control
Cleanroom-style cleaning techniques
Proper use of HEPA-filtered vacuums
Handling of lint-free wipes and cleaning chemicals
Procedures for cleaning under raised floors
Safety Training, including OSHA safety training, hazard communication, electrical hazard awareness, lockout/tagout (LOTO) awareness, and/or fall protection training, particularly around UPS systems, batteries, switchgear, and power-distribution equipment.
Fiber optic cleaning training is important because contaminated fiber connectors can cause network performance issues and outages. This technician training usually includes:
Fiber inspection procedures
Connector cleaning methods
Use of one-click cleaners and optical cleaning tools
Growth Outlook and Key Suppliers
There are several key marketers in this space selling specialized wipes used in cleanroom and data center settings, including Kimberly Clark, Texwipe (ITW Brands), AAWipes, Berkshire, Contec, and 3M. As this new growth area emerges, other wipe suppliers are likely to expand their lines with wipes that are compatible with data center cleaning.
While wipes overall are forecast to grow between 4-8% over the next five years, specialty wipes and wipers intended for data centers have strong double-digit growth potential, given their higher price points and the expected growth in the number of data centers over that period.
This year, Kline is conducting detailed research on both the professional finished goods I&I Cleaning Wipes 2026 U.S., as well as a deep dive into the upstream value chain for substrates in wet wipes and dry wipers in Substrate Components of Cleaning Wipes, covering Europe, North America, and Asia.
