“Sterile” swabs are often selected because the risk is not the swab tip. The risk is how the tool moves from shipper to controlled space without importing bioburden, packaging debris, or trace residues that can compromise an aseptic process, an environmental monitoring result, or a cleaned-and-ready surface.

Texwipe’s STX712A addresses that transfer problem with sterile point-of-use packaging, lot traceability, and a rectangular closed-cell CleanFoam® head that gives you predictable, flat contact. When the swab is part of a documented method, SOSCleanroom’s long-standing relationship with ITW Texwipe supports continuity of supply and documentation discipline, reducing the chance of last-minute substitutions that break validation logic.

• Sterile-area cleaning with compatible solutions and solvents where a broad, flat contact face helps control film and pressure.
• Environmental monitoring and surface sampling workflows that require documented sterility at the moment of use.
• Applying and removing lubricants, adhesives, and small-volume solutions in controlled environments.
• Scrubbing recessed areas, joints, and intersecting surfaces without snagging on edges.
• Picking up fine powders and localized debris where wipes cannot maintain stable contact.

• Sterile point-of-use packaging: Each swab is individually packaged in a peel-apart sleeve; sleeves are lot coded and expiration dated for inventory control.
• Clean transfer packaging architecture: Fifty sleeves are triple-bagged for introduction into sterile areas; triple-bagged units are packaged in a case liner as a fourth layer of bag protection.
• Thermal bond construction: Complete thermal bond construction eliminates the risk of adhesive contamination at the head-to-handle interface.
• Closed-cell 100 ppi foam behavior: Readily absorbs solvents and solutions and grabs particulates while supporting uniform solvent laydown on flat surfaces.
• Audit-friendly traceability: Lot coded for traceability and quality control; gamma-irradiated to a Sterility Assurance Level of 10^-6 and sterile validated according to AAMI guidelines.
• Operational segregation cue: Trademarked light-green handles with “TEXWIPE” name embossed on the handle support visual segregation and reduce mix-ups in shared tool areas.

STX712A uses a 100 ppi polyurethane CleanFoam® head on a rigid rectangular paddle geometry with a 100% polypropylene handle. In practice, the rectangular head functions like a mini-wiper: a flat face that can be kept square to the surface so you can control contact pressure, stroke direction, and solvent film thickness.

The head-to-handle interface is thermally bonded, not glued. On swabs, the bond line is often the most contamination-sensitive location because adhesives can soften with solvent exposure, trap residues, or contribute nonvolatile residue. A thermal bond reduces that pathway and tends to be more consistent from lot to lot.

A cleanroom reality check: no swab is truly lint-free. Even foam and polyester designs can shed under the wrong solvent, excessive pressure, abrasion on sharp edges, or repeated passes on a loaded face. The objective is low-linting behavior supported by technique and a surface condition that does not abrade the head.

STX712A’s rectangular head is sized for broad contact in joints and intersecting surfaces while keeping the tool compact enough for controlled hand positioning. The rigid paddle geometry helps you maintain a consistent angle and avoid “edge loading,” which is where many operators unintentionally gouge residue lines into a soft coating. The polypropylene handle supports chemical resistance and reduces the chance of introducing contaminants from the shaft.

• Head material: 100 ppi polyurethane CleanFoam® (closed cell)
• Head width: 12.7 mm (0.500")
• Head thickness: 7.8 mm (0.307")
• Head length: 25.7 mm (1.012")
• Handle material: 100% polypropylene
• Handle width: 5.2 mm (0.205")
• Handle thickness: 3.0 mm (0.118")
• Handle length: 101.8 mm (4.008")
• Total swab length: 127.5 mm (5.020")
• Head bond: Thermal
• Handle color: Light green
• Design notes: Rigid head paddle; long, easy-grip handle

The values below are manufacturer-reported contamination characterization data for the TX712A / STX712A family. Treat them as background indicators, not acceptance limits. This matters in practice because operator variables often dominate outcomes: solvent grade, wetness control, stroke discipline, and the discard threshold when the foam face loads.

Ion	Value
Calcium	0.12
Chloride	0.84
Fluoride	0.18
Magnesium	0.03
Nitrate	0.22
Phosphate	0.57
Potassium	0.08
Sodium	0.34
Sulfate	0.61

Extractant	Value
DI water (DIW)	0.27
Isopropyl alcohol (IPA)	0.61

Practical interpretation: for flat cleaning, the rectangular paddle helps you maintain uniform contact and avoid “striping” from uneven pressure. When residues are solvent-soluble, wetness control and early discard usually matter more than raw absorbency. If you see haze after evaporation, review solvent purity, the number of passes per face, and whether the foam is being reused after it loads.

• Unit packaging: Each swab is individually packaged in a peel-apart sleeve.
• Transfer packaging: Fifty sleeves are triple-bagged for easy introduction into sterile areas; the triple-bagged unit is packaged in a case liner forming the fourth layer of bag protection.
• Case quantity (SOSCleanroom case): 10 boxes of 50 swabs per case (500 swabs per case).
• Bag controls: Packaged in silicone-free and amide-free bags.
• Traceability: Lot coded for traceability and quality control; each sleeve is lot coded and has an expiration date.
• Sterility: Gamma-irradiated to a Sterility Assurance Level of 10^-6 and sterile validated according to AAMI guidelines; tested for endotoxins, ions, and NVR.
• Shelf life: Sterile – 3 years from date of manufacture (manufacturer statement for the series).
• Country of origin (manufacturer statement): Sterile – Made in The Philippines, Irradiated in the USA.

The rectangular foam face rewards discipline. If you control wetness, keep strokes single-direction, and rotate faces before the foam loads, you will reduce streaking and avoid redepositing what you just removed.

Standards context: cleanroom housekeeping and contamination-control methods commonly align to ISO cleanroom classification frameworks and IEST recommended practices. In regulated workflows, ensure your sterile transfer steps, documentation, and deviation handling align with your site’s quality system and FDA expectations. ASTM standards are frequently used across industry to structure test methods and residue evaluation; use them as reference points when defining internal qualification logic.

• Over-wetting and flooding: Creates evaporation lines and spreads residues. Control with a damp standard and avoid saturating the foam.
• Reusing a loaded face: Leads to smearing and redeposition. Control with a rotation rule and early discard triggers.
• Two-direction scrubbing on a flat surface: Can grind residues into coatings and leave drag lines. Control with single-direction strokes and overlap.
• Edge abrasion on burrs: Foam can snag or tear on sharp edges. Control by reducing pressure, changing approach angle, or switching to a geometry-matched head profile.
• Breaking sterile chain at point of use: The swab may remain sterile in the sleeve, but the process fails if the exposed swab touches non-sterile surfaces or gloves. Control with a defined opening and staging sequence.

In the same functional class (sterile rectangular foam swabs), the meaningful differentiators are foam quality and cell structure, bond method at the head interface, sterile packaging architecture, and the depth of published contamination characterization and traceability controls.

• Puritan sterile foam-tipped applicators (rectangular or paddle formats): Evaluate whether the head is thermally bonded or adhesive-bonded, whether packaging supports clean transfer into sterile areas, and whether ion and NVR characterization is published for your residue sensitivity.
• Berkshire sterile foam swabs (paddle or rectangular profiles): Compare foam density/ppi disclosure, traceability (lot coding and expiration labeling), and whether sterility documentation is case-attached and audit-ready.
• HUBY-340 sterile foam swabs (electronics and controlled environments): Compare head geometry rigidity, packaging layers for sterile introduction, and availability of contamination characterization data suitable for your process controls.

STX712A is a strong fit when the process requires sterile transfer discipline and a controlled, flat foam face for cleaning, sampling, or solvent application. The thermally bonded closed-cell foam paddle supports uniform contact on joints, edges, and intersecting surfaces, while the packaging architecture supports routine introduction into sterile areas with traceability.

SOSCleanroom reinforces that fit with continuity of supply through our established ITW Texwipe relationship, fast shipping to prevent unqualified “workarounds,” and customer support that understands sterile introduction and documentation requirements. When an investigation requires lot correlation, stable sourcing and consistent documentation reduce the chance that the consumable becomes the uncontrolled variable.