Protect IT Equipment During Construction

IT innovation is running at an exciting and interesting pass. To keep up with the new equipment demands many companies are having to have major refurbishment/refits to their current data halls, server rooms and comms rooms. Whilst this is exciting the work come with hidden risks. While construction dust and debris may seem harmless, it is devastating for servers, switches, and critical IT equipment. Without the right protection, your business could face costly downtime, reduced hardware lifespan, and even permanent damage.

In this blog, we’ll explain why IT protection (ITProtect) during construction is so important and how IT Protect and professional cleaning services can help keep your systems safe during refurbishment to your Data Room.

Why Construction Work Puts IT at Risk

Even in controlled environments, building activities release large amounts of fine dust. Unlike normal dust, construction dust is abrasive, conductive, and highly damaging especially when it infiltrates IT equipment.

Key risks include:

• Overheating: Dust clogs cooling fans and blocks airflow, causing hardware to run hotter than intended.
• Static discharge: Fine particles increase the risk of electrostatic build-up, which can damage delicate components.
• Performance issues: Dust-contaminated servers and switches become unreliable, slowing down business-critical operations.
• Downtime & data loss: Equipment failures caused by dust can bring systems offline without warning.

How to Protect IT Equipment During Construction

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to minimise risks and maintain business continuity during this work:

1. Physical Barriers & Sealing
   • Seal and isolate the clean (data room) area with protective barrier from the dirty (construction) area.
   • Use air scrubbers to filter air into the protected area. Thereby, increasing the pressure in the protected space. This ensures dust can not move into the protected area as air will be moving out of the protected area.
   • Access to the protected area should be kept to a minimum via a zip type door.
2. Air Quality Control
   • Use dust control systems and ensure construction areas are ventilated away from IT spaces.
   • Install temporary filtration systems in the construction area as needed.
3. Professional IT Cleaning
   • Schedule interim cleaning during long projects to reduce particle build-up.
   • Carry out a post-construction deep clean and testing to ISO 14644 Class 8 with HEPA-filtered vacuums, anti-static tools and trained technical cleaners.

Our team at IT Cleaning Ltd specialises in IT equipment cleaning for servers, switches, and network hardware to ensure your systems remain dust-free and fully protected.

4. Work With Specialists
   • IT Cleaning Ltd have used their ITProtect system many times it is a tried and tested successful method of protecting IT equipment during construction/refurbishment works.
   • IT Cleaning Ltd have 23 years’ experience in the cleaning of these environments.
   • General cleaners are not trained to handle sensitive IT equipment/systems.
   • Professional IT cleaning specialists ensure your systems are cleaned safely, without downtime or disruption.

We also provide tailored services such as server room cleaning and data centre cleaning to safeguard critical IT environments during construction projects.

Benefits of Professional IT Protection & Cleaning

• Maintain uptime and reduce risk of business interruptions.
• Extend hardware lifespan by keeping components dust-free.
• Support compliance with IT and ISO standards.
• Safeguard your investment in expensive IT infrastructure.

Final Thoughts

Construction and IT don’t always mix — but with the right precautions, you can protect your systems from hidden risks. Professional IT protection (ITProtect) during construction ensures your servers, switches, and network hardware remain safe, reliable, and dust-free.

Contact IT Cleaning Ltd today to discuss IT protection (ITProtect) and post-construction cleaning services across the UK.