Do you use Bulk-Soap-Refillable Dispenser?

A bulk fill dispenser is a breeding ground for bacteria and actually reverses the act of washing your hands all together. Why? Because bulk fill dispensers are unsanitary. They’re refilled by opening the container, leaving the reservoir wide open and ready for contaminates (bugs, airborne germs) to fall right into the very soap you put on your hands.

Bulk-soap-refillable dispensers are prone to extrinsic bacterial contamination, and recent studies demonstrated that approximately one in four dispensers in public restrooms are contaminated.

Hand washing with soap and water is a universally accepted practice for reducing the transmission of potentially pathogenic microorganisms. However, liquid soap can become contaminated with bacteria and poses a recognized health risk in health care settings. In particular, bulk-soap-refillable dispensers (ones in which new soap is poured into a dispenser) are prone to bacterial contamination, and several outbreaks linked to the use of contaminated soap in health care settings have been reported (2, 3, 5, 15, 18, 22–24). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings” addresses this risk in a recommendation: “Do not add soap to a partially empty soap dispenser. This practice of ‘topping off’ dispensers can lead to bacterial contamination of soap” . This “category IA recommendation” was “strongly supported by well-designed experimental, clinical, and epidemiologic studies.”  Sealed-soap-dispensing systems, in contrast, are typically refilled by inserting into the dispenser a new bag or cartridge of soap that usually includes a new nozzle.

Bulk-soap-refillable dispensers are the predominant dispenser type in community settings, such as public restrooms. However, few studies have been conducted to evaluate the occurrence of microbial soap contamination in community settings. One study, conducted in Japan, examined bacterial contamination of hand washing soaps obtained from restrooms of various public use facilities. The authors found 17 different species of bacteria, many of which were opportunistic pathogens, including Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia marcescens, Enterobacter species, and Pseudomonas species. Recent studies conducted in the United States demonstrated that 25% of bulk-soap-refillable dispensers in public restrooms were excessively contaminated . Bacterial loads averaged more than 10⁶ CFU/ml of soap, and 16% of the samples contained coliform bacteria. Interestingly, of the 15 different species isolated in this study, 7 were identical to those found in the Japanese study, including both K. pneumoniae and S. marcescens. Both S. marcescens and K. pneumoniae are opportunistic pathogens known to transmit via the hands

Despite these findings, the public health risk associated with the use of contaminated bulk-soap-refillable dispensers in community settings is unclear. It would be very difficult if not impossible to trace the source of a community-acquired infection back to contaminated soap in a public restroom. Therefore, to better understand this risk, a greater understanding of the potential for bacteria from contaminated soap to remain on the hands and to be transferred to secondary surfaces after washing with contaminated soap is needed.

You might be wondering how you can stop this contamination, but the answer is quite simple: you can’t. This is why switching to a closed disposable cartridge system is the best choice for you and your washroom patrons.

Generally speaking, bulk soap is considered the cheapest option, but, when making the decision between these kinds of dispensers and closed cartridge dispensers, you need to look past the cost and think about how sanitary it actually is.

Low cost bulk fill dispensers often have parts that are unreliable and need replacing. These constant repairs leave patrons without access to soap, which doesn’t reflect well on your business. Bulk fill dispensers also take more time to refill and maintain as it has to be done manually. Closed cartridge dispensers require a lot less maintenance–they’re designed to make refilling quick and easy. Most cartridges are designed to collapse as they’re used, so all of the soap is used up and not getting wasted. It’s also easy for the janitorial staff to monitor product levels so the dispensers are never out. Most of these cartridges can be replaced in seconds without having to remove them from the wall. They’re snap in so it only takes a matter of moments to replace them. These cartridges are also larger than most bulk fill dispensers, allowing for more hand washes between refills.

Closed cartridge dispensers are hygienic because the air doesn’t enter the system at all, which lowers the risk of microbial contamination. There’s virtually no opportunity for bugs, germs, and any other airborne contaminants to enter the soap, making closed cartridge systems far more sanitary than bulk fill.

Still wondering how a closed disposable hygiene cartridge system can benefit you and your facility? Welcome to contact us by email to Changqi@doctorcleanhygiene.com. or call at +86-574-56202601, thanks. We’d be glad to assist on your hygiene demand.