With cold and flu season coming on the heels of a worldwide Ebola threat, there is no better time to review necessary hygiene standards. At the top of everyone’s lists, washing hands is the first line of defense in preventing the spread of infection. If you are already sick, washing your hands frequently may help avoid contaminating surfaces which other people use. If you aren’t sick, it can keep you healthy by washing away bacteria that you may have come in contact with. Hand washing is such an important part of disease prevention, that the World Health Organization even has an 11-step poster on how to properly wash your hands.

But having access to soap and water isn’t always possible. And even if you wash your hands in a public restroom, once you touch the door handle to leave, you expose yourself to whatever contaminants are on that surface. For these reasons, it is recommended that facilities (especially healthcare establishments) install water-less soap pumps in high-traffic areas.

If you’ve been to a hospital lately, or even a large office building or other public space, you may have seen or used one of these hand sanitizer pumps. Simply put your hand under the spout, and a dollop of disinfectant will be applied. Then you rub your hands together as if you were washing under a running faucet, and the soap kills any bacteria on the skin. The process is fast, easy, and extremely convenient since you don’t need to dry your hands afterward.

Additionally, according to an article in The Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases, “antiseptic agents (antimicrobial soaps or waterless antiseptic hand rubs) are significantly more effective in reducing microbial counts on skin than plain soap and water hand washing…” In healthcare settings where patients are already at a greater risk of infection, this is a major benefit of installing waterless soap pump stations.

With increasing adoption of these soap dispensers in public areas, it’s important for manufacturers to streamline their production and make sure their processes are as efficient as possible. Especially now that we expect to see a spike in cold-weather illnesses, now is the time to revisit and revise current soap pump assembly systems. At TCA Technologies, we have automated systems that serve many industries, including health and hygiene product manufacturing. Feel free to browse our portfolio for more information.