The Standard Issue 4 2022

BUSTING THE MYTHS OF BUYING IN BULK
FOR MORE COST-EFFECTIVE, HYGIENIC,
AND SUSTAINABLE HAND HYGIENE
BY PAUL JAKEWAY
Buying in bulk is often seen as the
cost-effective and sustainable
choice. But when it comes to hand
hygiene, are you really getting what
you expect - and pay for?
With 80% of germs spread by
hands 1 and viruses able to survive
on hands for up to five minutes after
transfer from a surface 2 , preventing
the spread of germs in your facility is
a must. But against the backdrop of
rising costs and increasing pressure to
be greener, how can you be sure you’re
getting the best bang for your buck?
Rubbermaid Commercial Products’
(RCP) International Marketing Director,
Paul Jakeway, busts the myths of
buying soap and sanitiser in bulk.
MYTH: TOPPING UP
STOPS IT TOTTING UP
If you want to save money you buy
in bulk, right? Not when it comes to
soap and sanitiser dispensers. These
dispensers distribute unnecessarily
large doses of soap or sanitiser and
the less concentrated product results
in more wastage and more frequent
refilling, adding unnecessary cost and
hassle you don’t need.
The solution: Choose dispensers
that use sealed refills for controlled
dispensing and more applications
per refill. A necessary amount of
product for a safe clean – say
0.4 ml - is dispensed without the
unwelcome wastage.
MYTH: AS LONG AS
THERE’S SOAP OR SANITISER,
YOU’RE DOING THE JOB
Unfortunately, not all hand hygiene
is created equal. In fact, at least
one in four bulk fill dispensers are
contaminated with illness-causing
bacteria 3 . This is because there are
multiple points on the dispenser
where bacteria can contaminate
the replenishment supply, such as
an open-top lid and push-button.
Often, units don’t get cleaned but are
“topped up” against guidelines 4 and
then cannot be decontaminated; an
infected unit must be fully replaced to
remove the risk.
With workers averaging three sick
days per year 5 productivity losses
through germ-spreading in your
facility are high: if your business
has just 100 employees, it could be
£35,100 a year 6 . Making sure your
hand hygiene provision isn’t actually
contributing to the problem is
therefore a must.
The solution: Go for dispensers that
use hygienically sealed refills to keep
soap and sanitisers fresh and free
from cross-contamination.
MYTH: AS LONG AS IT’S
THERE, NO ONE CARES
People’s perceptions of your brand
are formed by the experience you
give them at every touchpoint. Your
washroom is no exception – in fact,
74% of people say dirty washrooms
cause negative perceptions 7 . With
66% of people saying they use a
variety of methods (including flushing
the toilet with their feet!) to avoid
making contact with anything in a
washroom 8 , offering a touch-free
washroom experience will build your
reputation as a brand that takes its
users’ experience seriously.
The solution: Provide touch-free
soap and sanitiser dispensers, which
are preferred by 92% of people 9 and
show you take their experience and
wellbeing seriously.
MYTH: BUYING IN BULK
IS THE GREENER CHOICE
Bulk fill dispensers may be cheaper
at the outset, but their notoriously
flimsy construction means you run
the risk of having to replace them
regularly. Not only is this costly for
your budget but it also generates
unnecessary additional waste.
The solution: At RCP we encourage
our customers to “Buy Better, Waste
Less” which means prioritising
durability so your products last
longer, improving sustainability. Look
out for long product warranties on
dispensers to get that peace of mind.
And if you want to go even further,
innovative battery-free dispensers
take greener hand hygiene to a new
level. The RCP LumeCel AutoFoam
dispenser, for example, is powered
by natural or ambient light sources
in your facility, negating the need for
batteries.
SOURCES
1. University of Arizona Study,
Dr. C. Gerba.
2. The Journal of Infectious
Diseases.
3. Journal of Environmental Health
2011.
4. CDC.gov Guideline for Hand
Hygiene in Health-Care Settings.
5. BLS.gov.
6. Average salary taken from
Olive Pometsey, GQ Magazine.
7. Cintas
8. Impulse Research
Corporation Survey
9. RCP Facebook Hand
Hygiene Survey 2020
FOR MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT RCP’S TOUCH-FREE,
COST-EFFECTIVE HAND
HYGIENE SOLUTIONS, VISIT:
RUBBERMAID.EU
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