Old equipment won’t wash
July 1st 2005 Emma Nourry, trade marketing manager, Lotus Professional looks at how to improve washroom hygiene. “Despite increased awareness of crosscontamination risks, many washrooms are still potential breeding grounds for a range of bacteria and parasites. Everything from the toilet paper dispenser to taps can provide a means for germs to spread. Providing suitable equipment which results in hygienic hand washing and drying is therefore essential in reducing the risk of people infecting themselves and others.
“One of the most effective ways of eliminating cross-contamination is to use touch-less hand towel dispensers such as enMotion from Lotus Professional. enMotion dispenses paper towels via a sensor. When a hand is waved in front of the sensor a length of towel is automatically dispensed, eliminating the need for end users to touch the system and therefore reducing the transfer of infectious organisms. The length of paper towel is easily torn off, discouraging the touching of the paper towel exit when removing the towel.
“The paper rolls used in the enMotion dispensing system further improve hygiene as the paper technology does not create any dust particles when the paper is torn, and are manufactured in a controlled, clean environment to minimise the microbial count. In addition, unlike regular interleaved hand towels, each roll is fully enclosed within the dispenser so is protected from external bacteria, dirt and damp which prevents germs collecting on the towel.
“The benefits of enMotion reach beyond hygiene issues. The system can provide cost in use savings of up to 50%, as it lowers wastage, controls usage and reduces maintenance. The system operates a simple stub roll transfer system enabling the paper roll to be used to the end. A new roll is placed in the machine ready to feed through automatically when the stub roll has finished. This feature dramatically cuts wastage as no part rolls are thrown away and the dispenser need never run out of paper. enMotion also includes several adjustable features, which control usage and provide excellent cost savings. The adjustable sheet size function allows the user to adjust the towel size according to application suitability and the sensor proximity function varies the range at which the towel will be dispensed.
“Soap dispensers also play a part in effective hygiene. Lotus Professional Foam Soap for example, improves hygiene by enabling users to release the soap using an elbow operation on the push lever of the dispenser. Every cartridge comes complete with a new pump and nozzle which eliminates contact between the end user and dirty, contaminated nozzles. This also improves the reliability and performance of the soap dispensers as pumps and nozzles do not get clogged or leak.
“Compared to bar soap, foam soap is also much more effective at removing harmful pathogenic microbes as it provides fast and effective hand coverage without the need to invigorate into a lather.
“Organisations now have a much wider choice of advanced, innovative products which significantly improve washroom hygiene, reduce costs and waste. Replacing sub-standard washroom equipment with these products, is a vital step in reducing the risk of cross-contamination and should be more carefully considered by all businesses.” More articles from Georgia-Pacific GB Limited (Lotus Professional): | 
