Addressing post-lockdown washroom challenges

Hand sanitisers are seeing unprecedented demand and Delphis Eco is an expert in this area. Delphis Eco – which stands for ‘clean and green’ professional cleaning – is an award-winning, British-made all-natural cleaning chemical manufacturer born out of an urgent need to reconsider the consumable products we've all come to depend on.

Right now the cleaning industry is facing enormous challenges as hotels, B&B’s, restaurants and pubs have closed their doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Facilities management teams will be working hard to plan how to keep customers safe when they are allowed to re-open and the washroom hygiene will play a crucial part in that.

There are actually two main types of hand sanitiser available on the market, sanitiser gels, where alcohol is the active ingredient and water-based sanitisers, containing Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QUAT) as the active ingredient. 

You will find these types of foaming sanitiser (QUATS) in many of our hospitals, for the use of staff and visitors, often chosen as they are considered safer than their alcohol-based counterparts. QUAT are the active substances found in the majority of surface sanitising and disinfecting products, chosen for their effectiveness against a wide range of bacteria, moulds, fungus and viruses, whilst being relatively safe for users and the environment.

Very few hand sanitiser brands, whether alcohol-based or QUAT based, will have undergone efficacy testing against viruses and at the moment, none will have been tested against COVID-19. One of the reasons for this is that it is widely accepted that enveloped viruses, such as COVID-19 are easily killed by correctly formulated alcohol sanitisers, but it is also the case that these virus types are also easily killed by correctly formulated QUAT based products.

Delphis Eco’s Hand Sanitiser Foam contains the maximum amount of QUAT allowed in 'leave on' products in accordance with the EU Cosmetic Safety Regulations. The product itself has not been tested against enveloped viruses, as there is already published information supporting the ability of QUAT to kill enveloped viruses, similar to COVID-19. 

The important thing to note is that with alcohol-based sanitisers in the form of gel a product has to contain a minimum of 60% alcohol. For a QUAT to work it needs to be a 0.003%. This is why QUATs are used to clean hospitals; they are effective yet much kinder to the environment.

Delphis Eco is receiving an increasing number of enquiries regarding the ingredients within its products including hand sanitiser as people are becoming more conscious of ensuring customers’ safety. 

Current global shortage of pump action dispenser tops
A global shortage of the pump action dispenser tops and trigger pumps has meant that anti-bacterial hand soaps and gels are being held up in getting out to consumers and on shelves to people who desperately need these products. With China and Italy the main producers of world supply, and with no sign of factories re-opening the situation will soon become critical.

In a bid to alleviate the situation, Delphis Eco has got together with First Mile Recycling to offer a free recycling service to try and get stocks back in of the bottle closures to enable supply. First Mile will then sort the items before returning them to Delphis to be refilled and reused. Every bottle closure that is returned means another bottle of anti-bacterial hand soap or gel that will be out on shelf waging war against C-19.

As some businesses prepare for reopening and begin to plan a deep clean of their business, Delphis Eco has experienced a significant increase in enquires from potential new clients who are looking to use sustainable cleaning products going forward rather than their previously less sustainable supplier. Buying cleaning and hygiene products from more sustainable brands is becoming more of a priority for many businesses.

Natural ingredients
Delphis Eco has made its name as the British-made brand that uses all natural ingredients, yet is highly effective in tackling the jobs in hand. The extensive range offered to cleaners is phosphate free and contain no or very little VOC’s (volatile organic compounds), which are some of the most damaging contents historically found in cleaning chemicals. 

All the company’s products are plant based, ecological and readily biodegradable, yet proved in tests remain 98% more effective than their competitors. Every product has been developed for its eco-friendly properties, but with no loss in effectiveness in tackling the job in hand.

And what about packaging?
Delphis Eco has worked with specialist recyclers to launch (two years’ ago) what at the time was believed to be the world’s 1st 100% recycled PCR packaging for all its products. The packaging is food grade quality as not only can 100% recycled plastic be used in general supply, but it also has a future in how food is packaged and marketed to consumers. Additionally, the labels for all its bottles are printed with vegetable ink and boxes are made from 100% recycled cardboard (even the liner is recycled).