As you consider whether to implement dispensers in your guestroom bathrooms, or what type of dispenser to install, consider the results of a new study conducted on behalf of Clean the World (CTW). CTW gave Green Lodging News exclusive access to the Executive Summary of the report that should be available in its entirety in early 2020.
Research conducted by the University of Arizona (UA) showed a 100 percent bacterial contamination rate in refillable dispensers that contain shampoo, body wash, conditioner, hand soap, or lotion. Of 82 samples taken, 63 (76 percent) yielded bacterial numbers greater than 1,000 colony-forming units per gram of product (CFU per gram), and 40 samples (49 percent) exceeded 10,000 CFU per gram. According to The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, for non-eye-area products, counts should not be greater than 1,000 CFU per g or mL.
Shawn Seipler, President and CEO of Clean the World, told me, “We were surprised that it was 76 percent and by the level of contamination of bacteria.” He added that the report makes a strong case for the use of non-refillable dispensers that use sealed, recyclable containers.
The methodology for the study? Dr. Charles Gerba led the research team that included seven others. Forty rooms were booked in 20 hotels (two rooms per hotel). UA researchers stayed at the hotels as guests and collected the samples aseptically by dispensing 20 to 25 mL of the respective sample type into sterile 50‐mL conical tubes. The samples were placed into a cooler and held under refrigeration conditions (4 °C to 10 °C) until assaying for heterotrophic plate count bacteria (within 48 hours of sample collection). The properties included in the study were in the four-star or three-star range.
Driven by Growing Interest in Dispensers
What prompted the research by CTW? According to Seipler, the jump in recent industry interest in dispensers prompted the concern about how safe and healthy refillable dispensers are. CTW came across the work of Dr. Gerba and the work he did on dispensers in public restrooms.
Dr. Gerba’s team concluded that the high culturable bacterial levels in 76 percent of the samples demonstrates the vulnerability of refillable dispensers to bacterial growth, and potentially to cross-contamination during the refilling process. According to Dr. Gerba, bulk soap-refillable dispensers are prone to bacterial contamination, as supported by several reported outbreaks linked to the use of contaminated soap in health care settings.
Why not just sanitize refillable dispensers? According to the report, once bacteria colonize the refillable dispensers, it is extremely difficult and challenging to completely cleanse a contaminated dispenser and to inhibit the future growth of bacteria. According to a Montana State University research study, bacterial counts in bulk soap dispensers returned to pre-wash contaminated levels within two weeks, regardless of the washing procedure. (See related video.)
I am about to publish an article comparing refillable with non-refillable dispensers. What I quickly learned in my research is the wide array of viewpoints, especially within the supplier community, on dispenser hygiene, operations and what is best for hotels and their guests. Perhaps this new research will add some clarity to the issue? Your thoughts? I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Green Lodging News Welcomes ffuuss to Green Product & Service Directory
Green Lodging News welcomes ffuuss to its Green Product & Service Directory in the “Hand Dryers” category. ffuuss hand dryers include features and functionalities not available in other products on the market: preheat system, residual water collection and side air curtains to prevent splashes outside of the drying cavity, perimeter activation with capacitive sensors, fully customizable design and finishes, and a system for obtaining use data via app and Bluetooth technology. According to ffuuss, its focus is on hygiene, sustainability, functionality, efficiency and design. E-mail sales-usa@ffuuss.com or click here for more information.
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
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Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
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Green Lodging News, lodging’s leading environmental news source, announces the launch of Green Suppliers Spotlight, an e-blast to 21,182 subscribers that features the lodging industry’s leading green products and services. The e-blast features multiple vendors—unlike the current Green Supplier Spotlight that allows one supplier to “own” the Green Lodging News subscriber list for one e-blast. (Click here for a Green Suppliers Spotlight sample.)
Green Suppliers Spotlight is published weekly on Thursdays to general managers, owners, management companies, directors of sustainability, directors of engineering, facilities managers and many others who are either in purchasing positions or who influence purchasing decisions. Suppliers of green products and services throughout North America and beyond are invited to participate in the e-blast. (Minimum two suppliers per e-blast.) Green Suppliers Spotlight was created to give vendors an opportunity to reach a high number of industry purchasers at a very low cost—as low as $200 per e-mail. (Click here for rate sheet.)
Those advertising in Green Suppliers Spotlight can include up to 100 words, one image, contact information and multiple links to their website in their ad. At the end of each month, a report will be sent to each supplier with information on delivered e-mails, opens and click-throughs.
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