Are Water Coolers Sanitary?
Are water coolers sanitary? Is it safe to drink?
Some people dislike water coolers because they believe they are unsanitary, which is accurate in some circumstances. But let me tell you this, it’s safe to use hot and cold water dispensers if you know how to maintain them. Water coolers are SANITARY! These products do not plug and forget. Anything that relates to health must have proper maintenance to keep it clean and safe to use.
Water coolers, particularly office water coolers, can be extremely unsanitary due to the large number of people that use them and poor cleaning practices.
WHY DO WE NEED TO SANITIZE OUR WATER COOLERS?
Our bottled-water coolers use water sourced from natural and sustainable sources. That is, at the point of dispensing, the water is processed as little as possible. It gives it a nice taste while keeping the water-borne minerals intact.
Water, on the other hand, has foes. And these foes contribute to the ideal environment for bacteria that live in water.
DUST AND DIRT IN THE AIR
Dust and filth settle on it, as they do on all other surfaces. You will need to wipe it clean now and again to maintain it clean. We always recommend keeping your water cooler in a well-ventilated place free of dust and other airborne contaminants.
SUNLIGHT
After only a brief time in the sun, a pool of water will get tinged with green, and algae will begin to grow. It doesn’t just happen when water comes into contact with air; a water bottle on a water cooler near a sunny window could be the ideal breeding habitat for bacteria. Our experienced engineer may recommend that you move the water cooler to a more shaded location as part of water cooler maintenance.
There is heat within the water cooler’s mechanism. It doesn’t have to be a scorching hot day. Just enough heat to cause humidity in some of the system’s components. When a user presses the tap to discharge water, water travels through, wiping microorganisms off the surface and into the water.
Thankfully, these bacteria are harmless in little doses, but if you don’t sanitize the water cooler regularly, it could cause difficulties.
GERMS TRANSFERRED FROM HANDS, EQUIPMENT, AND THE SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT
Scare stories about problems with filling water bottles from water coolers occasionally arise in the media. The ‘germs’ on the top of the bottle transmits from the bottle to the dispenser. It results in everyone sharing the germs of the previous user, and so on.
Similarly, not everyone has the same meticulous hand-washing routine as you, so commonly used taps and dispensers may harbor some invisible and nasty bacteria.
The good news is that all it takes is a quick wipe with a sanitizing spray and a disposable wipe to disinfect the dispenser.
ENSURE THE SURFACE IS CLEAN
In most circumstances, water does not ‘stick’ to a surface as it travels over it. A coating on sanitized surfaces prevents this from happening. This coating technique is used in our water coolers and is called a “firewall” because it stops harmful germs and bacteria from sticking to a medium that permits them to flourish.
However, this will need to be replenished from time to time, which is, as you might think, a necessary element of water cooler maintenance. It’s because bacteria have the medium to develop when water pools or ‘sticks’ on a surface, no matter how small the drop of water. And each time it removes a cup of water from the cooler, this can spell trouble.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Are Water Coolers Sanitary?
Àre water coolers sanitary? They are s until you neglect the importance of sanitization and maintaining its cleanliness. Owning a water cooler means having the responsibility of keeping it clean.
Awesome Water Filters offer sanitary water coolers in Australia. We also provide other filtration methods and accessories. Please chat with us today!