Studies by American Society for Microbiology have found that approximately one in four soap dispensers in public washrooms contains soap that is contaminated. Washing hands with contaminated soap can contribute to the transmission of germs and bacteria.
Here are a few tips to prevent soap contamination:
• Switch to soap dispensers that work on sealed refill packs in the form of pouches, soap bags and cartridges. Click here for a list of sealed refill packs.
• For refillable dispensers:
o Ensure refillable bottle is empty, clean and dry before topping up.
o Do not mix different soaps when refilling
o Alternate refillable bottles so that you can clean them thoroughly
o Wash your hands or wear gloves when handling soap
Sources:
camip.info. 2010. Le risque des savons contaminés : expérience du centre hospitalier universitaire de Rennes. Available at: http://www.camip.info/Le-risque-des-savons-contamines.html.
Applied and environmental microbiology. 2010. Bacterial Hand Contamination and Transfer after Use of Contaminated Bulk-Soap-Refillable Dispensers. Available at: http://aem.asm.org/content/77/9/2898.full.
Clean Link. 2012. Soap Dispensers: Preventing Cross-Contamination. Available at: http://www.cleanlink.com/cp/article/Soap-Dispensers-Preventing-Cross-Contamination–14671.