August 19th, 2020 by Sarah Miles

In just a few short months, hand sanitiser has become a staple of any public place. Hand hygiene in shops, offices, restaurants, pubs, and bars may have previously been limited to providing soap in the toilets. Now, hand sanitiser is vital for maintaining high sanitation levels in between hand washing.

Options for hand sanitiser for public spaces

While providing hand sanitiser is now a given, you have a couple of options in terms of the way you provide it. The most basic option is to create a sanitation station at entrances and exits. This can be as simple as a table equipped with bottles of hand sanitiser for customers, staff, and visitors to use. There are a couple of issues to consider here: firstly, if you have large volumes of people passing through, you will find that you will have to replace the bottles regularly. Plus, there’s always that chance that they may go walkabout, or they may not be cleaned properly, which can lead to cross-contamination.

Another option is to have a dispenser that is mounted to the wall. These wall-mounted models are much more secure and likely to have a much greater capacity, so you won’t have to refill them as often.

You also need to think about cross-contamination. Anything that is directly handled by people – including a pump on a bottle or press button on a dispenser – becomes an area of concern in itself, as germs and viruses can live on these surfaces. Even though any contact should, in theory, be directly followed by an application of hand sanitiser, there is still less risk involved if you choose a touchless dispenser.

What is a touchless hand sanitiser dispenser?

Touchless dispensers are basically as the name describes; they’re completely automatic and require no physical contact to work. Instead, in most models, they use a sensor to detect when a hand is placed beneath the unit and it’ll release a shot of hand sanitiser.

This eradicates all contact with the unit and therefore offers the most sanitary solution.

What are the best touchless sanitiser dispensers?

We have selected some of the best touchless dispensers on the market, each with their own advantages.

Bear in mind that hand sanitiser is thicker than hand soap. This means that, while many dispensers can handle soap and sanitiser gel, a dispenser designed only for soap is unlikely to be able to cope with the thicker, gel formula of hand sanitiser. However, sanitiser dispensers usually can manage soap very well so if you wanted to make all your dispensers consistent across your business, choose those designed for sanitiser.

Automatic Bulk Fill Soap or Hand Sanitiser Dispenser

This dispenser sits just 27cm from the wall so it’s very useful when space is at a premium. The clever thing about this model is that it dispenses a precise 0.8ml shot of sanitiser each time. This helps reduce waste and also avoids excessive spills and drips.

Automatic Bulk Fill Soap or Hand Sanitiser Dispenser 1L

Price: £59.99

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Automatic Hand Sanitiser and Soap Dispenser with Drip Tray

This model comes with the handy addition of a drip tray. Drips and spills from a soap dispenser onto a sink area are unsightly but drips from a sanitiser onto a floor can create a dangerous slip hazard. The drip tray helps to prevent this being an issue.

Automatic Hand Sanitiser and Soap Dispenser with Drip Tray 1L

Price: £71.99

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Automatic No Touch Soap and Hand Sanitiser Dispenser

With its rounded edges, this model is not only really easy to keep clean, but it also looks stylish too. It’s really lightweight, at just 700g, so is suitable for mounting onto just about any surface. The fill level window allows you to easily see when the sanitiser is getting low, so you’ll never run out unexpectedly.

Automatic No Touch Soap and Hand Sanitiser Dispenser 1L

Price: £59.99

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Pedal Operated Hand Sanitiser Dispenser

This really is something quite different to the sanitiser dispensers you are familiar with. Rather than being wall-mounted and operated via a sensor, this unit is floor mounted and is used via a foot pedal. Unlike the automatic dispensers above, this means you don’t need to worry about powering it. Fabricated from medical-grade steel, it is rust and corrosion-resistant. As it doesn’t require a wall, it can be used in any space – great for large areas. It also has a huge 2 litre capacity so it’s very useful for areas that get a lot of traffic as you won’t need to refill it as regularly.

The Pedal Operated Hand Sanitiser Dispenser is priced at £429.99+VAT