The correct way to clean and sanitise water dispensers
Regular cleaning and routine sanitisation of water dispensers is important for keeping drinking water fresh and your users safe. Follow our best practice guide for the correct way to clean and sanitise your water dispenser.
Clean external surfaces every day
Water dispensers are classed as household or office appliances. Just like your kettle, fridge, or microwave water dispensers are touched frequently by many people.
We recommend that you thoroughly clean the external surface at least once a day. This includes emptying the drip tray or waste tank, in addition to wiping down the outside using a professional sanitising spray and paper towel.
Pay special attention to the contact points
Make sure you carefully clean areas that are touched most often such as the dispense button. This is particularly important in preventing the spread of COVID-19 as people return to work.
Like existing coronaviruses, which includes the common cold, there’s no evidence that COVID-19 can survive in drinking water. The known sources of transmission are through respiratory (breathing in) and contact (touching) with the virus. The only risk to users is the external contact surfaces of the dispenser, especially the controls, following contamination by a user infected with the virus.
Regular cleaning will also remove other germs that cause illness. COVID-19 is ‘fragile’ and therefore susceptible to cleaning with disinfectant chemicals. This is different to other known viruses, such as rotavirus and norovirus, which are more ‘robust’ and not so quickly deactivated.
Use a fresh sanitising wipe to clean dispense point
We cannot emphasise enough how important it is to use a fresh, clean cloth or sani wipe to disinfect the dispense point.
Never clean the outside of the appliance and then finish off with the dispense point as you risk contaminating the very area you’re trying to protect. Never use a wipe or cloth that’s been kicking around in a bucket or bag.
Use a professional cleaning product
Always use alcohol-based wipes or a sanitising spray such as Sterizen®, which you can wipe off with a clean paper towel or cloth. Sterizen® is from a family of disinfectant chemicals called Quats (quaternary ammonium compounds) and is ideal for cleaning and disinfecting everyday contact points.
Sanitise internal workings every 6 months
With any water dispenser, it’s important that you follow the manufacturer’s guidelines on maintenance and sanitisation. We recommend that bottle-fed water systems are sanitised at least every 3 months and Point-of-Use every 6 months.
If you decommissioned any of your water dispensers during the COVID-19 outbreak we also advise that you clean the outside and sanitise internally before reinstalling. We recommend that you also fit a new water filter.
Use an approved service agent
Most Borg & Overström customers will have rented their water dispensers or have a service agreement in place. We strongly recommend using an approved service agent to internally sanitise your appliance, as they will be trained to carry out the work correctly.
If you’ve bought a Borg & Overström appliance and do not have a service agreement with a third partner, contact us and we’ll put you in touch with a distributor.
