Dreieich, 1st August 2019. The system provider and hygiene specialist CWS is breaking new ground in the field of hand hygiene. The key component of the latest hygiene solution is a smart mixer tap. It guides the user through a set hand washing process in which the use of soap and a sufficient hand washing time are preprogrammed in the truest sense of the word. The solution bears the name CWS SmartWash and renders careless hand washing almost impossible.
Just around 30 per cent of visitors to the toilet use soap when washing their hands. The CWS SmartWash can help washroom operators increase this rate to 100 per cent when users wash their hands with the device. The secret? A unique mixer tap. It dispenses a ready-made mixture of soap and water, meaning that no one can “get away without using soap”.
It is a well-known fact that hand hygiene prevents the spread of infectious diseases – in fact, around 80 per cent of them are passed on via our hands. Nevertheless, thorough hand washing is often neglected: washroom users frequently skip the soap and towels. “We want to begin a new chapter in hand hygiene and raise the hygiene standard in public washrooms. Too many people leave sanitary facilities without having washed their hands properly,” explained Fatima Röse, Senior Product Manager Hand Hygiene at CWS. “That has an effect on everyone’s health, as germs can spread extremely quickly. Our aim is to offer intelligent solutions which make correct hand hygiene easier for the user in order to improve the hygiene situation sustainably.” This is exactly where the SmartWash mixer tap comes into play. It dispenses a premixed water and soap solution, thereby ensuring that soap is used every time hands are washed using the device. Preset dispensing intervals ensure that the users have time to wash their hands thoroughly and take enough time for the lathering, rubbing and rinsing. “In addition to correct hand washing, we also want to bring about a change in behaviour with the device,” emphasised Fatima Röse. “This set process of lathering, rubbing and rinsing should teach users proper hand washing and they should continue to follow the steps subconsciously whenever and wherever they wash their hands,” continued the hand hygiene expert. The new mixer tap functions without any contact at all, meaning the user does not have to touch any surfaces.
Lathering, rubbing and rinsing: on average, hand washing takes 20 seconds and requires around two litres of valuable drinking water when using a standard tap. The CWS SmartWash reduces this quantity dramatically to just around 200 ml per hand wash. The mixing head within the tap also mixes in air alongside the water and soap at the beginning of the process. The air makes it possible to reduce the quantity of water a number of times over. The clean water used for the rinsing then removes all traces of the soap reliably. This reduces consumption considerably. The sensor-operated CWS SmartWash requires up to 90 per cent less water and up to 60 per cent less soap than standard taps. This translates to lower water and soap costs for the operator. Cleaning efforts in the washroom are also lowered as the new mixer tap avoids water splashes outside of the washbasin and the resulting wet areas. Excess soap next to the washbasin, a common issue beneath dispensers, is also a thing of the past.
The CWS SmartWash is designed for the energy-saving use of cold water, but the premixing of the air means that the water does not feel cold.
The CWS SmartWash, which can be used conveniently and without any contact, is designed to increase the frequency of hand washing among users. There is no longer any need to use additional soap. For this reason, the easy-to-use mixer tap is particularly suitable for use in highly frequented washrooms in airports, train stations and shopping centres as well as in hygiene-critical areas such as healthcare facilities, schools, nurseries and companies.
Its compact design means the CWS SmartWash can be installed wherever hand hygiene is required – inside and outside washrooms.
There are two types of soap available for the CWS SmartWash: the Cherry Blossom standard soap and the ProCare version for sensitive skin. One bag of soap is sufficient for around 3,100 uses.
As a hygiene expert, CWS wants to raise the hygiene standards in public washrooms and improve the hygiene experience of the users. To this end, the company is constantly working to develop new ideas and products – including in collaboration with select partners. In the field of digital hand washing solutions, the system and hygiene service provider recently entered into a cooperation with the Swiss company Smixin. The two partners have set themselves the goal of combining their strengths in the development of comprehensive and sustainable solutions for optimal standards in hand hygiene.
CWS contributes to a healthier and safer future with innovative, sustainable and digital rental solutions. The CWS offering is organised into products and services from the fields of Hygiene, Floor Care, Workwear, Fire Safety, Cleanrooms and Healthcare. All of the company’s solution areas have been operating together as a complete system provider under the name CWS since April 2019.
CWS is a brand of CWS-boco International GmbH and its subsidiaries. The group currently employs around 10,600 people in 16 countries. In 2018, the company generated a turnover of €1.1 billion. CWS-boco International GmbH and its subsidiaries are wholly owned by Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH.
