The Problem with Traditional Water Coolers

A germ-laden water cooler makes sense if you think about it. Coworkers or managers might not think twice about the last time it was cleaned or the bottle rotated.

Even if it were cleaned recently, a dozen or more coworkers can easily contaminate the entire supply by refilling used water bottles and touching the spigot with unwashed hands.

On top of that, there’s the cleaning process. Unless an attendant cleans and disinfects each bottle thoroughly several times per week, you could find a number of germs inside that were missed entirely. Needless to say, communal water coolers aren’t the most sanitary invention ever thought up.

When changing the water bottle or handling any part of the water cooler, they should also wash their hands. Then, when handling the bottle, they should take care not to touch the bottle’s neck, a part that comes into close contact with the dispensing system.

Now, if you know anything about office enforcement, such a stringent set of rules can be difficult to hold to. For that reason, your office may need to consider a bottle-less solution with built-in sanitation or water purification.