5 steps to keep your school water coolers clean

To have healthy and happy students, you must keep your school water coolers clean all-year-round.

However, some schools don’t have a regular maintenance schedule for their water coolers. They simply change the bottle and hope that’s enough. We’ll let you in on a secret … it isn’t!

To help you out, here’s a quick run-down of how to keep your school water coolers clean and how this will benefit your school. We hope it helps!

Why do you need school water coolers?

The obvious answer is hydration.

It’s important to keep students and staff hydrated at all times, as it helps them function well and improves the learning environment. In fact, studies suggest that being properly hydrated can bump students up a grade or two – that’s got to be worth a try!

However, there are several water distribution methods out there, so why are water coolers the best option? There are two key benefits:

1. Accessibility

Water coolers can be placed almost anywhere around the school.

Other systems, such as taps and water fountains, are much more difficult to install.

It’s much better to give students access to water coolers than any other distribution system. After all, bathroom taps are notorious for hosting bacteria. Also, if the water cooler is in the hallway, students might use them to fill up their bottles on the way to class.

2. Hygiene

The water you receive from your cooler is going to be pure and untreated. It’s one of the most efficient and hygienic distribution methods, so water coolers should be your go-to option.

However, you’ve really got to keep your water coolers clean if you’re going to reap these hygiene benefits.

The thing to remember is that while the water is pure, the dispenser probably isn’t. Water is great for transporting bacteria – we discovered that in our hand dryers blog. The nature of water coolers means you ingest these bacteria as you drink, so it’s no surprise a dirty water cooler can make you ill.

For a healthy school, you need to keep your school water coolers clean at all times.

How to keep your school water coolers clean

So, we know it’s super-important to keep your school water coolers clean, but how do you go about this?

Some providers will offer a sanitation/maintenance service or give you advice in the user manual. However, if you can’t find it, try doing this every 5-6 weeks to ensure you keep your school water coolers clean and fresh.

1. Fill the reservoir with clean water then add 25 ml of supra san (a hydrogen peroxide based cleaner) and mix well. This will act as a disinfectant solution.
2. Drain a small volume through the cold tap so that too is filled with the solution
3. Leave for a minimum of five minutes
4. Immerse the non-spill device in Sanosil for a minimum of five minutes. The dilution rate is 1000ml in a 5-litre bucket
5. While this is happening, clean the outside of the cooler and the drip tray

Thoroughly rinse everything with clean water (bottled is best). Test the taps with blue litmus paper. Re-rinse until it doesn’t pick up any disinfectant. There you have it, five steps that will help you keep your school water coolers clean.

If you’d like to learn more about school water coolers, get in touch with one of our experts today.