Efficacy Questions
Q What makes CleanTech® better than a sink?
A: Standardization: The consistent wash technique, and accurate solutions delivery of the CleanTech® system has been clinically proved to be more effective than a manual handwash.
Efficacy: The CleanTech® system reduces transient microorganisms on the hands by an average of 99 percent, and up to 99.9 percent.
Compliance: Employees are encouraged to wash hands by the nature of the CleanTech® system, including the ease of operation and comfort. In addition, CleanTech® monitors compliance by counting washes.
-Close-Q We've been doing manual handwashing for years and have never had a problem. Why should we change? What are the benefits of automating?
A: A good manual handwash is effective at reducing hand bacteria counts. If the manual handwash method could be guaranteed to be consistent from person to person and day to day this would be a good alternative. However, manual handwashing is inherently variable. Important aspects of the handwash, such as amount of soap, amount of water, coverage of the hand (fingernails, fingertips, between the fingers, wrist, etc.), and duration of the wash vary from wash to wash. By automating the process, these aspects are closely controlled and each person gets a high quality handwash independent of the human variability factor. If you have had no problems in the past, then statistically you are overdue for a problem. CleanTech® will standardize each handwash and guarantee clean hands.
-Close-Q How does CleanTech® encourage people to wash more frequently?
A: The twenty rotating spray nozzles in each cylinder provide a stimulating and pleasurable sensation on the hands. The unit is easy to use. With a good compliance monitoring program and the use of the counter, wash frequency can be increased by performance feedback to the employees.
-Close-Q How do I persuade people to change their habits?
A: Compliance monitoring will identify a problem. Performance feedback (providing employees with feedback, such as performance reports, on whether or not they are washing their hands) will motivate employees to wash.
-Close-Q Can we shorten the 12-second cycle time?
A: The standard factory cycle length setting is 12 seconds, and is recommended for most applications. However, the cycle length is programmable from 6 to 20 seconds and can either be preset to customer specifications or changed in the field. The effectiveness of CleanTech® can only be guaranteed at cycle lengths of 12 seconds or more. A four-second cycle can be set for sanitize only applications (no rinse after application of E-3 type sanitizer).
-Close-Q Where is placement/location of the equipment most common?
A: CleanTech® systems should be located at the entrances to critical areas such as packing areas, or any facility that processes cooked or ready-to-eat product. In addition, units should be placed inside critical areas or between cooked and raw facilities where cross-contamination is a concern. The standard configuration of CleanTech® systems allows placement anywhere a conventional sink will go.
-Close-Q My employees are complaining about cold water washes. What can be done?
A: The effectiveness of CleanTech® systems does not rely on water temperature, however, cold water can cause compliance problems. Using the CleanTech® system is a pleasurable experience and motivates people to wash their hands if the water is at a comfortable temperature. If the unit is located far from the hot water source, or if the hot water line runs through a refrigerated room, a booster heater can be installed near the unit. Meritech offers 4 gallon external and a 1 gallon internal (factory installed on new units only) booster heaters, as well as a 30KW 3-phase instantaneous heater for applications where no hot water is available.
-Close-Q Why are the units so expensive?
A: All CleanTech® systems except the CleanTech® Model 400, feature 304 series stainless steel housings and hardware. Many the major components, including the internal basin, cylinders, printed circuit assembly, chassis, and housing are proprietary and were designed provide the best compromise between cost and performance. The units are not mass-produced, but instead are assembled by hand with premium quality components used throughout. Each unit is calibrated to customer specifications and individually tested before shipping. In critical environments, breakdowns are costly, so CleanTech® systems are designed with reliability in mind to minimize failures. With regular maintenance, these units have an expected service life of over one million washes. The total cost of the CleanTech® system, including solutions, utilities, and maintenance, is less than 9 cents per wash.
-Close-Q We use gloves. Why does my company need CleanTech®?
A: In a study by BioScience Laboratories that tested randomly selected vinyl food grade gloves, 80% were found to have pre-existing punctures or tears. In addition, gloves provide a more favorable environment for the reproduction of pathogens on the hands. When handwashing was performed prior to gloving, no significant microbial growth was observed. In another study, hands that were initially inoculated with E. coli before donning gloves were determined to have significant counts on the outside surface of the gloves after use. The CDC recommends washing before gloving due to the rapid growth of bacteria on gloved hands, and due to the risk of punctures and tears during use. When hands are washed with CHG prior to wearing gloves, the residual effects will prevent the colonization of bacteria for up to 6 hours.
-Close-Q I use instant hand sanitizers. Why do I need CleanTech®?
A: There are two factors that can reduce the count of transient microorganisms on the hands: Kill-on-contact, and physical removal. Instant sanitizers will kill bacteria on the surface, but provide no mechanical means to remove any that may survive. The CleanTech® system removes over 95 percent of transient microorganisms by the mechanical action of the water alone. The remaining 4.9 percent are killed on contact or by the residual effects of the sanitizer. If there were no mechanical action at all, a quat sanitizer at 200 ppm would only kill 80 percent of the bacteria in the 10 seconds that the sanitizer is on the hands. A 1994 General Mills study concluded that instant sanitizers can actually cause an increase in resident bacteria. This is due, in part to the fact that bacteria are not being removed. In the case of an employee that harbors resident staphylococcus aureus, serious consequences could result.
-Close-Q What is the difference between resident and transient bacteria? And what should my facility be concerned with?
A: Resident bacteria are those bacterial strains that are always on the hands, live in the layers of our skin, and are usually benign. In fact, they are even beneficial to good health. Some resident bacteria can lead to decreased shelf life of certain food products, but do not cause food poisoning or food borne illnesses. Transient bacteria can and do lead to illness. They are not normal hand flora. They are picked up onto the hands from some contaminated source (doorknobs, viscera, utensils, etc.), and then the hands serve as a transportation method for those bacteria to contaminate another surface, or another person. CleanTech® systems eliminate 99.9% of the transient bacteria on the hands in 10 seconds.
-Close-Q It seems that this CleanTech® cycle takes a lot longer than a manual handwash? Why should we invest in something that takes longer?
A: Some people complete a manual handwash that is far too brief to be effective, or they simply don't wash at all. This should not be the basis for comparison to the CleanTech® system. Ten to 12 seconds is required to get the soap onto the hands and then rinsed off again. Achieving 99.9% bacteria reduction requires time. The USDA defines a manual handwash as 20-second duration. CleanTech® actually can save you time!
-Close-Q What about the fingertips? It doesn't seem to me that a "non-friction" wash can really clean under the fingertips.
A: If the area under the fingertips is heavily loaded with contaminants, it should be brushed clean prior to using the CleanTech® system. If not, CleanTech® has four nozzles shooting straight up from the bottom of each cylinder that are designed to wash and sanitize under the fingernails.
-Close-Q Your clinical studies show a 99.9% reduction in transient bacteria; however, when we ran a simple GlowGerm test in my sanitation class, the black light still illuminated GlowGerm on the hands of my students after a CleanTech® handwash with CHG-2%. Why?
A: GlowGerm is an oil-based product designed for use as a teaching aid. The common misconception is that GlowGerm represents bacteria. It doesn't. It is a teaching aid as a "surface indicator"; i.e., "where have I missed?" GlowGerm and other heavy oils do not come off easily without a surfactant. CHG is not a surfactant; CHG kills bacteria. This is why it is more accurate to test viable bacteria with the "glove juice test", rather than simply illuminate residual oil-based product with a black light.
-Close-Q I've seen the clinical studies from BioScience Labs, and other independent studies on CleanTech® equipment indicating a 99.9% reduction in transient bacteria. However, we want to do our own testing. We perform the "swab" test and/or "finger press" test. Should we expect to see the same results? If not, why?
A: This analysis serves as a summary of several studies that have been conducted on the methods used to test the bacteria and pathogens on the hands and the efficacy of handwashing. There are a variety of means available to test handwashing efficacy, but the reliability of these methods varies greatly.
Finger Press: One of the most common means of determining the levels of bacteria on the hands both before and after washing is the finger press method. In this method the fingers of the hand being sampled are pressed onto an agar plate. Some of the bacteria on the fingers are transferred onto the plate and then show up as colonies on the plate after incubation. This is a very simple method, but it is not accurate or repeatable, often underestimating the actual bacteria count by a factor of 1000.
Swab: The swab method is also a commonly used means to test bacteria on the hands. This method is accomplished by running a moistened Q-tip over the various surfaces of the hand. The swab collects some of the bacteria from the hand and these are then put onto an agar plate. The colonies are then counted after incubation. This method is somewhat better than the finger press method but still underestimates the bacteria count by up to a factor of 100. Again, the accuracy of this method is highly questionable.
Glove Juice: The most accurate and repeatable means to count bacteria on hands is the glove juice method. This is the method required by the FDA when making any claim about anti-microbial ability. This method involves putting a latex glove over the hand to be tested and pouring in some sterile saline solution between the hand and the glove. The solution is then stirred and shaken to wash some of the bacteria off of the hand thereby suspending it in the saline solution. This "washing" of the hand continues until the bacteria count in the water is the same as on the hand. The solution is then poured onto the agar plates and the bacteria colonies are counted after incubation. This method allows very little error. In order to assure accurate results, Meritech has exclusively used the glove juice method to test the efficacy of the CleanTech® systems.
Pathogen Specific Testing: When testing the CleanTech® systems, it is also important to consider the type of bacteria you intend to measure. The human hand contains a variety of bacteria. The vast majority of these are harmless resident bacteria. They are always on the hands and do not cause illness or infection. Even a physician conducting surgery in an operating room has resident bacteria on the hands. Some of the bacteria on the hands, however, are not harmless. These are the transient bacteria, which are not normal on the hand and can cause illness or even death. These are the bacteria that CleanTech® was designed to remove. When counting the bacteria reduction on the hands due to handwashing it is important to be as accurate as possible in counting the transient, or pathogen, bacteria reduction. If you simply count all bacteria removed from the hands, you will be counting mainly the harmless bacteria and you will not have a true measure of pathogen reduction. A total plate count of all bacteria, as compared to a pathogen specific count, will render an inaccurate measure of the efficacy of the CleanTech® systems (as it would with any other handwashing methods). In summary, whenever you test the efficacy of a handwashing modality, to achieve accurate results, be sure to use the glove juice method and conduct a pathogen specific count.
-Close-
Technical Questions
Q Why is the CleanTech® 2000S so much more expensive than the CleanTech® 400?
A: The 2000S is designed to withstand the high temperature, high pressure, and corrosive sanitizer spray in hose-down environments. The housing fully encloses all the components, and features 304 series stainless steel construction. It also features automatic self-cleaning ability and has provisions for integrated boot sanitizing, end-stage sanitize, internal water heating, and heated air-drying. The Model 400 is designed to be water resistant, however, it can withstand only limited amounts of direct water spray.
-Close-Q Can I invest in custom features on the unit like towel dispenser or handsink?
A: Almost any reasonable custom feature can be incorporated for an additional charge. We encourage our customers to give us feedback on new products and ideas.
-Close-Q We really need a handwashing station, but it would cost too much to plumb water to where we want to install CleanTech® Any suggestions?
A: CleanTech® units require the same service hook ups as a clothes washer, i.e., hot and cold 3/4 inch garden hose connections, a 1 1/2 inch drain, and 110 - 230 VAC power. The unit can drain directly onto the floor if so desired. The system can be ordered with a sump pump system to drain to a remote location. The potable water hot and cold supply lines should be 3/8" diameter minimum with a flow capacity of 5 gpm at 40 psi each. These lines are common and inexpensive to install.
-Close-Q We have no hot water at the site. How important is hot water to the performance of the machine? Any suggestions?
A: Hot water is not required for bacteria reduction - cold water works very well; however, employees may try to avoid using the CleanTech® if the water is always cold. So, for the best compliance rates, Meritech recommends 105 degrees F water temperature. There are several options available from the factory to accommodate this type of situation: · 1-gallon internal heater · 4-gallon external heater · instantaneous heater The 1- and 4-gallon heaters require 110V power. The instant heater requires 277 (480 volts), WYE connection, 3 phase, 40 amps per phase, and usually mounts on facility wall. The 1- and 4-gallon heaters will provide up to 10 warm-water washes before facility hot water reaches the CleanTech®. The instant heater will heat an unlimited amount of cold water; no hot water is required.
-Close-Q Our water pressure is pretty low, especially at certain times during the day. What are the minimum requirements for CleanTech®?
A: Water supply should be 40 psi minimum at 5 gpm flow. If supply does not meet this requirement, Meritech can provide a booster pump system which will increase facility pressure. Adequate water supply pressure is critical to the CleanTech® performance. The booster pump can be located remotely from the CleanTech® system and requires standard 110 volt power.
-Close-Q Can you retrofit a resetting usage counter so we can reset the counter at shift change?
A: Yes. We can retrofit your current CleanTech® 2000S and CleanTech® 400 models, and you can order a re-setting counter in both CleanTech® models. It is a digital counter, externally accessible; customer mounts (2 bolts).
-Close-Q We need a "stand alone" unit for special events and locations where there is no water. How can we make the CleanTech® system work for us?
A: At this time, Meritech does not recommend recirculating water to do handwashing. However, a system which uses bulk storage of fresh potable water and a wastewater storage tank of the same size is feasible, and would be as effective as a standard CleanTech® system hooked to dedicated plumbing.
-Close-Q I notice you have a manual faucet as an option on the new CleanTech® 400. Why? And how does it work?
A: The no-touch faucet option on the CleanTech® 400 is intended to fulfill two requirements: In cases where the hands are heavily soiled, the faucet can be used, in conjunction with a separate soap supply, to clean the hands down to bare skin, then the CleanTech® cylinders are used to do the final washing and sanitizing. In some localities, the local health department may decide that they will not allow a CleanTech® system to replace a traditional handwashing sink. The addition of the faucet would allow the CleanTech® to be installed in these instances. The no-touch faucet works on ultrasonic detection of motion immediately below the sensor head. When motion is detected, water turns on; when motion stops the water stops. The faucet operates completely independently from the CleanTech® 400.
-Close-Q We just invested in the new CleanTech® 400 model. It doesn't have the "self-clean" feature that the CleanTech® 2000S model has. How do I clean my CleanTech® unit?
A: The CleanTech® 400 can be cleaned and sanitized the same as any piece of food processing equipment. The CleanTech® 400 is made of durable, chemical-resistant, water-resistant materials. Therefore, use whatever cleaning solutions you are currently using as a hard surface disinfectant to clean the outside of the unit and use the same solutions in a spray bottle to spray down the cylinders. 29.
-Close-Q What hand drying methods are recommended?
A: Paper towels are the most commonly used and most effective means of drying hands. While heated air dryers have the benefit of no touch and no waste, they have been shown to harbor transient microorganisms. If air drying is needed, Meritech offers an integral heated no-touch air drying system for CleanTech® units. The CleanTech® system uses filtered compressed air from an outside source, which alleviates the contamination problems associated with common air dryers.
-Close-
