--- title: Commercial Hand Soap is Unreliable for Food Safety Handwashing description: UltraPure is an alternative to commercial hand soap used in food manufacturing that improves hand hygiene SOPs for food safety by being less variable. image: https://www.meritech.com/hubfs/Commercial%20Hand%20Soap%20Is%20Always%20Inconsistent%20for%20Use%20in%20Food%20Processing.png --- [ Skip navigation menu ](https://www.meritech.com/blog/industrial-hand-soap-is-always-inconsistent-heres-why#content) [![meritech-logo-tagline](https://www.meritech.com/hs-fs/hubfs/lafferty-website-2026/global-assets/meritech-logo-tagline.png?width=200&height=74&name=meritech-logo-tagline.png) ](https://www.meritech.com/) - [ Hygiene Systems ](https://www.meritech.com/products/hygiene-solutions) Show submenu for Hygiene Systems - [ Automated Hand Hygiene ](https://www.meritech.com/products/hand-sanitation-stations) - [ Boot Scrubbers and Footwear Sanitation ](https://www.meritech.com/products/boot-scrubbers) - [ Industries ](https://www.meritech.com/markets) Show submenu for Industries - [ Food Processing & Manufacturing ](https://www.meritech.com/markets/food-processing) - [ Healthcare ](https://www.meritech.com/markets/healthcare_medical) - [ Hospitality ](https://www.meritech.com/markets/travel_leisure) - [ Education ](https://www.meritech.com/markets/education) - [ Gyms and Public Facilities ](https://www.meritech.com/markets/gyms-and-public-facilities-meritech) - [ Cleanroom and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing ](https://www.meritech.com/markets/pharmaceutical-cleanroom) - [ Grocery ](https://www.meritech.com/markets/grocery) - [ Municipality and Correction Facilities ](https://www.meritech.com/markets/municipality-and-correction-facilities-meritech) - [ Why Us ](https://www.meritech.com/why-meritech) - [ Support ](https://www.meritech.com/services/technical-support) Show submenu for Support - [ Resources ](https://www.meritech.com/resources) - [ Blog ](https://www.meritech.com/blog) - [ Technical Support ](https://www.meritech.com/services/technical-support) - [ Success Stories ](https://www.meritech.com/meritech-cleantech-testimonials) [ Contact ](https://www.meritech.com/contact/) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. ** Toggle main navigation - [ Hygiene Systems ](https://www.meritech.com/products/hygiene-solutions) Show submenu for Hygiene Systems - [ Automated Hand Hygiene ](https://www.meritech.com/products/hand-sanitation-stations) - [ Boot Scrubbers and Footwear Sanitation ](https://www.meritech.com/products/boot-scrubbers) - [ Industries ](https://www.meritech.com/markets) Show submenu for Industries - [ Food Processing & Manufacturing ](https://www.meritech.com/markets/food-processing) - [ Healthcare ](https://www.meritech.com/markets/healthcare_medical) - [ Hospitality ](https://www.meritech.com/markets/travel_leisure) - [ Education ](https://www.meritech.com/markets/education) - [ Gyms and Public Facilities ](https://www.meritech.com/markets/gyms-and-public-facilities-meritech) - [ Cleanroom and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing ](https://www.meritech.com/markets/pharmaceutical-cleanroom) - [ Grocery ](https://www.meritech.com/markets/grocery) - [ Municipality and Correction Facilities ](https://www.meritech.com/markets/municipality-and-correction-facilities-meritech) - [ Why Us ](https://www.meritech.com/why-meritech) - [ Support ](https://www.meritech.com/services/technical-support) Show submenu for Support - [ Resources ](https://www.meritech.com/resources) - [ Blog ](https://www.meritech.com/blog) - [ Technical Support ](https://www.meritech.com/services/technical-support) - [ Success Stories ](https://www.meritech.com/meritech-cleantech-testimonials) [ Contact ](https://www.meritech.com/contact/) Post Tags - [CleanTech® Handwashing Stations](https://www.meritech.com/blog/tag/cleantech-handwashing-stations) - [Food Processing](https://www.meritech.com/blog/tag/hygiene-in-food-processing) # Commercial Hand Soap Is Always Inconsistent for Use in Food Processing [Meritech](https://www.meritech.com/blog/author/meritech) Oct 14, 2021 5 min read ![](https://www.meritech.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Commercial%20Hand%20Soap%20Is%20Always%20Inconsistent%20for%20Use%20in%20Food%20Processing.png?width=1600&height=900&name=Commercial%20Hand%20Soap%20Is%20Always%20Inconsistent%20for%20Use%20in%20Food%20Processing.png) When it comes to commercial hand soap, there’s more questions than answers. What type of soap is it? How much are you using? Has the soap dispenser been cleaned recently? Does the soap manufacturer recommend a specific dispenser or usage amount? It’s impossible to quantify hand hygiene efficacy if these questions are always present. That’s why it’s hard to rely on commercial hand soap to be consistently compliant with your organization’s hand hygiene processes. Fortunately, there's an alternative that eliminates the need to constantly be asking questions. That alternative is [UltraPure](https://www.meritech.com/products/hygiene-solutions/). ## The Inconsistency of Human Behavior Can Impact the Effectiveness of Commercial Hand Soap Every person is different. So, it’s no wonder that everyone takes a different approach to hand washing. [A proper hand wash takes time and careful consideration](https://www.meritech.com/blog/video/how-to-wash-your-hands-properly-a-step-by-step-handwashing-guide-with-hygiene-expert-paul-barnhill). Ideally a person makes sure that![Hands washing in sink](https://www.meritech.com/hs-fs/hubfs/photo-1584265549884-cb8ea486a613.jpeg?width=269&name=photo-1584265549884-cb8ea486a613.jpeg) they have properly scrubbed and soaked every part of their hands for at least 20 seconds. However, as you’ve probably noticed in public bathrooms, many people try to wash their hands as quickly as possible and with minimal thought. This type of inconsistency from person to person does not follow hand hygiene best practices for food safety. Using [UltraPure](https://www.meritech.com/products/hygiene-solutions/) eliminates that variability by dispensing the proper amount of solution needed for more than 99.9% of pathogen removal when used with a [CleanTech® Automated Handwashing System](https://www.meritech.com/products/handwashing-systems). ### Everyone Uses a Different Amount of Commercial Hand Soap Even if someone takes the proper 20 seconds to wash their hands, it also matters how much soap they are using. If a person just takes one small pump of hand soap for example, that probably is not enough to rid their hands of the adequate number of pathogens to be properly hygienic. Alternatively, if someone takes several pumps of commercial hand soap they probably have more than enough for pathogen removal, but this excess of soap comes with a price. With each person using a different amount of soap, and many times too much soap, it’s difficult to estimate how quickly your team will go through your soap supply and budget how much soap to purchase. Only 5mL or a teaspoon of [UltraPure](https://www.meritech.com/products/hygiene-solutions/) is all that is needed for proper pathogen removal. The variability in effectiveness and cost that stems from people using anywhere from one to five pumps of hand soap no longer exists. Instead, UltraPure is going to give you peace of mind that each employee is getting the right amount of solution for proper pathogen removal, and it's going to make ordering and budgeting for hygiene solutions easy.  ### Each Commercial Hand Soap is Different ![Hands pumping soap dispenser ](https://www.meritech.com/hs-fs/hubfs/photo-1584378834141-a7e026d31456.jpeg?width=414&name=photo-1584378834141-a7e026d31456.jpeg) There is an overwhelming amount of commercial hand soaps for food processing on the market, and they’re all different. The chemistry of each soap is different depending on the type and many companies have a “good enough” approach to how their soap is designed. They leave the hand hygiene efficacy up to the individual user. This of course complicates things since the users might not know how much of their soap is needed for a proper hand wash. Even if a user knows how much of a particular soap is needed, an organization can often switch soap types and once again leave the user in the dark. There is only one [UltraPure](https://www.meritech.com/products/hygiene-solutions/), and it works the same for every hand wash. Our [efficacy studies](https://www.meritech.com/blog/how-ultrapure-is-backed-by-clinical-science-unlike-industrial-hand-soap) have proven that UltraPure results in greater pathogen reduction than a manual hand wash.   ### Each Commercial Hand Soap Dispenser is Different One often overlooked aspect of hand hygiene is the soap dispenser. Soap dispensers are often not calibrated with soap type and pump the same amount of soap regardless of type used. This is problematic when some soaps like foam are used, as soap dispensers pump a standard amount of soap per pump, but often foam soap has a lower PPM of chemical as air bubbles make up most of the soap that is dispensed. Many organizations also do not change soap dispensers when they switch soap types, therefore potentially using the wrong type of dispenser for the soap purchased. Regular cleaning of the dispenser itself is also necessary to prevent residue buildup that can make the dispenser less effective. Since [UltraPure](https://www.meritech.com/products/hygiene-solutions/) was created alongside the [CleanTech® Automated Handwashing Stations](https://www.meritech.com/products/handwashing-systems), one does not have to worry about any of questions that can arise from soap dispensers. One 10L bottle of UltraPure consistently provides 1,750 hand washes every time it is dispensed into the CleanTech® Automated Handwashing System. ## UltraPure Removes Harmful Pathogens and Questions ![IMG_0562 (1)-1](https://www.meritech.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_0562%20(1)-1.jpeg?width=349&name=IMG_0562%20(1)-1.jpeg) With [UltraPure](https://www.meritech.com/products/hygiene-solutions/), you no longer have to worry about: - How much soap your team is using. - How much soap to purchase and budget for. - The effectiveness of your industrial hand soap. - The effectiveness of the type of soap dispenser when used with the soap purchased. Instead UltraPure and CleanTech® make this effortless as they were made to be as effective as possible with minimal human effort required. All a person has to do is put their hands in the [CleanTech® Automated Handwashing Station](https://www.meritech.com/products/handwashing-systems) and UltraPure does the rest. ### Get The Latest Posts in Your Inbox ## Related Posts - ![](https://www.meritech.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Why%20UltraPure%20is%20a%20Better%20Alternative%20to%20Industrial%20Hand%20Sanitizer.png?width=500&height=375&name=Why%20UltraPure%20is%20a%20Better%20Alternative%20to%20Industrial%20Hand%20Sanitizer.png) [CleanTech® Handwashing Stations](https://www.meritech.com/blog/tag/cleantech-handwashing-stations), [Food Processing](https://www.meritech.com/blog/tag/hygiene-in-food-processing) ### [ Why UltraPure is a Better Alternative to Industrial Hand Sanitizer ](https://www.meritech.com/blog/why-ultrapure-is-a-better-alternative-to-industrial-hand-soap) In the early days of Meritech, we knew that we couldn't rely on traditional industrial hand sanitizer while we ... Read more - ![](https://www.meritech.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Wash%20Fountain%20Vs.%20CleanTech%C2%AE%20EVO%20Automatic%20Hand%20Wash%20for%20Food%20Safety.png?width=500&height=375&name=Wash%20Fountain%20Vs.%20CleanTech%C2%AE%20EVO%20Automatic%20Hand%20Wash%20for%20Food%20Safety.png) [CleanTech® Handwashing Stations](https://www.meritech.com/blog/tag/cleantech-handwashing-stations), [Food Processing](https://www.meritech.com/blog/tag/hygiene-in-food-processing) ### [ Wash Fountain Vs. CleanTech® EVO Automatic Hand Wash for Food Safety ](https://www.meritech.com/blog/wash-fountain-vs.-cleantech-automatic-hand-wash-for-food-safety) Wash fountains are a common sight in many hygiene zones across the world. They are large, seem to work for a high ... 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