My daughter was home on Tuesday from school with a very vague case of… something. I don’t know what it was.

There was mention of a headache.

At one point her throat “sort of” hurt.

She ran the smallest fever for a total of about four hours.

By Tuesday night she was fit as a fiddle and ready to head back to school on Wednesday. I have no idea what it was, but I do know she had some sort of little bug that made her feel puny and she got the day off school.

While I’m a huge germophobe and should own stock in hand sanitizer, the winter is the main time of year I really up my game when it comes to germs. Of course, I don’t work in a healthcare facility. In healthcare, germs are an everyday part of life and while everyone lives and dies by hand sanitizer, I’m happy to let you all know there a couple of options such as a hands-free restroom access kit and CuVerro available that will make your life a little easier and they all live in the hardware section.

Hands-free Restroom Kit

While it may be a more expensive option, the hands-free restroom kit is one of the best ways to reduce the spread of germs via the door pulls in restrooms.

Why?

Because you don’t have to actually touch a single thing thing on the door as you’re leaving. LockNet has these installed in the restrooms in the office building here and they are so helpful. With a hands-free restroom kit, when you want to exit, there’s a no-touch actuator and the door swings open on its own.

This comes equipped with a motion sensor that trips a relay when a patron’s hand swipes in front of it. The door operator is then triggered which opens the door and allows you to exit with potentially germ-free hands. Of course, this is assuming you washed your hands.

This type of door is especially helpful in a healthcare setting. Not only are there typically more germs in hospitals and doctors’ offices, there’s also often a need for someone’s hands to remain germ free when leaving a room. A hands-free restroom kit can be helpful in a sterile environment.

Antimicrobial Door Pulls:CuVerro

If hands-free restroom kits are out of your price range for the time being, it doesn’t mean you’re out of luck if you’re on the hunt for something to reduce the spread of germs. Trimco makes a hands-free pull with a special copper called CuVerro.

Granted, it’s on the higher end of the cost scale when it’s compared to a standard door pull, but it’s still considerably less expensive when compared to a hands-free restroom kit.

The pull allows you to avoid using your hands to open the door. Instead, this door pull is designed so the patron uses their forearm to pull the door open. Because there are less germs on your forearm, this move alone reduces germs, but since CuVerro is a copper-based alloy that kills more than 99.9% of the bacteria that comes in contact with it within two hours that’s extra protection you didn’t even know you needed.

Even if you do use your hands to open the door and not your forearm, you’ve still got a lower chance of spreading germs because of the copper-based alloy CuVerro uses. In a healthcare setting, this type of bonus is invaluable.

Are you looking to reduce the spread of germs in your office? We have technicians available to answer any questions you might have. Give us a call.