The facts aren’t fun: most people do not wash their hands nearly enough to prevent the spread of germs and viruses. And this information is even more concerning when you realize a virus can live on plastic for 3-5 days and can be airborne for up to 3 hours. So if you’re working in an open business environment, it’s crucial that you supply employees with a water dispenser that’s safe and effective.

To help you find the best dispenser for your organization, our experts explain why you should get rid of your current bottled water system.

Bottled water coolers are open systems, which means more bacteria.

When you get a drink of water, you see the bubbles and hear the gurgling noise, right? The cooler is drawing air in from the outside environment to release the pressure and drop water into your glass. Everything floating in the air is then introduced into the cooler.

Pure Water dispensers, however, are closed systems. Air never touches your water until it’s dispensed into your glass. Our reverse osmosis system goes through a multi-stage purification process, which filters out dirt, rust, chlorine, and arsenic, as well as bacteria and viruses.

There’s a greater chance of cross-contamination with bottled water coolers.

Transmission can happen directly through aerosol inhalation, and indirectly through contact with contaminated surfaces. Bottled coolers require lots of interaction in order to reload and resupply, leading to cross-contamination issues. Employees touch the bottles in the warehouse during transport and even touch the neck of the bottle when flipping it upside down on the cooler. The water that’s delivered to your office is no longer uncontaminated once it’s installed.

A typical employee is in contact with 10 million germs each day. Just one person carrying a virus can infect up to 50% of all employees and the office equipment in their general vicinity within 4 hours (the University of Arizona Microbiologist “Germ Guru” Charles Gerba).

Pure Water technicians follow strict sanitization protocols when installing, and vendor visits are reduced by 92%. We also provide a foot pedal option to create touchless dispensing since there is no bottle to install, and our antimicrobial surface prevents germs and bacteria from colonizing on the cooler.

Bottled water coolers are more difficult to clean.

The International Bottled Water Association recommends the cooler should be cleaned with a bleach solution every other bottle change or every 6 weeks – whichever comes first. Regular sanitization is crucial to reduce bacteria and biofilm. The process takes about 45 minutes, but unfortunately, not all workplaces have someone in charge of cleaning.

When you use a Pure Water dispenser, our technicians keep up with the maintenance for you. With that, as well as in-tank sanitization technology, you will have more time to yourself, but you will also have peace of mind knowing your dispenser is always clean.

You get lower quality water with bottled water.

The EPA has established the highest permissible level (parts per million) of contaminant allowable in water that reaches a consumer’s drinkable water supply. High-quality bottled water ranges between 20-30ppm, which is acceptable. Pure Water dispensers, however, measure at 20ppm or less, making the water 98% pure.

Want to try a Pure Water dispenser yourself? Get a FREE 7-Day Trial No more bottles. No more jugs. Just clean, pure water at your fingertips.