What do your customers really think of your hand soap?

Introduction

We have all heard it before. Hand washing is vital to stemming the spread of diseases and viruses like COVID-19. It is also an integral part of most industries' occupational health and safety policies - with it commonplace for staff across all customer-facing roles to have some sort of procedure to ensure adequate hand washing is completed. 

The quality of hand soap on the market varies drastically; from the cheap, harsh stripping liquid soaps seen in many public restrooms, to the top-of-the-line foaming antibacterial soaps seen in high-end hotels and venues. 

Despite increasing numbers of customers carrying hand sanitiser in their bag, the vast majority of people using your store or venue restrooms will use the hand soap - so it’s a great place to highlight a point of difference from your competition. 

Importance of quality in hand soaps

People are looking for reassurance that the venue where they spend their hard-earned money is using quality products - from the kitchen to the bar and yes even in the bathrooms! Gone are the days where customers would accept generic soap from a hand-push wall unit. Using a quality hand soap gives your venue a point of difference and creates a moment of everyday luxury. 

The media and government health bodies have been very successful in their messaging about the importance of handwashing - both in the current COVID times and beyond. Several infectious diseases can be spread from one person to another by contaminated hands, not only COVID and other respiratory infections and viruses but also gastrointestinal infections. 

To ensure the safety of your staff and customers, having a good quality hand soap available for hand washing will increase uptake and frequency. It is essential as a venue to have a non-drying formulation, as your staff will typically wash their hands multiple times on a single shift. If you are using a harsh and poor quality soap that will strip their hands of essential moisture, it’s likely many will cut down on the frequency they wash their hands - potentially endangering your customers! This also means it’s more likely that a virus will spread through your team, adding to sick leave and lost productivity across the board. 

But what about the scent? 

Our sense of smell is arguably one of the most important ways we judge the cleanliness of a venue. What better way to elevate your customers' bathroom experience than with naturally scented Australian essential oils.

Many high-end retailers and venues are making the move towards a “custom scent” to evoke a sense of luxury and familiarity with their customers. In the time of “supporting local”, many brands are also making the switch from mass-produced generic hand soaps to Australian scented. 

Here at Cleaner Future, our SILK hand soap comes in three custom formulated scents that use natural Australian essential oils; lemon myrtle, orange and resurrection. 

Antibacterial hand soap 

Your scented soap bar might make a good gift for nanna, but to do the best job you should look for “antibacterial soap” on whatever product. Despite what you might have heard, regular soap does not kill germs. Instead, the process of lathering manually lifts dirt and grime from your hands which harbour the germs, and then the rinsing removes them.

Antibacterial soap contains a chemical formulation that can kill bacteria, and inhibit their growth. All of our hand soap formulations here at Cleaner Future are antibacterial, so you can rest easy that your staff, customers and suppliers are in safe hands!

Dispensers are important too

In customer-facing restrooms, there is nothing that sends a worse message than a broken, damaged or dirty soap dispenser. Germs are on everyone's radar at present, and having to press a button that thousands before you have touched, is a no-no in this day and age! 

Automatic dispensers are non-negotiable for venues that put the health and safety of their customers, staff and suppliers first. These units are often fixed to the wall or sink and are lockable and very sturdy so that damage is less frequent. 

Don’t forget about hand drying

Another often overlooked part of good hand hygiene is drying. Germs thrive in warm, moist environments so the good old pat dry on your jeans will simply not do! Not only does this not adequately dry your fingers and hands, but it also potentially reintroduces bacteria from your clothes back onto your hands. 

Venue and staff bathrooms should be fitted out with fixed wall units to dry hands. Air dryers are often used, as are interleaved disposable hand towels which many people prefer as they are faster and easier to use. Again, it’s vital to ensure whichever unit you choose is clean, easy to maintain and sturdy to avoid damage - presenting your venue in the best possible light.

Conclusion

Now more than ever it’s essential to put your best hand forward when it comes to cleanliness and infection prevention practices. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, customers are highly “germ-literate” and expect that the venues where they spend their hard-earned cash put their health and safety first.

Investing in high-quality, Australian-made antibacterial hand soap and no-touch dispenser units sends the message that you are truly a COVID-safe venue where it is safe to spend time with family and friends. 

Check out our range of hand soaps here