Soap dispensers, especially with the ability to use alcohol gel, are a very popular addition to a facility. Not only the washroom, but also for temporary hand wash / hand sanitiser stations in places like building entrances, meeting rooms, office spaces and corridors to increase hand hygiene and combat the spread of COVID-19.
When you’re looking for a soap dispenser, you not only want it to look good, but you also want it to do the job it’s intended to do with minimal fuss.
The title of “best commercial soap dispenser ” will come down to the unique requirements of the facility. The features to help you decide on the best for you will be discussed in more detail below, however the products mentioned as examples are some of the best on the market.
The 22 best commercial soap dispenser to buy in 2023 include:
- IFSDJ0010F: 1.1L Push-Button Soap and Disinfectant Dispenser
- IFS33W: Cleanflow 1000ml Non-Dripping Valve Liquid Soap / Alcohol Gel Dispenser
- IFS82001: Cleanflow 1000ml Bulk Fill Push Button Liquid Soap Dispenser
- IFS1024: Prestige 1200ml Horizontal Soap Dispenser
- IFS739-100: Prestige 1000ml Vanity Top Soap Dispenser
- IFS0111CS: Cleanflow 1200ml Vertical Dispenser for Liquid Soap and Alcohol Gel
- IFS03016.L: Classic 1000ml Soap Dispenser with Lever for Healthcare Areas
- IFS72W: Cleanflow 1.1L Auto Lotion Soap and Hand Sanitizer GEL Dispenser
- IFS91651 Cleanflow Battery Operated No Touch 1L Liquid Soap and Alcohol Gel Dispenser
- IFS03023.S: Prestige 1200ml Wall-Mounted Automatic Soap Dispenser
- IFS03201.S: Prestige Recessed 1200ml Vertical Soap Dispenser (Satin)
- IFSDJ0040: Cleanflow 1500ml Wall Mounted Liquid Soap and Hydroalcoholic Gel Dispenser
- IFSDJP0034: Cleanflow 1500ml Lever Operated Liquid Soap and Hydroalcoholic Gel Dispenser
- IFSDJ0037A: Cleanflow 1000ml No Touch Automatic Soap and Alcohol Hand Sanitizer Dispenser
- IFSGAJ002A-ANON: Dryflow® Bi-Tap Soap & Water Sensor Tap
- IFS03036.W: Classic 760ml Liquid Soap Dispenser (White ABS)
- IFS700T1: Cleanflow 900ml Bulk Fill Liquid Soap and Alcohol Gel Dispenser
- IFS707T1: Cleanflow Antibacterial ABS 900ml Liquid Soap and Alcohol Gel Dispenser
- IFS03W: Cleanflow 900ml Non-Dripping Valve Liquid Soap / Alcohol Gel Dispenser
- IFSDJ0160AS-ANON: Cleanflow 800ml Automatic Liquid Soap, Disinfectant Solutions* and Hydro Alcohol Gel* Dispenser
- IFS15W: Cleanflow 900ml Motion Sensor Liquid Soap and Hand Sanitizer Dispenser
- IFS04W: Cleanflow Foam Soap Dispenser 900ml Non-Dripping
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Please note that a number of above units come in various finishes and orientation. Please check individual product pages for more information.
Soap dispenser capacity
Most soap dispensers have a range of capacities from 300ml to 1.5L. In a high traffic facility, you’d probably be looking for something with the largest capacity, so you haven’t got to constantly refill it. Refillable soap dispensers with bulk fill capacity are probably the most cost effective options as you can bulk buy the hand soap and keep dispensers topped up. With a cartridge you have to wait until all the soap has gone before changing. Also the cartridge has to be disposed of, which is not as good for the environment.
Bulk fill soap dispensers are pretty easy to refill. Most have a lock for added security. The key is supplied with each dispenser. You just buy the soap in large quantities and fill up as and when required.
For a large soap dispenser a capacity in the range of 1L to 1.5L is the most popular. The table below includes manually operated ones and no hand touch elbow operated or automatic.
| MANUAL | Code | Capacity |
Amount
per shot / pair of hands washed per refill |
AUTOMATIC
/ LEVER |
Code | Capacity |
Amount
per shot / pair of hands washed per refill |
| IFS33W | 1 Litre | 1ml / 1000 | IFS03016.L | 1 Litre | N/A | ||
| IFS82001 | 1 Litre | 1ml / 1000 | IFSDJP0034 | 1.5 Litre | 1.5ml / 1000 | ||
| IFSDJ0010F | 1.1 Litre | 1.1ml / 1000 | IFSDJ0037A | 1 Litre | 1.5ml / 666 | ||
| IFS1024 | 1.2 Litre | 1.5ml / 800 | IFS91651 | 1 Litre |
1, 2 or 3ml /
1000, 500 or 333 (depending upon setting) |
||
| IFS0111CS | 1.2 Litre | 1.1ml / 1090 | IFS72W | 1.1 Litre | 1ml / 1100 | ||
| IFSDJ0040 | 1.5 Litre | 0.8ml / 1875 | IFS03023.S | 1.2 Litre | N/A |
If your looking to maximise space, there are large capacity models in the recessed options. Whether that be a 1L bottle underneath the sink such as the counter top models of IFS739-100 (2ml per shot washing 500 pair of hands per refill), right up to a generous 1.5L bottle in the Dryflow® Bi-Tap Soap & Water Sensor Tap which is a soap dispenser and automatic water tap in one unit and sits on the sink. This can also incorporate an over the sink high speed hand dryer ; so everything you need is in one place.
Products like the Dryflow® Bi-Tap Soap & Water Sensor Tap also come with adjustable settings to choose the amount of soap you want to be released each time. You can set it to 0.5ml, 1ml, 1.5ml or 2ml, that’s the equivalent of 3000, 1500, 1000 or 750 pairs of hands washed per refill, but at least you get the choice depending upon how it meets the neds of your facility user. The IFS91651 also has the option to set the dispense to 1, 2 or 3 shots per sensor activation.
If you have the ability to recess the soap dispenser in a cavity wall the IFS03201.S have a great capacity of 1.2L
It’s worth noting that there is still ample capacity in lower use facilities to minimise frequent refilling in a soap dispenser that ranges from 300ml. Also bear in mind the “amount per shot” from each dispenser. For example, a 500ml dispenser with a 1ml shot per dispense is going to last the same amount of time as a 1L capacity dispenser with a 2ml shot of soap per dispense.
Dispensers for Liquid Soap and Alcohol Sanitiser Gel
I’ve previously written about whether soap dispensers can be used for hand sanitiser highlighting there are a number of things you need to consider and have in place before you can add an alcohol based gel to a dispenser. You don’t want the alcohol to corrode the valve if it isn’t suitable. You also want to make sure the alcohol can’t evaporate, rendering it ineffective.
Your current dispensers may be suitable for both, and we would be more than happy to discuss with you if they are. However, to be on the safe side you may want to go for units that are certainly ok for both a liquid soap or alcohol gel sanitiser, so you get a 2-for-1 product.
The below units are suitable for both liquid soaps and alcohol gels. Its worth noting that the IFS707T1 is an antibacterial soap dispenser and the IFS91651 is a black wall mounted soap dispenser as these are types of variety regularly sort after.
| IFSDJ0010F | IFS03036.W | IFS700T1 | IFS707T1 | IFS82001 | IFS03W | IFS0111CS |
| IFSDJ0040 |
IFS72W
( Automatic) |
IFS91651
( Automatic) |
IFS15W
( Automatic) |
IFSDJ0160AS-ANON
( Automatic) |
IFSDJ0037A
(Automatic) |
IFSDJP0034
( Lever) |
Manual, elbow operate or automatic ?
A lot of soap dispensers are manual, where you have to touch them to release the soap. The hands are of course washed after the soap is dispersed, which should in theory remove any germs from cross contamination from dirty hands touching the dispenser. But sometimes the hand washing process is not as thorough as it should be, so providing a non-touch dispenser is a way to ensure enhanced hygiene.
There are of course other ways to activate a manual dispenser, one way being to use your elbow to press the button. There are also lever operated models like IFSDJP0034 or IFS03016.L which are made for this purpose and used in hospital settings for “scrubbing up” before medical procedures.
Manual dispensers will always be operational. Most sensor hand soap dispensers are battery operated which has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages of a battery-operated model is it can be placed anywhere in a building without needing to be connected to a mains supply. They can even be placed on stands and freely be moved about like the IFS72SPRPLUS .
However, if the batteries run out and no one has checked them, they’ll not work. This will not happen to a manual dispenser of course, or an infrared motion sensor one that has been wired into the mains. There are a couple of models that have the option to run on batteries or can be plugged in. These include the IFSGAJ002A-ANON which comes with both options as standard. The IFSDJ0037A can have a transformer as an optional extra on request.
All in all, a no touch option provides the most hygienic product to minimise cross contamination. More and more washrooms are going for everything to be operated hands free for this very reason and you do get ample warning before the batteries finally run out.
Liquid or Foaming soap dispenser ?
The dispensers mentioned so far have all been suitable for liquid soap. There are some very good foam soap dispensers to also add to the mix, which do have some advantages. A great one is the IFS04W which has a 900ml capacity and deposits 0.4ml of soap per press. That means 2250 pairs of hands washed if only one squirt is used per wash. For a liquid dispenser of the same capacity but deposits 1ml of liquid per shot, you are looking at 900 pairs of hands if just one squirt was used.
Of course, people may take more than 1 squirt of foam soap if they feel there isn’t enough but there is also a thought that using foam saves water because the soap is already in a lather. However, there’s also other thoughts that rubbing the hands together whilst creating a later is an important part of removing germs from the hands before rinsing them away.
Using an antibacterial foam soap will also help germ killing when correctly performing hand washing.
To summarise, the “best” soap dispenser will be determined by your unique requirements and the users of your facility. It could come down to making sure you have a large capacity in high traffic locations to minimise the need for constant refiling.
You may also need something that is dual purposed so that you can decide to use a liquid soap or a hand sanitising gel as and when required. If you’re going for completely no hand touch, it could be that you need to go for an automatic option, or at least something that an elbow can be used.
Finally, which is the right type of soap for you? This will have an impact on what dispenser you choose. A foaming soap one that could be more cost effective? Or a liquid soap one that may encourage more scrubbing of the hands and removal of germs?
There’s a few factors to consider when choosing the best soap dispenser but hopefully this post has highlighted enough to think about and pointed you in the right direction. If you need any further assistance we’re always on hand to chat about the best products for you. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
For more information or for help in finding your ideal washroom product, please contact us on 0114 3540047, use our contact us or click to visit the website .
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