“ORLANDO, FLA.—A research study conducted on behalf of Clean the World by the University of Arizona (UA) showed a 100 percent bacterial contamination rate in refillable dispensers that contain shampoo, body wash, conditioner, hand soap, or lotion. Of 82 samples taken, 63 (76 percent) yielded bacterial numbers greater than 1,000 colony-forming units per gram of product (CFU per gram), and 40 samples (49 percent) exceeded 10,000 CFU per gram. According to The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, for non-eye-area products, counts should not be greater than 1,000 CFU per g or mL. An Executive Summary of the study was released exclusively to Green Lodging News by Clean the World. (See related video.)

The study was conducted in the state of Arizona. Dr. Charles Gerba led the research team that included seven others. Forty rooms were booked in 20 hotels (two rooms per hotel). UA researchers stayed at the hotels as guests and collected the samples aseptically by dispensing 20 to 25 mL of the respective sample type into sterile 50‐mL conical tubes. The samples were placed into a cooler and held under refrigeration conditions (4 °C to 10 °C) until assaying for heterotrophic plate count bacteria (within 48 hours of sample collection).” …