Having a water dispenser in the office, reception, board room, or waiting room, is a fast, efficient, and easy way to stay hydrated for longer with cool, fresh water. But just like every frequently used piece of kit, water coolers need to be cleaned regularly so they last longer and protect every user from the potential build-up of dirt and bacteria. So what’s the best way to clean and disinfect your water cooler?

A clean water cooler in six steps

At Thirsty Work, our choice of water coolers includes floor standing bottled water coolers with our own fresh spring water, mains fed water coolers for cool filtered water, or hot water dispensers to save time, money and energy. Whichever one you choose can be in a service package that ensures your cooler or dispenser is maintained and cleaned by us at regular intervals.

All our Thirsty Work engineers are WHA (formerly BWCA) qualified to maintain your cooler to the highest standards using our superior sanitisation and filter change programme. After each visit, you’ll be left with a sparkling clean water cooler so you, your staff, and workplace visitors can enjoy refreshing spring, filtered, or hot water all the time.

But if your unit hasn’t been used for a while, or you want to ensure maximum hygiene on the areas touched and used most, you can clean and disinfect the water cooler yourself, quickly and easily, in six simple steps. Here’s how:

Alternatively, please find our guide on how to care for your water dispenser, when returning to work. 

For Bottled and Mains Fed Coolers

1. Make sure your water cooler is plugged in and turned on (and the water supply is on if mains fed)
2. Remove the water bottle* and drain any water left in the unit from both taps
3. Remove and clean the drip tray, either by hand or in a dishwasher
4. Place a new water bottle onto the unit* and drain 5 litres of water through both taps (this will also refresh the system for mains fed coolers)
5. Clean the unit, cup dispenser, and taps with food-safe sanitising wipes
6. You now have a clean water cooler ready for action

* Bottled water coolers only

For Hot Water Dispensers

1. Make sure the unit is turned off
2. Clean the unit, dispensing area, and tap with food-safe sanitising wipes
3. Turn the unit on and empty the tank of water
4. Leave for 30 minutes, allowing the unit to refill and reheat
5. Drain the tank of water again through the tap to refresh the system
6. You now have a clean hot water dispenser ready for action.

Puraguard for clean water cooler taps

As an extra preventative measure, you can choose to have the dispenser taps on your water cooler or hot water dispenser applied with an antibacterial and antiviral protective coating. Providing 24hr protection against bacteria, Puraguard is virtually invisible but is proven to kill 80% of microbes inside 15 minutes and up to 99.99% within 2 hours.

Not only does Puraguard give you and your clean water cooler the ultimate protection against mould, fungi, and viruses, including coronavirus, it actually prevents them from growing at all. All in all, your taps will stay clean and disinfected for safe water cooler use every time. Find out more on our Puraguard page.

Keep a clean water cooler with Thirsty Work

For a free quote, to start your free trial of any of our water coolers, or for more information about Puraguard protection and our service and aftercare packages, call us on 01392 877172 or email hello@thirstywork.com today.