As you walk up to the door of a supermarket, there will probably be a white plastic container with anti-bacterial (antimicrobial) wipes, adjacent to the door for customers to clean off their hands, the shopping cart or basket. You know, the pre-moistened hand cleaning wipes. As I sat in the car waiting for my wife to purchase a desert, it was pretty amazing the high percentage of people who take a wipe and use them.
Because of people’s increasing awareness, there is a strong customer base for anti-microbial coated locks and door hardware. This is becoming big business for many locksmith companies. Instead of a wipe, the lock and door hardware contact points are coated with a special compound that kills or combats the growth of microbes. According to one report I read, researchers found more bacteria on a lock than on a toilet seat.
Customers are upgrading to this type of protection especially in the high traffic areas of public and commercial buildings. Some companies have developed multiple year plans to provide protection on all of their public doors.
Many lock and door hardware manufacturers offer some type of anti-microbial coated products in their commercial lines. At least one residential lock manufacturer is offering protection. Many of the coatings are specialized formulation of silver ions that inhibit the growth of bacteria. Anti-microbial nanotechnology is a relatively recent option used to the fight against microbes. Most of these products under normal use will provide protection for many years.
An important consideration for the companies that install the anti-microbial locks. The coating is not a hygiene or cleanliness substitute. All locks and door hardware should be properly cleaned using a consistent regiment.
Have you seen a greater request from your customers for this type of product? Are you capitalizing on anti-microbial coated locks and door hardware? Let us know your thoughts.
