Smart business owners know it’s their responsibility to provide a safe environment for their guests and employees to reduce the spread of harmful pathogens. To ensure this, ice machine manufacturers have designed hands-free dispensers to limit the possibility of accidental contamination between users.
Easy Ice now carries touchless ice and water dispensers for business owners who want to limit accidental contaminations in their workplace. These are not the same as soda fountains, which are common in quick-serve restaurants, delis, or convenience stores. Business owners who are looking for these machines will need to call their soft drink representative. Easy Ice does provide a wide range of commercial ice machines that are compatible with many soda fountain setups.
So, is a hands-free ice machine right for your business? The Ice Machine Experts are here to let you know all about this safer, more sanitary ice machine option.
Why Hands-Free Ice Dispensers?
In general, all ice dispensers are designed to be “touchless.” At no point should an employee or customer handle ice directly by hand. Even when grabbing ice from an ice bin, users should use a scoop or shovel to ensure their hand doesn’t touch the ice supply. However, many ice machines require the user to touch the surface of the ice machine to grab ice, which runs the risk of transmitting pathogens from one user to another. While standard ice and water dispensers seal off the ice supply, users still have to touch the surface of the machine if they have to press a button or lever to dispense ice.
Tired of dealing with ice machine issues on your own?
Find out how Easy Ice makes them disappear.
Hands-free ice dispensers include an added safety measure to eliminate physical interaction with the machine’s surface. Touchless ice machines dispense ice directly into drinkware using a sensor rather than a manual button or lever. Users never have to touch the surface of the ice machine, eliminating the possibility of contamination off the surface of the machine.
Which Businesses Need a Hands-Free Ice Dispenser?
Hands-free ice dispensers are especially useful in areas where many employees need free access to ice. They include:
- Employee Break Rooms
- Faculty lounges
- Healthcare clinics
- And more
If an ice and water dispenser is available to your employees, you’ll likely see a lot of hands touch it throughout the day. While you can stress ice safety solutions to your employees, it’s never a guarantee they’ll adhere to them. Even the most careful people make mistakes. A hands-free ice machine ensures the machine stays safe, and users won’t expose themselves to a contaminated surface.
Hands-free ice dispensers are popular throughout the healthcare industry to provide ice for patients and guests in doctor’s waiting rooms. These machines limit the possibility of infection in immunocompromised patients.
What Types of Hands-Free Ice Dispensers Does Easy Ice Offer?
We have an extensive line of hands-free dispensers available to meet any business’s needs. We provide hands-free ice dispensers from Hoshizaki, Scotsman, and Follet, leading manufacturers in the commercial ice equipment industry.
Hoshizaki’s OS-series dispensers, like the DCM-300BAH – OS Ice Maker and Water Dispenser, is self-contained, so the ice making machine and storage are conveniently packaged in a single unit.
Scotsman’s Meridian series touchless ice and water dispensers come with Antimicrobial AquaArmor with AgION™ molded into the machine to further repel harmful pathogens that can make people sick. These self-contained hands-free ice dispensers deliver between 260-500 lbs. of ice a day. Models like the Scotsman Meridian HID312A-1 Ice Dispenser come in a small package. Measuring 16 in wide x 32 in tall, this machine is perfect for small businesses looking to keep their ice supply safe from ice contamination. Larger ice makers, like the Scotsman Meridian HID540A-1 Ice Dispenser measure 21 x 42 in, making them perfect office or faculty breakrooms. Each of these machines can be installed onto a Scotsman HST-series ice stand, so any business can install a hands-free ice dispenser – even if they can’t free up extra countertop space.
Looking for the Right Ice Dispenser for Your Business?
The Ice Machine Experts at Easy Ice are here to ensure you find the safest and most reliable ice machine to cover all your ice needs. Under our all-inclusive ice machine subscription, we have hands-free ice dispensers that deliver between 200-500 lbs of ice a day. We even have touchless ice bagging machines available for larger businesses that need to transport sanitary ice.
Our ice machine leases include a lifetime guarantee on machine performance with biannual preventive maintenance. We also include professional cleaning twice a year to eliminate any harmful contaminants. One of our experienced ice machine technicians will clean the machine inside and out, disinfecting and sanitizing individual ice machine components. If the ice machine breaks down due to any machine failure, we’ll replace the unit at no additional charge. We provide it all for a low, monthly cost!
Need help finding the right ice machine for your business?
Easy Ice has the right machine for you.
Need help choosing a hands-free ice dispenser for your business? Give our team a call! We have experience sizing ice machines for any industry.
As the Co-Founder and COO of Easy Ice, John Mahlmeister has been working in the commercial ice machine industry since 2009. Co-headquartered in Phoenix, AZ and Marquette, MI, Easy Ice is the only national provider of full-service ice machine subscriptions in the industry. Since Easy Ice was founded, the number of ice machines under its management has grown to over 30,000 units across 47 states, with no signs of slowing down.