How dirty is the frequently cleaned water dispenser? The measured data is a bit heartbreaking

Water dispensers are prone to accumulating dirt and grime. If they are not cleaned regularly, what you are drinking is, in essence, water from the water dispenser.

Therefore, many friends choose to clean the water dispenser regularly.

But we collected 4 water dispensers and spent more than half a month testing them and found that even if they were cleaned regularly, it was almost useless.

1. How dirty are water dispensers that are not cleaned often? Most of the water dispensers collected this time are water dispensers with buckets, and they all look quite old. We selected a three-year-old water dispenser and asked professional technicians to test the water hygiene for us: fill the water dispenser with bottled water and take samples for testing at regular intervals.

In order to rule out changes in the water after it has been opened, we placed a bucket of opened water (covered with a paper cup) in the same environment and also conducted regular tests.

Although we could probably guess the result, we were still deeply shocked when it came out:

The total number of colonies in the cold water from the water dispenser soared over time. After just one day, it reached 16,000 CFU/ml.

What does this mean? The standard limit for the total colony count in GB 7101-2015 National Food Safety Standard Beverages is 10,000 CFU/ml, but the cold water from the water dispenser exceeded this limit after only one day of use.

Hot water is relatively better, the total colony count in one day is less than 100 CFU/ml, and it can be drunk directly.

As a control, the total number of colonies in the bottled water in Kaifeng was still less than 1 CFU/ml after one day, with almost no change. It seems that the culprit is the water dispenser.

The total number of colonies can directly reflect the sanitation of drinking water and the potential health risks. If this value is too high, it means that the drinking water is likely to be contaminated by other pathogens.

If you are in good health, you won't feel anything after drinking this water. But if your immunity is weakened, or if the elderly or children drink this water, they may experience abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, etc., and may also cause urinary tract infection.

After this inspection, I no longer dare to drink cold water. After seeing the dirty internal structure of the water dispenser, I always feel uncomfortable with hot water.

If your dormitory/office/home also has a water dispenser that hasn’t been cleaned for years, listen to me and don’t drink from it.

2. How does the water dispenser perform after cleaning? We took the electrical engineer with us and prepared to do some work.

It is very troublesome to disassemble and clean the water dispenser. To sum it up, it is to soak it in water, drain it, and finally dry it.

You don't need to look carefully, you will know the reason later.

After finally washing, let's test the water hygiene:

Even after a thorough cleaning, the total number of colonies in the cold water returned to the level before the cleaning one day later, which was really disappointing. After 7 days, the total number of colonies soared to more than 50,000, which made the home appliance technician who had been busy in the front say that the cleaning was in vain.

It seems that a water dispenser that has not been cleaned for a long time is like a hopeless person. It is difficult to save it by cleaning it occasionally.

The bucket and the water dispenser are not completely fitted together, and microorganisms slip into the water dispenser through the gap every day. These microorganisms are also very cunning. They watch secretly every day, and when you change the bucket, they run into the water dispenser openly.

The combination of these factors has doomed the water dispenser to be difficult to clean.

Speaking of which, this water dispenser mounted on a bucket is simply the tears of the times.

Not only is it easy to breed bacteria, it also takes up a large area. Based on the housing price of 50,000 yuan per square meter in Hangzhou, one unit takes up 4,500 yuan of space in the home.

What’s worse is that it’s very troublesome to wash. If you have to do this once a week, you can’t help but wonder: Did I buy a water dispenser or hired a god?

Friends who are still using this kind of water dispenser are advised not to use it. If you really need to use it, just use it occasionally to drink hot water or make instant noodles.

By the way, some friends use water dispensers with under-buckets.

In theory, it uses a water pump to pump water as needed, and the bucket is placed in a closed space, which should be more hygienic than placing it on top of a bucket. But if it is not cleaned regularly, it will eventually become a paradise for microorganisms to grow.

In fact, the best way is to boil water for drinking by yourself. It is environmentally friendly, convenient, and can ensure hygiene.

You don't have to worry about the health risks of repeatedly boiling water. We have already tested it for you and found that repeatedly boiled water is completely drinkable. The biggest problem...maybe it consumes a little electricity.

If you don't want to boil water, you can also consider these methods:

I did this review because I received relevant messages from fans before, who wanted to know whether the water dispenser was clean or not.

We know that in fact, this type of product has long been eliminated by most young people.

For the rest who are still using water dispensers, either it is because their offices/schools have not updated their equipment and they have to drink from them; or it is because the elders in their families do not understand the dangers and have not taken it seriously.

Although there are not many people using it anymore, we still hope to help this small group of people and let everyone see the flaws in this type of product.

For those of you who still use water dispensers in your office, here is a tip:

Like/repost this article calmly. It depends on this moment whether the leaders have high awareness.