Soap dispenser
Encyclopedia
Soap
In chemistry, soap is a salt of a fatty acid.IUPAC. "" Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. . Compiled by A. D. McNaught and A. Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford . XML on-line corrected version: created by M. Nic, J. Jirat, B. Kosata; updates compiled by A. Jenkins. ISBN...
(usually in small, single-use quantities). It can be manually operated by means of a handle, or can be automatic. Soap dispensers are often found in public restrooms
Washroom
A public toilet is a room or small building containing one or more toilets and possibly also urinals which is available for use by the general public, or in a broader meaning of "public", by customers of other...
.
Manual soap dispensers
The design of a manual soap dispenser is generally determined by whether the soap comes in liquid, powder, or foam form.When soap is dispensed in liquid form, its dispenser generally is essentially a pump
Pump
A pump is a device used to move fluids, such as liquids, gases or slurries.A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. Pumps fall into three major groups: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps...
. The most popular soap dispensers of these type are plastic pump bottles, many of which are disposable.
William Shepphard patented liquid soap on August 22, 1865. Minnetonka Corporation introduced the first modern liquid soap and cornered the market by buying up the entire supply of the plastic pumps needed for the liquid soap dispensers. http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsoap.htm
Dispensers of powder soaps, such as borax
Borax
Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. It is usually a white powder consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.Borax has a wide variety of uses...
, often take the form of a metal box with a weighted lever; when the lever is pressed, a handful of soap is released.
Manual dispensers of foam soap often consist of a large button which squeezes the foam out of a tube. Many liquid soap dispensers operate in this way as well. A few dispensers operate with a lever that pulls forward and squeezes the soap out.
Foam soap dispensers
Foam soap dispensers have dual pumps which when used moved both air and soap, injecting both together through small openings to create a lather. They can be found in both manual and automatic varieties.Automatic soap dispensers
An automatic soap dispenser is a hands-free dispenser of soapSoap
In chemistry, soap is a salt of a fatty acid.IUPAC. "" Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. . Compiled by A. D. McNaught and A. Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford . XML on-line corrected version: created by M. Nic, J. Jirat, B. Kosata; updates compiled by A. Jenkins. ISBN...
, but can be used for other liquids such as shampoo
Shampoo
Shampoo is a hair care product used for the removal of oils, dirt, skin particles, dandruff, environmental pollutants and other contaminant particles that gradually build up in hair...
and hand lotions. Automatic dispensers are often battery
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
-powered. The touch-free design operates when a sensor detects motion under the nozzle, and dispenses the liquid. The electronic components of an automatic soap dispenser allow for a timing device or signal (sound, lights, etc.) which can indicate to the user whether they have washed their hands for the correct amount of time or not.
Ultrasound detecting dispensers for water and "soap" have particular virtues for operating theatres and treatment rooms.