by Brianna Crandall — May 5, 2014—Air travelers in and out of Las Vegas now have an added measure of personal security in the form of an advanced cleaning technology, according to global water, hygiene and energy technologies and services provider Ecolab. McCarran International Airport has installed Ecolab’s new Hydris cleaning system to help make the airport cleaner, safer and healthier for travelers and employees.
McCarran reportedly handles more than 42 million arrivals and departures annually, the nation’s ninth-highest passenger volume, which puts it in the top one percent of U.S. airports. On average, 115,000 people travel through the airport every day.
“We like the Hydris system because it generates three different solutions that are effective at cleaning and disinfecting our busy facility, but are also nontoxic, which is safer for our employees and the environment,” said Ralph LePore, assistant director, Terminal Operations Division for McCarran. “The system also helps us control costs with a monthly lease, reduced packaging waste, and lower shipping expenses.”
A single Hydris unit dispenses three products: a one-step disinfectant, an all-purpose sanitizer and glass cleaner, and a multisurface daily floor cleaner. The unit fits into a typical janitorial closet and utilizes advanced mineral tablet technology and water to generate the equivalent of 5,000 ready-to-use bottles of cleaner per one case of 200 tablets. Hydris products are designed to be effective on a variety of surfaces, including glass and mirrors, finished floors, wood laminate furniture, washable walls, stone, metals, Kohler metals, plastics and melamine.
“Using Hydris is very simple,” said Chris Steep, senior product development program leader for Ecolab’s Global Institutional business. “Mineral tablets inserted into the unit are mixed with filtered tap water to create a brine solution. This solution then flows through Ecolab’s three-chamber electrolytic cell, resulting in a product that is dispensed in the right amount and at the right dilution every time.”
Steep added that Hydris can generate a disinfectant solution with five-minute kill times for use as part of an infection prevention program or in response to flu or other outbreaks. The products are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as effective at killing pathogens that include influenza, norovirus, E.coli and MRSA (antibiotic-resistant bacteria), along with odor-causing bacteria.
Hydris, which recently earned a 2013 Tekne Award from the Minnesota High Tech Association for its impact on the industry, provides great performance and value in a wide range of large facilities, such as airports, college campuses and commercial buildings, says Ecolab. McCarran International Airport is among the first airport facilities to adopt the Hydris system. McCarran’s janitorial supplier, WAXIE Sanitary Supply, introduced Hydris to the airport as an innovative option for achieving their cleaning and sanitizing goals.
Ecolab is a global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services that protect people and vital resources at more than one million customer locations. With 45,000 associates, Ecolab delivers comprehensive solutions and on-site service to promote safe food, maintain clean environments, optimize water and energy use and improve operational efficiencies for customers in the food, healthcare, energy, hospitality and industrial markets in over 171 countries around the world.
San Diego-based WAXIE Sanitary Supply distributes sanitary products and janitorial supplies and equipment to commercial, industrial, contractor and institutional markets through 20 inventory centers in nine Western U.S. states, where more than 800 employees serve approximately 25,000 customers.
