National Hand Washing Awareness Week

Sloan’s Hands-Free Plumbing Products Take Center Stage This Week, December 3-9.

Restroom users no longer need to kick flush handles, cover faucet handles with paper towels, or skip hand washing altogether to keep from catching germs. In support of National Hand Washing Awareness Week, Dec. 3-9, 2006, Sloan Valve Company emphasizes the importance of proper, hygienic hand washing and comprehensive restroom cleanliness for stopping the spread of everything from the common cold to serious, life-threatening diseases.

As flu season swings into high gear and cold weather brings office workers, students, and the public in close proximity with one another — and one another’s germs — hand washing becomes even more important for staying healthy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes hand-washing as being the single-most effective method for preventing the spread of germs and bacteria.

Sloan Valve Company’s public restroom plumbing products, which are designed for hygienic operation while conserving water and/or energy, include:

· Sensor-operated faucets, such as the solar-powered Solis™, eliminate the need to touch faucet handles. The moistness of the area around the faucet, combined with the bacteria shed from hands during washing, often makes the sink the dirtiest part of the restroom. Touching contaminated faucet handles to turn off water after washing can negate the good done by washing hands in the first place.

· Waterfree Urinals and sensor-operated Flushometers feature touch-free operation and keep germ-phobic restroom visitors from kicking handles to flush, which can damage the plumbing fixtures.

· Sloan’s UPPERCUT™ Dual-Flush Flushometer has an antimicrobial coated flush handle to stop the spread of germs. The fixture, which gives users the option of saving one-half gallon of water per flush, is available as a complete flush valve or as a retrofit product for converting existing manual Flushometers.

· The highly efficient, sensor-operated XLerator™ hand dryer runs automatically and completely dries hands in 10-15 seconds, while using about 80% less energy than conventional dryers.

Sloan Valve Company, a manufacturer of water-conserving plumbing systems, is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2006. Headquartered in Franklin Park, Illinois, the family-owned company manufactures plumbing products and accessories for commercial, industrial, and institutional markets worldwide.