How to choose a hand sanitizer dispenser wall mount: the PURELL systems explained

Hand sanitizer dispensers come in families, and the family name on the front of the wall mount is the only thing that decides which refill fits. Here is what each PURELL system is, who it is for, how to match it to a refill, and how to install and place wall-mounted dispensers in a facility.

The ES family

ES stands for the current PURELL wall-mount line. ES1 is the compact push-style unit for 450 mL gel refills, the size for a cubicle wall or a small exam room. ES4 is the push-style workhorse for 1200 mL refills, with a large sight window and a lockable cover. ES6 and ES8 are touch-free with Energy-on-the-Refill, meaning the battery comes built into every refill, so maintenance never changes one; ES6 is slimmer, ES8 wider, and both mount on a matching floor stand. ES10 is the newest: touch-free, always primed, with the energy and the pump in the refill. Every ES system has a soap version in the same housing.

The CS family

CS units are the compact wall mounts with fully recyclable refill bottles. CS2 is the slim manual unit for 1000 mL gel; CS4 is push-style for 1200 mL sanitizer or 1250 mL soap, with an ergonomic bar; CS6 is touch-free with Energy-on-the-Refill in the same footprint as CS4; CS8 is the large touch-free unit with a wide sight window. If one wall needs a manual unit and another needs touch-free, CS4 and CS6 share refills' shape family but not the refills themselves; buy by the exact name.

LTX, TFX, ADX, FMX and NXT

LTX-7 and LTX-12 are touch-free dispensers for 700 and 1200 mL with a skylight window and an at-a-glance refill indicator; the Behavioral Health versions add tamper- and ligature-resistant housings. TFX is the touch-free unit you see in airports and hospitals, 1200 mL. ADX-7 and ADX-12 are push-style for 700 and 1200 mL with locking covers. FMX-12 and FMX-20 are push-style foam dispensers for 1200 and 2000 mL, built for restrooms with a crowd. NXT is the slim space-saver push unit for 1000 mL, and the 800 Series is a bag-in-box push dispenser whose 800 mL bag collapses as it empties.

Matching the refill

• Read the system name on the dispenser: ES4, ES6, CS4, LTX-12 and so on.

• Buy the refill that carries the same name and the same product, sanitizer or soap; they are different bottles.

• Check the format: gel or foam, Advanced, Green Certified or VF PLUS, scented or fragrance free.

• A 1200 mL refill gives about 1,200 doses of gel or 2,000 doses of foam; a 1200 mL soap refill gives about 1,700 washes.

Manual or automatic hand sanitizer dispensers

Manual wall mount dispensers dispense when the user pushes a bar; they have no batteries, nothing to fail, and the lowest cost per unit, which makes them the choice for offices, classrooms, small shops and any facility with light traffic. Automatic dispensers sense the hand and dispense a measured dose; nobody touches the housing, so germ transfer and contamination drop and use goes up, which is why high-traffic areas such as entrances, cafeterias and patient corridors get the automatic units. On PURELL ES and CS systems the energy comes built into every refill, so battery life is never a maintenance item; LTX and TFX run about two years on a set of batteries. Hand soap dispensers from the same families share the housing design, so a facility can standardize on one look for sanitizer and soap.

Wall mount installation and ADA standards

A wall mount is cheaper and stays put; installation takes the screws and anchors in the box, or the double-sided tape included for walls you cannot drill, and about ten minutes. ADA standards for a hand sanitizer dispenser are the same as for any wall-mounted fixture: the push bar or sensor no more than 48 inches from the floor, the unit protruding no more than 4 inches into a corridor, and a clear floor space in front of it. A floor stand carries the same dispenser into a lobby, a gym floor, a cafeteria line or an event entrance, with a weighted base and panels that take a sign. Starter kits bundle the dispenser with its first refill, the fastest way to open a station.

What all PURELL hand sanitizer dispensers share

Whatever the system, the wall mount dispensers are designed around functionality, durability and the personal experience at the station: a sleek housing that meets the look of a modern building, a sight window that shows the level, sealed refills that never leak, and compatible hand soap dispensers from the same family so one comprehensive collection covers every application in the building. Manual dispensing and touchless automatic dispensers exist in every family, so the types of dispensers you choose can depend on traffic alone; performance of the sanitizer inside is the same. Explore the full collection on the dispensers line page, where the information on each unit lists the refills it is compatible with, and reduce the common mistake of buying a refill by size alone; the enhanced convenience of a station comes from the refill being right the first time.

Placement in a commercial facility

Place hand sanitizer dispensers where hands change context: the main entrance and reception, elevator lobbies, outside restrooms, at the time clock, at break-room and conference-room doors, at the end of every serving line, and outside each patient or exam room in a healthcare environment. One wall-mounted unit per 50 to 75 people per shift is a working rule for office floors; entrances and cafeterias need more. Keep the housing clean with a surface wipe during routine cleaning, check the sight window weekly, and change the sealed refill at the last quarter: that is the whole maintenance plan, and it keeps hand hygiene and cleanliness standards throughout the building without anyone thinking about it.