How one optician has introduced a sustainable cleaning system to help combat COVID-19

An optician safely reopening

Brian D Suttie is a Chesham-based optical practice that has been established for over 20 years. The company believes in the continuity of care, not only in its service and product offering but in maintaining a retail environment that is safe and clean for their patients, customers and staff.

A practice that strives for sustainability, Brian D Suttie needed to respond to the workplace guidelines for COVID-19 to ensure they could reopen, implementing a new cleaning regime that would help make the practice ‘COVID safe’.

Watch how Toucan Eco is helping this long-established opticians to reopen safely by adopting new practices such as hand sanitiser, PPE, and the frequent cleaning of glasses, surfaces and optical equipment using hypochlorous acid they make themselves.

Disinfecting and sanitising

Chetan Gudka, owner and optometrist at Brian D Suttie, explained: “As part of an Optometrist forum, one of the areas we’ve been discussing with regard to reopening safely is the disinfecting and sanitising of our practices. From the consulting room equipment which include chin rests, head supports, and our own instruments, to the frames in the dispensing area that our patients will try on.

“We wanted to find a multipurpose solution that can be used to safely disinfect work stations, hands, equipment and frames safely, as part of increased hygiene protocols. The question of using certain products on our equipment which comes into contact with skin has concerned me and we were keen to avoid alcohol, bleach or hydrogen peroxide sanitisers. It needed to be an effective, antiviral cleaning system that would be suitable for both clinical and retail environments.”

A greener way to clean with Toucan Eco

After researching chemical-free cleaning solutions online, Chetan discovered Toucan Eco. The multipurpose disinfectant cleaner that’s made from just salt and water, uses electrochemical activation to produce hypochlorous acid – an effective solution that’s already being used by the dental industry for disinfection.

Chetan pouring solution into the atomiser spray bottle.

The solution kills more than 99.999% of microorganisms, including those harder-to-kill than the coronavirus. What’s more, with a gentle pH of around 8, Toucan Eco is both effective and safe to use on areas and products that come into contact with human skin.

One of the benefits that appealed to the practice was Toucan Eco’s ability to create their own disinfectant solution on-site, refilling reusable spray bottles and, in turn, eliminating plastic waste from the single-use bottles that chemicals are often supplied in.

A focus on sustainability

Chetan said: “We all need to take responsibility for the environment; as a practice we’ve been looking at various ways to improve our sustainability over the last few years. We have introduced more eco-friendly products such as frames made from recycled plastic from the ocean, and refillable lens cleaning solution containers to reduce plastic waste. We also recycle used contact lenses and their packaging for customers.

“With Toucan Eco, we’ve been able to implement a cleaning regime that’s effective and safe, while reducing our impact on the environment. Not only does this eliminate our need to purchase cleaning chemicals, it also reduces the single-use plastic bottles that those chemicals come in.”

With a site measuring 940 sq. ft, we recommended the Toucan Eco III model. This is a worktop unit that allows users to create one litre of solution at a time, which can be used for up to seven days.

Using microfibre and the solution to clean and sanitise frames.

Chetan continued: “We apply the solution from atomiser spray bottles and use microfibre cloths, which are laundered each day and reused to save on disposable products. I’d say that for most small businesses the Toucan Eco III is the ideal product. You can make one litre of the solution at a time and when you run out you simply make more.”

Key benefits

At the current rate of usage, the practice estimates that by comparing the cost of the unit against the chemical sanitiser it was purchasing, the team expects to make a total saving of £500 – £700 per year and 100 less single-use plastic bottles.

In addition to the cost-saving and sustainability benefits that Toucan Eco brought to Brian D Suttie, the team also praised the non-toxic formula that is safe for staff and visitors.

Divia Gudka, practice manager, added: “We’re extremely pleased with the results from Toucan Eco so far. The non-toxic solution is very easy to make and provides fantastic cleaning results in both our clinical and retail areas. The solution is also much softer to use on the skin, unlike alcohol-based products. In fact, patients have commented how soft the sanitiser is, really liked the concept of the solution and how environment friendly it is.”

“Finding a non-toxic product that we can confidently use around customers handling contact lenses or spectacles was so important to us. To have an ecologically and environmentally friendly disinfecting and sanitising solution on tap, has allowed us to provide a safe and clean environment for patients and staff.

“It has provided peace of mind in the current climate and allowed us return to treating patients with the same level of service we’ve always offered in a practice that is protected against COVID-19.”

Listen to Chetan talk about his approach to sustainability and thoughts on Toucan Eco. 

For more information about Brian D Suttie opticians please visit www.briansuttie.co.uk/