LAS VEGAS, Apr 29, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Air travelers in and out of Las Vegas now have an added measure of personal security in the form of an advanced cleaning technology. McCarran International Airport has installed Ecolab’s new Hydris TM cleaning system to help make the airport cleaner, safer and healthier for travelers and employees.

McCarran 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 non-toxic, 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 multi-surface 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 provides great performance and value in a wide-range of large facilities, such as airports, college campuses and commercial buildings.

"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 EPAi as effective at killing pathogens that include Influenza, Norovirus E.coli and MRSA (antibiotic-resistant bacteria), along with odor-causing bacteria. McCarran International Airport is among the first airport facilities to adopt the Hydris system.

McCarran’s janitorial supplier, WAXIE, introduced Hydris to the airport as an innovative option for achieving their cleaning and sanitizing goals.

“Hydris products are effective on a variety of surfacesii, including glass and mirrors, finished floors, wood laminate furniture, washable walls, stone, metals, kosher metals, plastics and melamine surfaces,” said Lou Richards, vice president and general manager of WAXIE Sanitary Supply. “Hydris provides McCarran a cost-effective alternative for effective cleaning that protects health without harming the environment.”

“Our challenges are our customers’ challenges – and they look to us to provide solutions that help drive overall operational efficiencies,” said Rick Johns, executive vice president and general manager of Ecolab’s Institutional business in North America. “We’re experts at developing products and programs that solve our customers’ issues, but that’s not enough. It’s our field sales-and-service associates who deliver value our customers, like McCarran, have come to expect.”

Hydris recently earned a 2013 Tekne Award from the Minnesota High Tech Association for its impact on the industry. For more information about Hydris and other Ecolab commercial cleaning solutions, visit www.ecolab.com/hydris .

About Ecolab
A trusted partner at more than one million customer locations, Ecolab (ECL) is the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services that protect people and vital resources. With 2013 sales of $13 billion and 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 more than 171 countries around the world. For more Ecolab news and information, visit www.ecolab.com ; follow us on Twitter @ecolab or Facebook at facebook.com/ecolab .

About WAXIE Sanitary Supply
WAXIE Sanitary Supply is an industry leader in the distribution of sanitary products and janitorial supplies and equipment to commercial, industrial, contractor and institutional markets. Based in San Diego, Calif., the company operates 20 inventory centers in nine Western U.S. states where more than 800 employees serve approximately 25,000 customers. Visit www.waxie.com for more information.

(ECL-P)

i The product is registered with EPA as an antimicrobial product. The registration number is 1677-241. http://iaspub.epa.gov/apex/pesticides/f?p=PPLS:8:15914922264510::NO::P8_PUID,P8_RINUM:511821,1677-241

ii Product claims are registered with U.S. EPA and an updated label may be in review with state agencies. Please review product label for Claims and Directions for Use.

SOURCE: Ecolab Inc.

Ecolab Inc.
Roman Blahoski, 651-293-4385
MediaRelations@Ecolab.com