Touching of Door Handles - Should we Care About a Door Handle?

Rose Odette
Oct 30
3 min read

Introduction

Most people walk through life touching hundreds of door handles every week—and never think twice. But one young inventor from Jamaica did. He saw something everyone else ignored and asked a life-changing question: “What if this ordinary thing could protect lives?”

That single question led to the creation of the Xermosol Self-Disinfecting Door Handle—a UV-powered invention that kills 99.9% of pathogens after every touch. It’s sleek, automatic, and transforms hygiene from an afterthought into built-in safety.

For entrepreneurs, this isn’t just about cleaner hands. It’s a masterclass in turning everyday friction into breakthrough innovation.

The Back Story: The Boy Who Refused to Accept “That’s Just How It Is” Touching of Door Handles

Rayvon Stewart grew up in Mount Prospect, Jamaica—a rural farming community where opportunity wasn’t handed to anyone. Raised by his grandmother, he became the first in his family to attend university. While studying software engineering at the University of Technology, he volunteered in a hospital and noticed something everyone else overlooked: nurses and patients constantly touching the same contaminated handles.

That moment stuck with him. Instead of shrugging it off, he built a prototype that used ultraviolet light to kill germs after each use. By age 23, he’d developed what the world now knows as Xermosol, a self-disinfecting door handle that could revolutionize hygiene in hospitals, schools, offices, and public spaces worldwide.

He didn’t come from wealth. He came from observation, empathy, and grit—three of the most powerful entrepreneurial tools there are.

The Global Opportunity

The handle has already gained international attention, winning awards from Jamaica’s Prime Minister, the Commonwealth Health Innovation program, and multiple patent recognitions. Stewart’s company is preparing for international distribution, and while the handle isn’t yet widely available in the U.S., manufacturing and licensing talks are underway.

With an estimated price range between $275 and $500, it’s designed to retrofit onto existing doors—making it practical for hospitals, hotels, airports, and factories. That means it could be one of the fastest-deployable health innovations in years once regulatory approvals line up.

How You Can Help and Get Involved

If you’re reading this and thinking, “How can I support something like this?”—here’s how entrepreneurs and investors can play a real role:

Champion innovation stories like this. Share them. Talk about them. Let people see that brilliant ideas can come from anywhere—not just Silicon Valley.
Reach out to innovators like Stewart. Offer mentorship, funding, or market guidance to help bridge the gap between invention and commercialization.
Invest in early-stage hardware with purpose. This is a rare mix of social impact and profit potential—hygiene will never go out of style.
Partner for U.S. distribution or licensing. Hospitals, manufacturers, and public facilities are ideal adopters. Someone needs to open the door—literally and figuratively.
Think locally, act globally. If you’re in facilities, health tech, or manufacturing—consider becoming a pilot site or advocate for clean-tech adoption.

Entrepreneurship isn’t always about building your own product. Sometimes, it’s about spotting the right person to back and helping them scale something world-changing.

5 IDEALS INSPIRED BY THE INVENTION

Find the Friction – Every big breakthrough starts where most people are annoyed but complacent.
Redefine “Ordinary” – The next big idea might be sitting right under your fingertips.
Make Function Your Brand Story – Innovation sells when it makes life tangibly better.
Design for Reality – Ideas only matter when they meet the market where it lives.
Solve First, Sell Second – True innovation doesn’t need hype—it needs proof.

5 ACTION ITEMS FOR ENTREPRENEURS

List three “invisible irritations” you encounter daily that could be reimagined.
Revisit your products—what could be self-managing, self-healing, or self-optimizing?
Tell your innovation story in a way people feel it, not just hear it.
Think about practical scalability from the start—can it fit existing systems like Xermosol?
Build your network around makers, inventors, and cross-industry thinkers.

Conclusion

The self-disinfecting door handle isn’t just a cool gadget—it’s a symbol of what happens when determination meets imagination.

Rayvon Stewart didn’t have a lab, a venture capitalist, or a fancy address. He had an idea, a reason, and relentless courage. Entrepreneurs who think like him don’t wait for perfect conditions—they create them.

Innovation isn’t luck. It’s looking at a doorknob and seeing a revolution.

Charge like a bull, even through the smallest door.