Why Paper Hand Towels are More Hygienic than Air Dryers

Is yoiur business still using air hand dryers??

It could be time to make the switch to paper hand towels.

Wet skin helps spread bacteria which means that drying your hands effectively is extremely important in preventing the spread of bacteria. This is especially crucial in environments where people may be vulnerable to infection, such as doctor’s surgeries and hospitals. In some cases, thorough hand drying may even save lives.

Advantages of Using Paper Hand Towels

Paper hand towels have three main advantages over other hand drying methods: they dry hands faster, they remove more bacteria and they prevent cross-contamination.

Paper Hand Towels Dry Hands Faster

One advantage of paper hand towels is that they dry hands much quicker than both jet air dryers and warm air dryers. This is likely to be the reason why 63% of washroom users prefer to use paper hand towels when they have the choice between paper hand towels and air dryers. Figures show that just ten seconds of drying hands with paper hand towels is the equivalent of forty seconds of drying hands under a standard hot air hand dryer.

Paper Hand Towels Remove More Bacteria

According to a study led by microbiologist Keith Redway at the University of Westminster, drying hands using paper hand towels reduced the total amount of bacteria on finger pads by 51% – 76% and on the palms by 48 – 77%. Comparatively, both warm air dryers and jet air dryers were found to increase the number of bacteria by a significant amount. Irrespective of the paper material which is used, paper hand towels are the only hand drying option which will remove bacteria from the hands.

Paper Hand Towels Prevent Cross-Contamination

The bacteria on wet hands can be spread to other people and into the environment causing cross-contamination. While microorganisms can be blown up to 2 metres from the hands and the unit across the washroom when a jet air dryer is used and 0.25 metres away from a warm air hand dryer, paper hand towels do not significantly spread microorganisms. Bacteria can also be found inside jet air dryers, and some of these are potential pathogens. Paper hand towels can therefore reduce the risks of cross-contamination by reducing the spread of bacteria.

Paper Hand Towels are More Hygienic

The results of the study show that paper hand towels are the more hygienic hand drying option, and therefore washrooms which are located in places where reducing the spread of bacteria and high standards of hygiene is of utmost importance should use only paper hand towels.

Keith Redway, Senior Academic in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Westminster, concludes: “The use of warm air dryers and jet air dryers should be carefully considered in locations where hygiene is of paramount importance, such as hospitals, clinics, schools, nurseries, care homes, kitchens and other food preparation areas. In addition, paper hand towel use is beneficial for improved hygiene in any facilities open to the public, such as factories, offices, bars and restaurants.”

At Atlantic Hygiene, we supply a range of paper hand towels to various sectors of the market. To see our full range, visit our products page.