Drying your hands with paper hand towels is the most effective method for reducing the proliferation of bacteria among people, and for limiting the dispersion of bacteria into the environment.
This efficiency is linked to the way it is used, which combines friction and absorption. Such are the conclusions which microbiologist Marie-Hélène Charest reached in her review of scientific articles published between 1969 and 2019.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought hand washing back to the forefront of our concerns. And washing your hands also means drying them, an equally crucial step in the hand hygiene process. A scientific study demonstrated this in 1997, highlighting the importance of removing residual moisture from hands. On contact with a surface, wet hands can transmit up to 68,000 bacteria, compared to less than 100 for dry hands. This is important because many people wash their hands superficially and take too little time to dry them. Here are other findings from Charest’s review.
Three Advantages Of Paper Hand Towels
They’re faster. Drying your hands for 10 seconds with a paper hand towel reduces residual moisture by 90 per cent.
They’re more practical. Paper hand towels allow more people to dry their hands at the same time. They also protect your hands from dirty surfaces like taps and door handles.
They’re quieter. A jet air dryer positioned half a metre away makes more noise than a heavy truck that is three metres away. Jet air dryers are thus a risk for people who are exposed for a long time, and this makes them a less attractive drying method.
Three Myths To Debunk
Paper towels and hand dryers are two equally appreciated methods to dry your hands.
False, because it is the quickest method of removing moisture from your hands, studies show that up to 62 per cent of users prefer hand towels as a drying method, compared to less than 28 per cent for hand dryers. Considering this preference for paper towels, adherence to hand hygiene could decrease if they are not available in washrooms.
Jet air dryers do the job just as fast as paper.
True, but this type of dryer also increases the spread of aerosols or water droplets in the air containing germs (i.e., bacteria and viruses). This facilitates potential transmission and is linked to the way the machines operate (they send powerful jets of air onto hands to remove residual water).
Cloth towels are a good financial compromise.
False, science has shown that cloth towels are reservoirs of biological contamination. For example, one study found an 89 per cent coliform and E.Coli contamination rate on fabric and on hand towels used in kitchens.
To learn more download our white paper here
The Cascades PRO® brand is part of Cascades Tissue Group, a leader in the United States and Canada. Cascades PRO® offers hand towels, bath tissue, napkins, kitchen roll towels, facial tissue, wipers and dispensers. Sold through distributors, Cascades PRO® delivers proven, cost-effective hygiene solutions – from bathroom to boardroom to lunchroom to classroom and beyond – with a wide range of product lines that get the job done.
