Did you know that around 80% of diseases are transferable via touch?
According to the World Health Organisation, washing your hands properly with soap and drying with hand towels is one of the most effective ways to reduce the spread of pathogens. And as we all have learned well during the pandemic, washing your hands with warm soapy water is the first line of defence against infectious diseases.
But what you probably didn’t know is that these dangerous pathogens can remain on your hands even after you wash them. In fact, one study from Michigan State University found that nearly 95% of adults do not wash thoroughly enough to remove bacteria and viruses from their skin.
Damp hands spread germs up to 1000 times more than dry hands, so a quick shake-off after washing isn’t enough to keep you or your colleagues safe. Most modern bathrooms have hand dryers or hand towels available to dry your hands after washing – but which option is more sanitary?
As it turns out, hot air actually increases the spread of germs significantly. In fact, the heat from air dryers encourages bacteria to multiply by up to 254%. Air dryers also spread micro-organisms around, blowing them up to 30cm away from the source. And jet dryers are even more powerful, blasting those germs up to 2m. Now imagine someone hasn’t washed their hands properly and dries off at one of those hot-air germ distributors!
Hand towels, on the other hand, reduce bacteria by up to 77%. Hand towels don’t spread pathogens through the air – they capture the germs to be deposited into the nearest paper recycling bin. What’s more, paper towels dry your skin faster than air dryers, and they can be used to turn off faucets and open doors so that your skin doesn’t come into contact with these high-touch areas.
Rubbing your hands dry with a paper towel is an effective way to kill and remove the remaining germs and bacteria from your skin, causing less contamination and spread of diseases throughout the workplace.
When surveyed by the University of Queensland, the majority of people said they preferred using paper towels. 65% of people like to use paper towels – while just 28% prefer dryers.
The spread of disease impacts greatly on the well-being of staff and the overall success of the business, so it’s definitely worth considering switching to paper towels.
To reduce your environmental impact, make sure to only use 1-2 sheets of paper to dry your hands, and always recycle them after use. Standard hand dryers and paper towels produce the same greenhouse gas emissions per use, so choosing paper towels for your workplace bathroom really is a no-brainer!
