Hand Dryers Vs Paper Towels

Paper towels can help reduce the spread of microbes and should be a preferred method of hand drying especially at a time when good hand hygiene is the most effective measure to prevent covid.

Hand dryers vs paper towels.

As an invention the paper towel isn t much older than the hand dryer. The environmental figures for paper towels rely not just on its use but on the production transportation and disposal. Both types of hand dryers have less environmental impact than paper towels. A new study finds using paper towels is more effective than conventional jet air dryers for removing microbes when drying poorly washed hands.

On average the paper towels removed 71 of the bacteria on the volunteers hands while the hand dryers only removed 23 confirming that the myth is true for individuals. For the paper towel believers the argument is based on the idea that any residual germs hanging out inside the dryer or lingering on a user s hands are forcefully blasted into the surrounds by. Using a standard hand dryer releases 0 02 pounds of greenhouse gas per use. The scott paper company based in philadelphia and now owned by the tissue giant kimberly clark developed the first restroom.