Studies show that air dryers increase the number of bacteria – Good hand hygiene is crucial when it comes to reducing the spread of diseases so the method of drying your hands after hand washing plays an especially important part in the cleanliness result. A study by University of Westminster shows that a hot air dryer increases the number of bacteria on the hands with +254% and a jet air dryer produces an increase of 42% while a paper towel reduces bacteria with -77%. (1
High bacteria dispersal in washrooms with jet air dryers – Again, studies show that not only does a jet air dryer leave more bacteria on your hands it also spreads the bacteria widely in the washroom. University of Westminster studies showed that they observed less droplet and/or microbe dispersion, and consequently lower level of toilet surfaces contamination, following hand drying with paper towels compared to a jet air dryer. These observations showed the impact of the hand-drying method on the risk of contamination of the washroom and toilet environment. (2
Spreading bacteria along the way – So, what happens when we leave the washroom without clean hands? We personally, can of course spread any viruses and bacteria we might be carrying, to other places and hence put others at risk. A study by Cambridge University conducted at Leeds General Infirmary shows that the average level of contamination of areas outside the washroom is 10-fold higher following hand drying with jet air dryers compared to paper towels. (3
We at Katrin believe that paper towels are the most hygienic product to use for hand drying. When using a paper towel the hands are mechanically cleaned because you rub viruses and bacteria off your hands. In addition, a paper towel is used only once. Therefore, there is no danger of spreading infections or virus.
With our paper towel dispensers, you feed one sheet at a time and therefore only touch the sheet to be used. Hence there is no risk of contaminating paper towels which will be used by the next visitor.
The evidence that paper towels are the most hygienic option for hand drying is substantial. Unfortunately, not everyone is aware of this fact. The Katrin Toilet Report from 2021shows that still only 61% of public toilet visitors prefer paper towels. It is time to enlighten people and reduce the risk of spreading diseases by implementing paper towel solutions in public washrooms. (4
Katrin offers smart and functional hygiene solutions for public washrooms and workplaces. Our solutions support the best cleanliness and hygiene standards and are sustainably made across the whole value chain.
1 The research was published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
https://europeantissue.com/hygiene/studies/uow/
2 https://europeantissue.com/hygiene/studies/comparison-of-different-hand-drying-methods/
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