Reducing the spread of pathogens in your environment has not been more crucial than now, given the current Coronavirus epidemic. But, according to the CDC, an effective and suitable method of mitigating the spread of pathogens is through handwashing.
When you wash your hands frequently, you are drawing the first line of defense to prevent the spread of illnesses. It is then critical that you implement a handwashing hygiene program that allows you to wash and dry your hands regularly.
And when it comes to proper hand hygiene, drying your hands after washing is essential. However, which hand drying technique offers more health benefits? Using paper towels or hand dryers?
Let’s take a look at both.
Paper Towels
You can find industrial paper towels in industries and washrooms worldwide, and they come in various dispensing formats and methods. However, what are their health benefits?
● More hygienic
Paper towels are extremely quick at drying your hands. Therefore, it is less likely to leave the washroom with a damp hand. This is an issue that surrounds electric hand dryers. It usually takes more time to dry your hands effectively. In addition, you might not have the patience to wait till your hands are dry.
When you leave the washroom with damp hands, you increase your chance of getting germs, making the time you spend washing your hands pointless. Bacteria thrive in wet conditions, and though you may have thoroughly cleaned your hands, leaving them damp would attract gems.
● Prevents cross-contamination
Air dryers usually remove moisture and water from your hand by forcing air over it. Then, any pathogen or remaining water is blown off your hand into the air and surrounding surfaces like doorknobs or countertops.
When you touch such surfaces, pathogens would stick to your hands as you leave the restroom, increasing your risk of cross-contamination. However, using paper towels prevents this.
Hand Dryers
Hand dryers have various health benefits, and they include:
● Environmentally friendly
Compared to paper towels, hand dryers are more environmentally friendly than paper towels. This is because hand dryers are not reliant on a single-use paper that you must constantly change to be effective.
Furthermore, this means that fewer trees would be used, and also, you would reduce greenhouse gasses emitted in the production of paper towels.
● Good hygiene
Paper towel dispensers in business washrooms usually create mess and waste since they sometimes end up in the toilets or the floor and the trash. On the other hand, jet hand dryers are equipped with the latest sanitary methods and anti-microbial surfaces to make your hands dry faster without contamination by paper and waste.
Final Words
Paper towels can limit pathogens that are left behind on your hands after the drying process. Additionally, they dry hands efficiently and faster than air dryers.
The bottom line is that you should wash your hands effectively and always completely dry them with any or both methods. Nevertheless, it would be best to let your hands dry properly before leaving the restroom and ensure that you do not dry them on your clothes.