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Well now this was an interesting piece of information we learned during a recent Kimberly-Clarke webinar - single use towels are the most effective and most hygienic item to use when drying hands after a good wash. For one thing the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends single-use paper towels in its patient safety instructions for healthcare workers. So that tells you something right there.
"But what if we have jet air dryers in our facility." you may ask. They do provide a non-contact method for hand drying, but they're not so great at keeping germs in the corral. Here are some of the facts:
- Jet air dryers blow water droplets containing bacteria from the hands as far as six and a half feet and linger in the air for up to 15 minutes
- Jet air dryers can actually increase bacteria by 42% on users' fingers during the drying process
- The inner surfaces of a jet air dryer can harbor 48 times more bacteria than you may find on a toilet seat
- Drying your hands with a paper towel can reduce bacteria on your hands by up to 77%. Part of that comes from actually rubbing bacteria off your skin along with moistur
- 90% of people prefer to use paper towels over jet air dryers in restrooms