Stop Providing Paper Towels to Your Customers

There was a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control that reveals a surprising hygiene issue related to washroom paper towels. They found that unused paper towels can harbour bacteria and not just a few.

The researchers found that multiple popular paper towel brands contained between 100 to 100,000 colony-forming bacterial units per gram of towel, and that bacteria can easily transfer to the hands during the drying process.

The study points to why manufacturers of commercial hand dryers promote their safe and effective models that eliminate both residual moisture and the risk of towel-borne contamination.

Significantly Higher Bacterial Counts

The findings of the study should raise alarms for any business that provides publish washroom space to their patrons and are concerned with hygiene.

Paper towels - especially those made from recycled fibre – can host significantly higher bacterial counts that most people expect, at a whopping 100 to 1000 times more than some paper towels which points to why manufacturers of commercial hand dryers promote their equipment to the safe elimination of both residual moisture and the risk of towel-borne contamination.

Even though airborne transmission of bacteria during towel dispensing wasn't detected, direct contact transfer was consistent and easily measurable. In other words, you could literally be handing bacteria straight to your customers hands, right after they’ve washed them.

These days with the help of the internet, a lot of people are aware of these facts and will actually refuse to use a business washroom if paper towels are provided, and in turn can be turned off by attending your business altogether.

What Happens When Hands Stay Damp

There was a separate study by the Epidemiology and Infection Journal that highlighted how residual moisture on the skin is the primary driver behind bacterial transference.

When participants touched surfaces with wet hands, they transferred tens of thousands more bacteria than when the hands were properly dried.

To calculate the numbers:

• Wet hands transferred up to 68,000 bacteria to surfaces mimicking skin.
• After drying with a cloth towel for just 15 seconds, that number dropped to 6,700 but was still significantly present.
• With a combined drying method of 10 seconds with a towel, and 20 seconds with an air dryer, the bacterial transfer fell to as low as 140.

The bottom line is, even if the hands are clean, moisture is still a microbial highway.

Drying hands effectively is as essential as washing them in the first place. When a business relies on paper towels that don’t dry effectively or are bacteria-laden, the risk of cross-contamination remains high.

The Case Against Paper Towels

There are a few good reasons to install a hand dryer in a commercial washroom, instead of using paper towels, and why paper towels might be doing more harm than good:

They actually introduce bacteria

The AJIC study found bacteria like Bacillus, Paenibacillus, and Clostridium in unused, newly recycled paper towels. Some of these strains are known as toxin producers, and pose health risks in industrial and clinical environments.

They don’t dry hands thoroughly

People typically dry their hands for 5 seconds and sometimes much less or not even at all. That’s not enough time to remove the moisture that allows bacterial transfer.

They increase waste

Used towels create large volumes of waste, which must be collected, managed, and most often simply ends up in a landfill.

They can contaminate surfaces

Paper towel contact with dispensers, waste bins, water-taps etc. leads to further bacterial transfer points.

They are costly over time

Restocking and maintenance costs for paper towel dispensers consistently exceed the one-time cost of an energy-efficient commercial hand dryer. In larger establishments, thousands of dollars are saved a year.

Commercial Hand Dryers Are the Smarter Choice

Upgrading your washroom with the vast array of modern commercial hand dryers on the market offers a new a sleek look and overall improves hygiene, lowers costs, and reduces environmental impact. In this day and age and with the knowledge we have, there’s no reason to be stocking up on paper towels and hand dryers get the job right 100% of the time.

Here’s why hand dryers in commercial settings are the smarter choice:

• Touchless operation eliminates the bacterial transfer risk.
• Fast drying times remove moisture quickly, and some under 12 seconds.
• HEPA filters and antimicrobial coatings catch pathogens and prevent bacterial growth.
• Reduced operating costs after the initial install make them a long-term money saver.
• Improved hygiene compliance by users.
• Eliminates ongoing paper waste and helps reduce your facility’s carbon footprint.

Furthermore, commercial hand dryers support your sustainability goals—eliminating the need for tree-based pulp products, while reducing transportation emissions, and cutting down on plastic-wrapped refills. It’s a win-win for customers, the environment and a business’s bottom line.

What the Science Tells Us

Together, the two studies offer a compelling narrative:

• Hand drying is not optional, it’s essential.
• Paper towels can introduce bacteria that weren’t there before.
• Paper towels can easily spread bacteria to other humans or inside the washroom.
• Residual hand moisture drastically increases the risk of spreading germs.
• Electric hand dryers are the safest and most effective way of drying hands.

The Epidemiology and Infection study demonstrated that common hand drying practices (e.g., wiping for 3 to 5 seconds) are ineffective.

In the study it showed that this common behaviour still left 25,000 to 30,000 bacteria ready to transfer to another surface with a single touch. Only a dual drying method, or an optimized air-drying time of 30 to 45 seconds, reduced bacterial transfer to near-zero levels.

It’s Time to Rethink the Washroom Experience

If you're running a business, school, gym, clinic, or public facility of any kind, stop handing customers a piece of the problem. Instal commercial hand dryers to protect their health and show them and your employees that you value cleanliness that’s backed by science.