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Article published by the Handwashing for Life Institute
Win in Effectiveness & Speed
Paper towels, single-use paper towels, are the clear Best Practice
for hand drying in the fast paced professional food handling
environment. They are both effective and fast, the two critical
elements of choice.
Electric hand dryers have NO PLACE in food areas, mainly because
they are neither effective nor fast. Most users walk away with
wet hands and wet hands transfer bacteria 500 times more readliy
than dry hands. Others wipe them dry on aprons and other soiled
surfaces. This can lead to reactivating dormant bacteria and
re-igniting a chain of cross-contamination. Pathogens thrive
in wet, warm conditions.
Paper Towels offer a measurable
advantage in hand washing effectiveness.
According to the study "Hand Washing Facts to Know: Paper
Towels vs. Hot Air Dryers," using paper towels after washing
helps remove bacteria from hands and reduces general bacterial
counts by an average of 58 percent, whereas hot air dryers not
only increase the bacterial count on the hands (up to 48 percent
with some bacteria), but can also blow out bacteria from inside
the dryer.
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Paper towels help brush off and
remove germs loosened by washing.
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Electric dryers take more time
than using a paper towel. The average time to achieve 95 percent
dryness is 12 seconds with a paper towel versus 43 seconds with
a hot air dryer. Few people use hot air dryers long enough to
ensure more than 55 to 65 percent dryness.
However, all paper towels are not the same. Highly absorbent
task-textured paper towels are born from paper mills that have
access to high absorbency, long-fiber, high-bulk pulps. Paper
mills with specialized equipment that can process, form, dry
and compress these pulps into toweling that is both highly absorbent
and has excellent wet strength.
A properly engineered process yields a towel that is pleasant
to use, dries hands quickly and extends cleaning effectiveness
Finally, selecting the proper TOWEL DISPENSER is very important.
"Hands-free" towel dispensing no “germ laden
handles or levers” eliminates cross-contamination during
handwashing and drying, which means safer food. Users touch only
the towels they need for hand drying; the rest are kept clean,
dry, and sanitary inside the dispenser.
Select a supplier who provides “hands-free” towel
dispensing. Cranks, levers, dials, buttons are all concentrated
sources for cross contamination. Don't defeat the good work done
in washing by immediate recontamination.
The Paper Towel Selection Checklist:
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Eliminate blow dryers in food
service areas.
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Hot air is best friend of pathogen
reproduction
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Slow dry time promotes these
bad practices
1. Drying hands on aprons, pants, etc
2. Working with wet hands endangers staff
Select paper towel with best properties for your situation
- Textured for maximum absorbency
- Smooth surface paper absorbs less water
- Good wet strength. Does not fall apart when wet.
Install “hands-free” dispensers.
- Hands should only touch the paper towel.
- Insure dispenser is easy and fast to load/service.
Select a reliable supplier/distributor with short lead times
in your location.
- One source for supply and service of towels and dispenser.
Locate convenient to hand wash sink, faucet and soap
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