Paper Towels

Paper Towels Win in Effectiveness & Speed

Paper towels, single-use paper towels, are the clear Best Practice for hand drying in the fast paced professional 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. Wet hands are also a source of accidental injuries and increase the dangers of dropping equipment, glassware and hot food.

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 438 percent with some bacteria), but can also blow out bacteria from inside the dryer.

• Paper towels help brush off and remove germs loosened by washing.

• 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. Fully automatic dispensers have proven to be the best option to encourage employee use.

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:

• Eliminate blow dryers in food service areas.

• Hot air is best friend of pathogen reproduction

• 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
• 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.

Leadership Companies:

For the best selection in paper towels and dispensers in South Africa contact these leading companies:

1. Kimberly-Clark Professional
2. Steiner Hygiene
3. Nampak Tissue