In the ongoing debate over whether paper towels or air dryers are more effective for cleaning, it seems people still prefer paper towels.
According to a May 2021 survey conducted by GP PRO, a division of Georgia-Pacific, two-thirds of consumers stated that drying their hands with 100 per cent recycled fibre paper towels is more efficient and more effective than drying their hands with a jet air dryer with a HEPA filter.
Specifically, the survey found that of the 405 consumers with a preference regarding speed, 67 per cent felt paper towels provided a faster hand dry, and 63 per cent of the 415 consumers with a preference regarding drying ability felt paper towels performed better at fully drying their hands in an acceptable amount of time.
These findings follow a September 2020 GP PRO consumer survey that found that while 72 per cent of consumers are comfortable washing their hands in a public restroom, 81 per cent want to get in and out of that restroom as quickly as possible.
According to Julie Howard, vice president and general manager of GP PRO’s towel, skincare and air care categories, the company’s September survey provided great insight into why consumers want their public restroom experience to be fast. This survey, however, sheds light on what building owners, facility managers, and custodians can do to help provide that fast experience.
“These findings offer clear-cut information on one way to help give consumers what they want, which in this case is a fast restroom experience — stock the restroom with paper towels,” said Howard.
Howard added that with new, more transmissible variants of the coronavirus circulating throughout the country, these recent survey findings also provide information on how to help consumers recommit to proper hand hygiene.
“From the outset of the coronavirus, health organizations have promoted the benefits of proper handwashing and hand drying, the latter of which means drying the hands completely. If two-thirds of our respondents feel paper towels are more effective at drying their hands in an acceptable amount of time, then I believe offering paper towels can help encourage and advance proper hand drying and potentially help curb the spread of this disease.”
To view the full survey results, visit GP PRO’s website.
