Should You Rethink Paper Towels vs. Hand Dryers at Your Facility Because of COVID-19?

City Wide Facility Solutions
Published on May 1, 2020

Building owners and property managers have so much more to think about than ever before now that we’ve come face to face with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Perhaps you are having to make a change in cleaning frequency or even the types of services (such as adding the electrostatic sprayer) to your facility’s scope of work. The last thing on your mind may be whether paper towels or hand dryers are better in a world where a pandemic is happening – but according to experts, it matters!

While hand dryers can often save on costs, do paper towels or hand dryers spread more bacteria and germs in a bathroom?

There was a study in 2018 that showed when you flush the toilet, the bacteria doesn’t always go down the drain. The bacteria that’s flushed can often make its way all around the room, including the inside of a hand dryer… later to blow back down on your clean hands.

Check out the video below to see which method wins on sanitation.

City Wide can help figure out what’s best for your facility during (and even after) the pandemic. One of the things we are suggesting to our clients is replacing air hand dryers with automatic/touchless paper towel dispensers, as well as adding sensor-operated faucets and toilet flushometers to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other germs and bacteria at their facilities.

Contact one of our locations in the United States or Canada. We are here to help you.