Hand dryers Vs paper towels - Which should you choose for your school washrooms?
Are you refurbishing your school washrooms this year? If so, you have a lot of decisions to make. From toilet cubicles and flooring to sinks and soap dispensers, you need to think carefully about every aspect of your new school toilets.
They need to be functional, accessible and aesthetically you want them to look stylish and welcoming.
That’s already a lot to think about, then you need to decide whether you should stick with a traditional paper towel dispenser or if it’s time to install a new hand dryer.
If you’re not sure which is going to be the best option for your school washrooms, that’s OK, we can help.
Check out our advice below.
The pros and cons of paper towels
When hand dryers were first invented, lots of people believed that these would be far more hygienic and cost-effective than traditional paper towel dispensers. While some of that is true, the more data we collect, the more the lines become blurred.
Statistics suggest that the act of rubbing your hands dry with paper towels can actually clear more of the germs than air drying. With that in mind, hand dryers may be less effective in terms of removing bacteria.
Another benefit of paper towels is that they don’t make a noise when used, something which can be an issue for children with sensory issues who don’t like the sound or action of the air dryer.
That being said, paper towels are far more expensive than a hand dryer as you have to keep topping up the dispensers. They are also an environmental nightmare.
In fact, it has been estimated that each tonne of paper towels produced requires roughly 17 trees to be cut down and processed. This makes them responsible for some 624 tonnes of CO2 emissions. This is almost 18 times as much as an efficient hand dryer.
Plus, if you’ve ever walked into a school toilet, especially one being used by younger children, you’ll know that these paper towels don’t always end up in the bin. They often end up on the floor, sink or in the cubicles and usually, the students will use far more towels than they actually need.
This can be pretty frustrating for those left in charge of cleaning up (and ordering more stock when these run out).
The pros and cons of hand dryers
The biggest downside to hand dryers is that unfortunately, they can blow airborne germs around the room.
However, if you educate your students about how to keep the school washrooms as clean and hygienic as possible, you can reduce the number of microbes in the air, reducing the amount blown about by the dryers.
Of course, as with any electronic device, you also have to be aware that it may get damaged or stop working on occasion, and this is often more expensive to repair than a paper towel dispenser.
That aside, hand dryers come with a huge range of benefits. For one thing, they are far better for the planet as they don’t require hundreds of towels to be produced. This also makes them more cost-effective, saving more for the school.
Another key benefit is that they are neat and tidy and there is no potential risk of paper towels ending up all over the floor.
And did you know that you can get lots of different styles and finishes?
From traditional to compact, hands-under or hands-in, plain or stylised. There are lots of ways you can choose a hand dryer that perfectly matches the aesthetics of your school washrooms and the needs of the users.
So which should you choose for your school toilets?
Before you begin your school washroom refurbishment project, it’s important to weigh up your two options and decide whether you want a paper towel dispenser or a hand dryer.
Sure, paper towels allow you to better scrub germs from your hands, so you might choose this option if you’re worried about the health and hygiene of your students. However, paper towels are far more expensive, messy and they aren’t good for the planet.
Hand dryers, on the other hand, can be far more cost-effective and automatic dryers reduce the amount of touchpoints within the school toilets which can help to create a more hygienic space overall.
Plus, they are far better for the planet as they don’t produce lots of waste, and you can choose the perfect design finish for your washrooms.
For example, you can check out a space-themed dryer in this case study from a primary school.