Tiny Choices Q&A: How do you dry your hands?
By Karina | September 19, 2007
Welcome to Tiny Choices Q&A, where we open the floor for discussion on questions which ya’ll have submitted (read the first list of questions here).
Cat147 asks:
When given the option in a public restroom, should I choose the paper towels or the air dryer to dry my hands after washing?
I know what our friend Jesse would say! he would say bring a cloth napkin with you, and use it wherever you go! Actually, on my recent trip to Japan we had to bring handkerchiefs with us because there are not always dryers in the bathrooms. We would use them after washing our hands off, and the habit has stuck with me.
But when I don’t have a hanky, I usually shake off most of the water and then dry the damp off of my hands off by wiping them on my butt or maybe the sides of my thighs as I leave. Yeah, I’m classy like that.
If you don’t want to carry around a hanky or dry your hands on the seat of your pants, then you may want an actual thoughtful answer to your question. If we break it down, what are the environmental issues for each choice?
- Paper Towels: not sure what the paper is sourced from, the pulp is bleached, there are transportation costs to get the paper to the bathroom, there is a waste issue, the paper is sent to a landfill where it will sit forever, incurring more transportation costs along the way. Also the plastics included in the dispenser and the transport of that to the bathroom. The gorilla in the corner of the manufacturing plant: the electricity used to manufacture the paper towels.
- Air Dryer: cost of manufacture, including plastics (but this may be analogous to the cost to manufacture the paper towel dispenser). Electricity to run the dryer, and the associated air and water pollution.
Really what it comes down to is roughly-analogous one-time costs (the plastics), plus either the impact of paper, or the impact of electricity - which may or may not be analogous, but is present in both forms of drying materials.
Just looking at this breakdown leads me to suggest that the less-bad option if you have forgotten your hanky is the air dryer. And good news! I just did a quick search and the internet agrees with me.
How do you usually dry your hands?
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Topics: Q&A, Waste | 10 Comments »
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either on my jeans or in my hair (this relates back to the natural curly girl thing)
but, sometimes I’ll use a towel because mom taught me not to touch the handles in bathrooms after I wash my hands
I dry my hands on my hair. I learned this trick while traveling in Italy.
Third curly-girl voting for hair-drying!
That, or on my butt.
Another thing to consider is that air dryers are of questionable hygienic efficacy. Some studies have found that air dryers are not as effective at removing bacteria and other germs as paper towels, and others have even suggested that air dryers result in more germs on one’s hands than before washing. (Think about it: person coughs or sneezes onto dryer’s intake vent; dryer then blows their germs all over your hands.)
When I am out and about, I tend to shake my hands out and dry the rest on my pants (I am also classy like that). At work I use paper towels because my job involves contact with people who have weak immune systems, but I limit myself to 2 towels per hand-washing.
My trick is always the backs of my knees - It works best in jeans or dark pants, but that’s a place where any dampness isn’t immediately visible to everyone else!
I’m a pants-dryer myself.
But I just wanted to chime in that it’s amazing how many paper towel dispensers are now electronic, thereby adding the electricity to run the handsless-hands dryer to the environmental toll.
I actually wouldn’t recommend using your cloth napkin for hand drying… unless you;re carrying a second, dedicated one. I suppose if you wash your hands well, it might be okay to use just the one, but as Kari is fond of telling us, poop is everywhere, though that’s even more true when you’re in a restroom. I prefer not to have used bathroom towels in my lap when I dine.
I have noticed at a couple of places I’ve been lately (upscale dining facility and a hotel) that the bathrooms had single-use terrycloth towels and a hamper, so that the facility could wash and reuse. Anybody care to do a life cycle assessment on the process of washing all of the towels that were only used once versus throwing away the paper? Assume a front-loading washer is being used…
thanks to all (and TC) for posting to my question. i opt for the air dryer when given the choice BUT i will use that trick of drying my hands on the backs of my knees when possible. unfortunately, i’m stuck at work with the paper towel option …
Why can’t all those used paper towels be recycled?! I mean, all there is on them is water and the paper towel. You hands are clean once they’re dried, so why do all those wet paper towels have to go to a landfill?!
see http://www.prodryers.com for more information on hand dryers vs paper towels. Many studies have been done on hand dryers vs. paper towels. However, most studies are outdated in comparison to today’s hand dryer technology. Today’s technology proves that with hand dryers vs. paper towels, the hand dryers are the clear winner in every way. Paper towels cannot be recycled, consume precious resources, and use excessive landfill space. 20,000 gallons of water are polluted to make one ton of paper towels. 17 trees are consumed to make one ton of paper towels. A company named American Dryer makes the following hand dryer that can help lead the way to saving the environment. EXTREMEAIR® Hand Dryer With its patent pending technology, the EXTREMEAIR® is 3X faster - it dries hands completely in 10-15 seconds. This is accomplished with a powerful blast of warm air that quickly breaks up the layer of surface water on a user’s hands for quick removal and evaporation. While all American hand dryers save trees and reduce landfill waste - The EXTREMEAIR® uses up to 80% less energy than conventional hand dryers. The new GXT EXTREMEAIR hand dryer has been GreenSpec® Listed. This is an unbiased list of the most environmentally friendly products published by the editors of Environmental Building News. The EXTREMEAIR met tough GreenSpec standards because it conserves energy and reduces maintenance and waste. The EXTREMEAIR helps facilities qualify for LEED® credits. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The EXTREMEAIR helps facilities qualify for LEED-NC, LEED-EB AND LEED-CI Credits in two categories: EA Credit 1– Optimize Energy Performance EA Prerequisite 2 – Minimum Energy Performance