Are Paper Towels or Hand Dryers a Better Fit for My Facility?

There are several factors to consider when choosing whether you should install high speed hand dryers or paper towel dispensers in a restroom. Variables that will affect your decision may include overall costs, maintenance, user experience, sustainability, durability and more—It’s a long but important list!

Let’s break down a few of these components to help make your decision a little bit easier:

Installation costs:

When comparing whether to select paper towel dispensers or hand dryers, there is a difference in the upfront cost. Hand dryers can initially be more expensive than paper towel dispensers. However, when examining the price of your hand drying selection, it is important to consider the total cost of ownership over the product lifecycle.  High-speed hand dryers eliminate many long-term costs associated with hand drying, including the ongoing costs associated with ordering, inventorying and restocking paper towels in addition to maintenance time and labor.

Maintenance costs:

Eliminating the use of paper towels in the restroom will significantly reduce maintenance costs. Wet, used paper towels often overflow trash receptacles and end up scattered on the floor, or worse, clogging drains. Consider, too, the shelf space required for stocking the paper towel supply, as well as the time it takes employees to restock dispensers and dispose of the waste. High-speed hand dryers help keep a restroom clean and eliminate the frustration of trying to use a jammed-full paper towel dispenser or finding it empty. Plus, new motor technology means hand dryers can operate for years on minimal maintenance.

Sanitation, cleanliness benefits:

Door handles, seating and countertops, even the handles on faucets in restroom facilities can carry the viruses and bacteria that cause colds and the flu. To help solve this problem, companies now seek alternatives such as “touch-free” hand dryers, soap dispensers, faucets, which eliminate the need to touch the surfaces where many other hands have been. With touch-free hand dryers, any movement under the nozzle triggers a flow of air to thoroughly dry hands without direct contact with the unit. For even further protection, today’s automatic hand dryers offer anti-microbial technology to inhibit the growth of bacteria, mold and fungus, extending the dryer’s service life.

User experience:

Your restroom reflects your business with costs that cannot be quantified as easily. Does your restroom create a positive impression on visitors? In any establishment, the appearance of a lack of cleanliness may cause patrons to rethink visiting again. Often—unfairly—customers judge a property’s overall cleanliness based on the look of its restroom. A trashcan overflowing with paper towels may not present the image your business wants to convey and could leave visitors with a negative impression and a reason not to return.

Selecting how visitors to a restroom will dry their hands may seem like a minor consideration in the big picture of operating any facility.  However, studies have shown automatic that automatic hand dryers can save businesses up to 99 percent in operation costs as compared to paper towels—removing much of the maintenance involved in restroom upkeep, including restocking and disposal. By improving the functionality and efficiency of hand drying, you really can improve your bottom line.

Try out our handy savings calculator and discover how much your facility can start saving right now with World Dryer hand dryers!

Tolis Demertzis is regional director for Bensenville, Ill.–based World Dryer (www.worlddryer.com), a leading global manufacturer of hand dryers for more than 50 years. He can be reached at TDemertzis@worlddryer.com.