But: drying also controls infection and tests have proved that textile towels remove 10 times more micro-organisms than paper, are less aggressive, softer and provide better friction action.

Plus: the ecological performance of textile is far better than that of paper.

Results which speak for themselves

• drying effectiveness: 50% stated that their hands were completely dry after using a textile towel (12% for paper), 67% considered a single section of textile towel enough to obtain effective drying with an absorption rate 4 times higher than paper

• skin tolerance: clear preference for textile in terms of skin care, dermatological care, skin protection and feeling of cleanliness

• respect for the environment: 87% considered textile towels to conform better to their environmental concerns than paper

• comfort: 67% found paper unpleasant compared to textile

Conclusions and recommendations

Given its better user acceptance, the textile hand towel is clearly preferable; the dispenser system should not allow any possibility of cross-infection: the used section of the towel should be retracted after each use.

This clear result can easily be explained by the structure and properties of textile fibres.

This article has been borrowed from http://www.etsa-europe.org