hygiene-stores

Paper Towels vs Hand Dryers: Which Is Right for Your Workplace?

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 15:43:09 GMT

Hand washing is one of the most important parts of workplace hygiene – but what happens after hands have been washed matters too.

Effective hand drying is an essential part of good hand hygiene. This is particularly important in food manufacturing and food-handling environments, where businesses work hard to minimise the risk of cross-contamination and maintain high hygiene standards.

So, when choosing between electric hand dryers and disposable paper towels, which is the better option for your workplace?

For many general workplace washrooms, both systems may be considered. However, in food factories, food production facilities and other hygiene-sensitive environments, single-use paper towels can offer important practical hygiene advantages.

Why Hand Drying Matters

Good hand hygiene doesn't end when the tap is turned off. Hands need to be dried thoroughly after washing. A hand-drying system should therefore make it quick and easy for employees to follow the correct hand-hygiene procedure every time.

In a busy food factory, this needs to happen repeatedly throughout the working day. Employees may need to wash and dry their hands when entering production areas, after breaks, after using washroom facilities and at other designated hygiene-control points. The drying method you choose therefore becomes an important part of your site's overall hand-hygiene system.

Paper Towels: A Simple, Single-Use Solution

Disposable paper towels have one significant advantage: each user takes a fresh towel, dries their hands and disposes of it immediately. There is no shared fabric towel and no requirement to place freshly washed hands into or around an electrical drying unit.

For food factories looking to maintain controlled hygiene procedures, this simple single-use process can make paper towels particularly attractive. Paper towels also physically remove moisture from the hands through the drying action. And because the used towel is immediately disposed of, the process is straightforward for employees to understand and follow.

What About Electric Hand Dryers?

Electric hand dryers are commonplace in offices, public washrooms and many other environments. They can reduce the need to continually replenish paper products and eliminate the waste associated with used paper towels. However, a food-production environment has different considerations from a typical office washroom.

Hand dryers rely on moving air to dry the hands. In hygiene-sensitive areas, businesses may prefer to avoid unnecessary air movement and choose a drying method that contains the process to the individual user. There is also the practical question of where the dryer is positioned. Food manufacturers need to consider whether air movement from the unit could be undesirable within the surrounding environment, particularly around entrances to production or other hygiene-controlled areas. For this reason, a solution that might be perfectly suitable for a general office washroom isn't automatically the best choice for a food-manufacturing site.

Why Paper Roll Towels Work Well in Food Factories

For high-volume environments, disposable paper roll towel systems offer a useful balance between hygiene, capacity and cost control. A suitable dispenser protects the unused roll while dispensing fresh paper to each user.

Controlled-dispensing systems can also provide a measured amount of paper per use, helping businesses manage consumption while still giving employees an effective way to dry their hands. This can be particularly useful in food factories with large numbers of employees passing through hygiene stations throughout a shift.

The benefits can include:

Single-use drying – fresh paper is used by each employee and then discarded.
Effective moisture removal – paper physically dries the hands rather than relying solely on moving air.
No forced-air drying – useful where minimising unnecessary air movement is preferred.
Simple hygiene procedure – wash, dry and dispose.
High-capacity options – paper roll systems can accommodate busy food-production environments.
Controlled consumption – appropriate dispensers can help reduce unnecessary paper usage.
Easy monitoring – cleaning teams can quickly identify when dispensers need replenishing.

Paper Towels Still Need to Be Managed Properly

Choosing paper towels doesn't automatically create a good hand-hygiene system. Dispensers need to be kept stocked and maintained, and sufficient waste facilities should be positioned nearby so used towels can be disposed of immediately. Sites should also select a paper towel and dispenser combination appropriate for the number of employees using the facility. A dispenser that constantly runs empty will undermine even the best hand-hygiene procedure. That's why high-capacity roll towel systems can be particularly useful in busy manufacturing environments.

Don't Forget the Dispenser

The paper itself is only half of the system. A good dispenser should make paper readily available while helping protect unused towels before use.

For high-traffic environments, consider:

Dispenser capacity
Controlled sheet dispensing
Ease of replenishment
Robustness
Compatibility with your chosen paper rolls
Ease of cleaning
Visibility of remaining stock
Choosing the right combination can help improve both hygiene and cost control.

Paper Towels vs Hand Dryers: The Verdict

There isn't necessarily one hand-drying method that's right for every workplace. For offices and general public washrooms, businesses may choose between several options depending on cost, usage levels, maintenance and their individual requirements.

Food manufacturing is different.

Where hygiene procedures and contamination controls are particularly important, disposable paper towels offer a simple and effective hand-drying solution. A fresh section of paper is used, hands are dried, and the towel is immediately discarded. Combined with an appropriate high-capacity dispenser, disposable paper roll towels can provide food factories with a practical hand-drying system that's easy for employees to use and straightforward for hygiene teams to manage.

Review Your Food Factory's Hand-Drying System

When was the last time you reviewed your hand-drying facilities?

Hygiene Stores supplies paper roll towels, hand towel dispensers and hand-hygiene products suitable for busy commercial and food-manufacturing environments.

Whether you're reviewing an existing system, replacing dispensers or looking for a more suitable paper towel solution for a high-traffic facility, our team can help you identify the right products for your requirements.

Speak to us about your paper towel and hand-hygiene requirements.

Back to School Hygiene: Is Your School Ready for the New Term?

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 15:25:20 GMT

As pupils and staff return for a new academic year, getting classrooms ready is only part of the preparation.

Washrooms, classrooms, kitchens, communal areas and high-touch surfaces all need the right hygiene products and cleaning routines to help keep the school clean throughout the busy term ahead.

A little preparation now can also help prevent emergency orders, unnecessary product changes and shortages later in the term.

1. Start with the washrooms

School washrooms are among the busiest areas of the building, so reliable supplies are essential.

Before the new term gets underway, check stock levels of:

Hand soap and refills
Toilet tissue
Paper hand towels
Hand sanitiser
Waste sacks
Feminine hygiene products
Washroom cleaning products

It's also worth checking dispensers for damage and making sure they're working correctly.

Buying compatible consumables and dispensing systems can help control usage and reduce unnecessary waste – particularly important in high-traffic school washrooms.

2. Don't overlook high-touch areas

Door handles, desks, handrails, light switches and other frequently touched surfaces can quickly become dirty during a busy school day.

Make sure your cleaning team has suitable products readily available for regular cleaning of these areas.

Keeping products organised and easy for staff to access can also make daily cleaning routines simpler and more consistent.

3. Check your cleaning equipment

The start of the academic year is a good opportunity to inspect mops, buckets, brushes, cloths and other cleaning equipment.

Damaged or heavily worn equipment may not perform effectively and can make cleaning unnecessarily difficult.

Where appropriate, colour-coded cleaning equipment can also help staff separate equipment intended for different areas, such as washrooms, kitchens and general areas.

4. Prepare for spills and everyday accidents

Schools are busy environments – and spills happen.

Having absorbent paper products, suitable cleaning chemicals, refuse sacks, gloves and cleaning equipment available means staff can respond quickly when they do.

A well-stocked cleaning cupboard can make a surprisingly big difference to the day-to-day running of a school.

5. Think beyond September

It's easy to stock up before pupils return and then forget about supplies until something runs out.

Review your most frequently used products and consider how much the school normally consumes each month.

Regular ordering can help prevent shortages and reduce last-minute purchases.

Could your school simplify its hygiene purchasing?

Using multiple suppliers for cleaning chemicals, paper products, refuse sacks, gloves and washroom consumables can mean more purchase orders, more deliveries and more administration.

Consolidating these everyday hygiene products with one supplier can make purchasing considerably easier.

Hygiene Stores can help schools review their current hygiene and cleaning requirements and identify the products they need for the term ahead.

Whether you're responsible for one school or multiple sites, speak to us about your requirements and we'll help you put together the right solution.

Get your school hygiene-ready for the new academic year – contact Hygiene Stores for a quotation.

Are You Trying to Make One Product Do Two Different Jobs?

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 15:09:27 GMT

Cleaning and sanitising are not always the same thing

At Hygiene Stores, we’re often asked whether a combined detergent and sanitiser can be used for floor cleaning, particularly within food manufacturing environments.

While combined products can have a place in certain applications, we do not generally recommend relying on a combined cleaner/sanitiser for heavily soiled food factory floors .

The key reason is simple: cleaning and sanitising have two distinct jobs.

The evidence supports a two-stage approach

A review by the UK Food Standards Agency found that alkaline and chlorinated-alkaline cleaning solutions were effective at removing food soils , whereas acid and sanitising solutions left soil behind in the studies reviewed.

It also highlighted that sanitisers and disinfectants are not effective at removing allergenic food soils on their own .

Where significant levels of grease, fats, proteins and other organic soils are present, these soils can also reduce the effectiveness of a sanitiser .

Our recommended process for food-industry floors:

1. Degrease / Clean

Remove grease, fats, proteins, food residues and general soil.

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2. Rinse / Remove Chemical and Soil

Leave the floor genuinely clean — not simply visually clean.

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3. Sanitise

Apply the sanitiser at the manufacturer’s specified concentration and contact time.

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4. Allow the Required Contact Time

Rinse if required and return the floor to service in accordance with the product instructions.

Don't ask your sanitiser to do the degreaser's job

Using a separate degreasing detergent and sanitiser gives you greater control over two essential hygiene objectives:

First: Effective removal of organic soil and contamination.

Then: Microbiological reduction on a properly cleaned surface.

A combined cleaner/sanitiser should only be relied upon where it has been specifically formulated, tested and validated for the actual soil loading, surface, application method, concentration, contact time and microbiological requirements of the environment.

Need advice on the right floor cleaning solution?

At Hygiene Stores, we can help you select the right products and cleaning process for your environment.