ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

A large majority of people fear that poor hand washing and drying facilities in public toilets are posing a risk to their health, says new research commissioned by washroom products supplier Kimberly-Clark Professional. It questioned just over 700 consumers in the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands and Russia earlier this year.

When questioned 87 per cent of respondents said public conveniences did not consistently provide adequate hand washing and drying facilities. And almost a quarter - 23 per cent - said facilities were either ‘never’ or ‘rarely’ of a good enough standard. Four-fifths (79 per cent) said it was more difficult to maintain hand hygiene levels outside of the home than in it.

The issue is clearly of concern to people, with 95 per cent of respondents believing that inadequate hand washing and drying facilities in public toilets impact on the public’s health and safety. A majority – 59 per cent – said they believed a poor standard of washing and drying facilities impacts 'a lot' on people’s welfare.

Kimberly-Clark Professional commissioned the survey as part of its Take Control of Poor Hand Drying campaign, and drying was also addressed in the survey. It found that faced with poor, or no, drying facilities people resort to other, significantly less hygienic, methods to dry their hands.

Deter hand washing
Nearly half - 48 per cent - said they might allow their hands to dry naturally; one third said they might use toilet paper; and a quarter said they would dry their hands on clothing. And 12 per cent of respondents said that inadequate hand drying facilities would deter them from washing their hands at all.

For more details visit: www.kcprofessional.com