ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Less than half of us recognise the importance of drying our hands after washing them, according to a survey.

And 15 per cent of people would dry their hands on their clothes if no hand drying facilities were available.

Tissue company Cascades PRO polled more than 1,000 US citizens in July to discover how Covid-19 has changed their hand hygiene perceptions. A total of 73 per cent of respondents said they were now washing their hands more frequently due to the pandemic, with 84 per cent believing hand-washing to be extremely important after using a public washroom. However, only 48 per cent of respondents thought it was important to dry their hands afterwards.

Meanwhile, results from a second study by air dryer manufacturer Dyson revealed that 42 per cent of people feel more concerned about visiting a public restroom than they did a year ago.

And a quarter of respondents claimed they would let their hands dry naturally in a washroom where no working hand dryer or paper towels were supplied, with 15 per cent saying they would use their own clothes to dry their hands on instead.

"These results highlight the need for further education on hand hygiene," said Dyson senior microbiologist and scientist Dr Salome Giao. "We know damp hands can transfer up to 1,000 times more bacteria than dry hands - and wiping the hands on clothes can jeopardise the handwashing process because they can add bacteria to washed hands if they are not clean."

A total of 58 per cent of respondents said a touch-free unit would put their mind at rest when using a hand dryer, while 47 per cent said filters used to clean the air would reassure them.