Good hand hygiene is a top priority for Satino. Wherever people come and go, work, learn or live: Satino is right there to provide sophisticated products ranging from soaps, disinfectants and paper towels to clever dispenser systems.
This is how we help ensure that hand hygiene is a fixture in everyday life. For all those working in medical or care professions, hand hygiene is especially indispensable. In fact, 5 May is dedicated specifically to them. Therefore, the day also pays tribute to the fact that it is precisely these people who achieve great things every day: through good hygiene, they help to protect and keep us all healthy.
Good hand hygiene means more than washing hands
Hand drying makes a further contribution to optimal hygiene. When not removed, residual moisture on the hands leads to an increased transfer of microorganisms from the hands to surfaces. Microorganisms on hands can survive for several hours, and even up to several months on surfaces. This increases the risk of spreading pathogens and infections.
Paper towels are an ideal solution for this problem: they remove any remaining germs from the hands through friction, dry them thoroughly – and are disposed of immediately after one use. They are also popular: a recent survey* found that washroom users clearly prefer disposable paper towels for drying their hands. But that is not all.
Paper towels compared to air jet dryers: which is more hygienic?
A recent pilot study** by the University of Leeds has now proven once more how important the right method of hand drying is – especially in the professional sector.
The study specifically investigated virus transmission after hand drying in a hospital washroom. The result is clear: compared to an air jet dryer, the use of paper towels resulted in significantly lower rates of viral contamination on hands and clothing – and consequently less contamination of hospital surfaces. On average, the contamination rate of surfaces after hand drying with jet dryers was ten times higher than with paper towels.
Raising awareness on a global scale
World Hand Hygiene Day was established by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and has been commemorated globally since 2009. SAVE LIVES – clean your hands has been the motto every 5 May since then. It is a message we are happy to carry forward, along with thanking those who put it into action every day all over the world, and perhaps even with our help.
The clever solution – The desire for safe hygiene
*IPSOS, +++ Q1/2021
**Moura, I., Ewin, D., & Wilcox, M. (2021). From the hospital toilet to the ward: A pilot study on microbe dispersal to multiple hospital surfaces following hand drying using a jet air dryer versus paper towels. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 1-4. doi:10.1017/ice.2021.43
