Conversations regarding the most effective hand drying method, traditionally between paper towels and hand dryers, are nothing new. However, these discussions have reached a critical juncture within healthcare facilities. The challenge isn’t about individual preferences anymore but about selecting the most effective tool for environments where sanitation holds paramount importance.
Northwestern Memorial Hospital showcased this evolution, implementing a ‘Clean hands every time’ campaign requiring them to assess their restroom design to enhance infection control, operational efficiency, and long-term sustainability. Hand drying isn’t a trivial aspect for healthcare facilities. It forms part of a larger system impacting infection prevention, maintenance demands, and user perception. Facility managers, architects, and engineers aren’t merely choosing between two drying methods. They’re making a decision that directly influences labor, plumbing systems, waste management, and hygiene results.
Paper towels, while familiar and user-friendly, bring about several hidden challenges. These include constant monitoring of dispensers, managing inventory, and continuous waste collection and removal. Such a cycle turns relentless in high traffic healthcare facilities. Northwestern Memorial Hospital found this particularly challenging due to their use of low-flow plumbing fixtures, which led to significant operational issues due to frequent toilet blockages by paper towels. The hospital’s refurbishment efforts necessitated re-evaluating hand drying alternatives.
The Infection Control Board determined traditional high-velocity dryers (where hands are held beneath the airflow), to be more hygienic than trough style units which often collect standing water contributing to bacterial growth. Post approval, the hospital installed XLERATOR® high-speed hand dryers across its campus, resulting in immediate positive effects, such as eliminated plumbing issues, easier restroom maintenance and reduced waste. Interestingly, cleanliness perception also improved, as a MetrixLab global survey found paper towels to be the primary factor contributing to an unclean restroom appearance, impacting trust in healthcare facilities.
Additionally, the hospital realized monetary savings by switching to high-speed dryers, recording annual savings exceeding $20,000 initially, alongside additional benefits through reduced storage needs, decreased transportation costs, and lessened waste handling. Healthcare construction and facility planning teams need to understand that restroom design decisions are interrelated. Decisions around fixtures, materials, and systems must synergize. Pairing low-flow plumbing with hand dryers instead of paper towels mitigates unintended consequences and offers a more effective solution.
While architects and designers can ensure sustainability goals aren’t compromised, facility managers can reduce labor demands and eliminate recurring problems. On the other hand, owners, operators, and procurement professionals can reinforce the correlation between cleanliness, efficiency and patient confidence, and shift from recurring consumable costs to long-term investments yielding measurable returns. Incorporating modern touchless hand dryers equipped with electrostatic HEPA (eHEPA®) filtration can enhance air quality control and provide efficient drying without waste associated with paper towels. Critical within environments where infection control is a prime concern, their use highlights the balance between performance and efficiency.
Conclusively, while the hand dryer versus paper towel debate isn’t new, the implications in health care are decidedly more complex and consequential. With increased emphasis on infection control integrity, plumbing system compatibility, maintenance efficiency, sustainability, and above all, patient trust, an integrative approach to restroom design aligns better with the overarching healthcare objective: ‘Clean hands every time’
Source: https://hconews.com/2026/04/22/air-vs-paper-in-healthcare-restrooms/