The Blow-By-Blow

There’s More to Cleaning Than Washing

Since COVID, the subject of hygiene has taken center stage. That’s why it’s no surprise that handwashing has become such a critical component of our daily routines. From public restrooms to office spaces, the emphasis on handwashing is more prominent than ever. In fact, 9 out of 10 people report having changed their hand hygiene practices since the COVID pandemic. However, there’s more to cleaning than washing, and a crucial part of the hygiene process often gets overlooked or undervalued: hand drying. Let’s dive into why proper hand drying truly matters and how Excel’s touchless hand dryers play a pivotal role in promoting better hygiene.

What Constitutes Proper Hygiene

The 5 steps in proper hand washing and drying

Whether we’re dining at a restaurant, shopping at a mall or simply running errands, we’re constantly exposed to germs and bacteria. These microorganisms can easily transfer from surfaces to our hands and then to our faces, leading to illness. This is why thorough handwashing is vital. According to hygiene experts, while hand sanitizing stations are a useful complement to handwashing, they should never take its place. Hand sanitizers can reduce the number of germs, but they do not eliminate all types of germs, nor do they clean visibly dirty hands.

Once your hands are washed, it’s essential to dry them properly. Many people are unaware that leaving hands damp can actually attract and transfer more bacteria than dry hands. The CDC emphasizes the role of hand drying in hand hygiene, stating, “Germs spread more easily when hands are wet, so make sure to dry your hands completely, whatever method you use.”

To support this assertion by the CDC, research from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, also found dry hands result in a 99% reduction in the level of bacteria transmission when compared to wet hands. To put this another way, wet hands are 1,000 times more likely to transfer bacteria, so your hands are never fully clean until they are clean and dry.

XLERATOR = HAND HYGIENE

Enter the XLERATOR line of touchless hand dryers. 89% of consumers in the United States find it important for restrooms to transition to touchless restroom fixtures since COVID.* Excel offers hygienic hand dryer solutions that minimize contact and reduce the risk of recontamination. Our hand dryers use touchless sensors to activate, ensuring that your freshly cleaned hands stay clean.

Sensor activated dryers like XLERATOR eliminate the multiple unnecessary touch points that come with using paper towels and prevent the germ-laden waste those towels would become. Now, our Electrostatic HEPA (eHEPA®) Filtration system—PROVEN to remove 99.999% (read: all) of viruses from the airstream—does more than ever to settle the debate about hand dryer hygiene by delivering clean, filtered, purified air fast and efficiently.

Adding an antimicrobial Wall Guard with our wall-mounted dryers will contribute significantly to a reduction in viral transmission, adding to the benefit of hand drying.

Further, studies have shown that unused paper towels made from recycled fibers can actually contain germs including influenza and E. coli! And paper towels often create maintenance problems like incorrect disposal or even clogged toilets, potentially increasing the risk of viral transmission.

How to Adequately Dry Your Hands

Washing your hands should take about as long as it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice—approximately 20 seconds. But what happens after you wash? Proper hand drying is a crucial step that shouldn’t be rushed. Here’s how to ensure your hands are adequately dried:

  1. Use a Touchless Hand Dryer: After washing your hands, avoid touching any surfaces. Excel’s touchless hand dryers activate automatically when you place your hands underneath them, ensuring you don’t re-contaminate your hands by touching a lever or button.
  2. Rub Your Hands Together: While using the hand dryer, rub your hands together. This action helps to speed up the drying process and ensures that all parts of your hands, including between your fingers and under your nails, are thoroughly dried.
  3. Dry for Sufficient Time: Many people make the mistake of not drying their hands completely. Keep your hands under the dryer until they are fully dry. XLERATOR dryers’ powerful high-speed jets can dry hands quickly, usually within 10 to 15 seconds, making it easier to stick to proper hygiene practices.

By following these steps, you can significantly reduce the risk of bacterial transfer and maintain better hand hygiene.

The Efficiency of Touchless Hand Dryers

The benefits of touchless hand dryers go beyond hygiene, offering superior cost and energy efficiency and encouraging sustainability. 

  1. High-Speed Hand Drying: Our XLERATOR dryers can dry hands within 10 to 15 seconds. This quick drying time ensures that users spend less time in the restroom, reducing congestion and wait times in high-traffic areas.
  2. Cost Savings: Touchless hand dryers are more cost-effective than paper towels. Facility owners can save significantly on operational costs, as they no longer need to purchase, stock and dispose of paper towels. 
  3. Environmental Benefits: Touchless hand dryers are an eco-friendly alternative to paper towels. By reducing paper waste, they help lower the environmental impact associated with deforestation and the production and transportation of paper towels. Additionally, the energy-efficient technology in our hand dryers ensures minimal energy consumption, further supporting sustainable practices and lowering an organization’s carbon footprint.
  4. Advanced Features: Excel’s hand dryers are available with eHEPA filters that capture airborne particles, including 99.999% of viruses and 99.97% of potentially present bacteria as small as 0.3 microns. This ensures that the air used to dry your hands is clean, adding an extra layer of hygienic protection. Our hand dryers are not just efficient but also align with top hand dryer hygiene standards.

Proper hand hygiene is more than just washing your hands; it’s also about ensuring they are thoroughly dried. By integrating touchless hand dryers into your hygiene practices, you can maintain cleaner, healthier hands and contribute to a safer environment for everyone. 

* The Evolving Mindset Toward Public Bathrooms in the United States: A Study of Consumers. MetrixLab 2023.