Many studies have been made on comparative hand drying methods and their roles in maintaining hygiene, very few however have focused on the cotton hand towel itself. Ceris Burns, Marketing Manager of Kennedy Hygiene Products gives an in depth look at the benefits of the most effective hand drying material – the cotton hand towel.

Hygiene at a touch

Hand Drying plays a crucial role in Hand Hygiene yet is all too often neglected.

The correct procedure for effective hand cleansing involves moistening hands with warm water, applying soap and rubbing together the surfaces of the hands, lathering for at least 20 seconds. Hands must then be rinsed thoroughly with water to remove all soap residue. Rinsing is considerably important because soap residue carries bacteria transferred from the hands during lathering.

So far so good, but if you don't round off the procedure with thorough drying, the whole exercise becomes pointless. Washing and rinsing does not remove all bacteria. If you leave bacteria undeterred they will multiply immediately!

This is where the cotton towel comes into its own. Obviously not the only hand drying method available, the cotton towel is however the most effective. Cotton towel drying provides sufficient friction to remove bacteria still around after washing and rinsing. Studies undertaken by The University of Westminster showed that Hand Drying with cotton towel resulted in an impressive 90% reduction in bacteria. In addition, cotton also boasts a superior capacity for absorption. Water must be removed from the hands lest a wet, warm, perfect breeding ground for germs will pursue.

What's more, cotton towels are not only effective at Hand Drying yet also extremely fast at doing it. Drying hands with a cotton towel ranks number one in the speed stakes at an estimated 8 seconds.

Cotton towel cabinets provide each user with a clean towel portion and clean and dirty portions are kept isolated inside the cabinet – a deterrent against the spread of disease.

Where hygiene is paramount, cabinets with an automatic mechanical retraction may be used. The used towel portion automatically retracts back into the cabinet after each use so the user has no contact with the dirty towel. The most advanced cabinets available also incorporate a feature that means it is not possible for the user to pull back dirty towel.

Once the full cotton towel has been used, it is removed for laundering in professional industrial laundries. These establishments make use of specialised detergents and stringent cleaning methods rendering towels germ free and guaranteeing optimum hygiene for every individual user.

Comforts like Home

Cotton towels have always been the most inviting and most pleasant to the touch. At home we use cotton towels, so using them outside the home guarantees an immediate sense of well-being for the user.

Skin Protection

Rough hands are inviting to bacteria – so a towel must dry the hands effectively whilst being soft enough to avoid irritation. Soft, hollow cotton fibre is known for its gentleness to the skin -cotton towels are specially woven to not only cleanse but also protect the skin thoroughly.

Efficiency

A single cotton towel portion is enough for effective Hand Drying. Cotton's superior absorption capacity is due to the presence of macroscopic and microscopic capillaries which transport water in the fabric and act as reservoirs by absorbing the transported water.
The fact that cotton towel remains in the cabinet also prevents towels being used for purposes for which they were not intended – hence another plus for efficiency.

Image

Thanks to cotton towel cabinets, even frequently used public washrooms can be pleasant to use. Used portions of towel remain in the cabinet and the user finds a fresh, hygienic towel portion every time. The need for large disposal bins is eliminated thus space in the washroom is optimised and the environment remains clean and tidy.

Ecology

The environment and in particular the disposal of solid waste is a growing concern. Cotton towels can be used over and over - in fact, one cotton towel may be used up to 75 times. The Ecologist's best friend – a single cotton towel processed 75 times is estimated to be equivalent to the waste of 30,000 paper towels.

What's more, cotton towels are laundered with regard to minimising detergent, energy and water consumption. And once the life of the cotton towel is over, it goes that little bit further to help the environment by being reused as cleaning cloths or filling material.

Since Kennedy Hygiene Products produced its first cotton roller towel cabinet in 1961, the washroom hygiene system specialist has added many state of the art products to its range to meet with the ever improving standard of washrooms.

The newest addition to Kennedy's cotton hand towel cabinet range is TEKNA - The very latest in mechanical retractable cotton towel cabinet technology.

Cabinets for Cotton
TEKNA – The latest in Mechanical Retractable Cabinet Technology

Kennedy Hygiene Products Limited proudly announced the launch of TEKNA at the recent Interclean show. TEKNA is the very latest in mechanical retractable cotton towel cabinet technology.

Ultra Reliable

A unique combination of high quality design and manufacturing excellence - Kennedy's thirty years of precision engineering have produced a sophisticated and ultra reliable cabinet. Tekna has passed stringent field testing and gained the approval of the industry's leading hygiene specialists.

Automatic Mechanical Retraction

Tekna features automatic mechanical retraction of each used towel portion and of the towel end. Designed for use with a standard 40m cotton towel, the cabinet provides 200 portions of clean towel.

Cost Control

A built-in stop mechanism which limits towel consumption has been designed into the product to help control the costs incurred by the hygiene specialist.

Ease of Service

Servicing of the Tekna is straightforward thanks to effortless and easy towel loading. In addition, transparent side windows have been incorporated to enable service personnel to check towel status at a glance.

Hygiene

Of ever increasing concern, Tekna guarantees utmost levels of hygiene. Clean towel is isolated from and positioned above dirty towel and it is not possible to pull back dirty towel portions.

Image

The modern and compact design of the cabinet enhances the look of any washroom and being available in a range of attractive finishes, is suitable for installation in all washroom environments whether functional or state-of-the-art.

Tekna is the latest addition to the Kennedy integrated range of washroom dispensers and their associated consumables.


Ends