People Feel Unsafe Using Public Washrooms with Air Dryers, New Study Finds

Public washroomCOVID-19 is shaping new attitudes and behaviours among people. Not least is the growing awareness of the health risks associated with insufficient hygiene in public spaces. According to a new study from Tork®, an Essity brand, nearly eight out of 10 people in the UK feel more unsafe going to facilities with unhygienic public washrooms today compared to prior COVID‑19. And 33% say they feel unsafe entering a washroom with air dryers.

Expectations on public spaces and demands of the availability of safe hygiene solutions are higher than ever before. According to an international study from Tork on the impact of COVID‑19 on people’s attitudes regarding public hygiene, 87% believe it is critical to public safety to keep a high hygiene standard in public washrooms.

UK Tork Safer Choice Infographic 1

The increased concern for hygiene in public washrooms is expressed in people’s changing preferences for hand drying solutions. According to the study, 59% of people wish more facilities offered paper hand towels as an alternative to air dryers. The study also shows that 29% of people now have an increased preference for paper hand towels than before, due to COVID-19. The most common reasons behind this increase is that paper hand towels are perceived as more hygienic to the user (77%), dry my hands more quickly (42%) and do not spread virus and bacteria in the air (45%).

As users’ preference for paper hand towels increases, the cost of not offering paper hand towels can be high for facilities. Nearly 40% surveyed say they are less likely to visit places that do not offer paper hand towels as a hand drying alternative, and 33% say they feel unsafe entering a washroom with air dryers.

UK Tork Safer Choice Infographic 2

“The pandemic has shown that all businesses need to adapt to a new hygiene standard. And where some facilities might have chosen air dryers before, the perceived ease of air dryers isn’t enough anymore. We have seen an increase in requests from facility managers who want to change from air dryers to paper hand towels. They just don’t feel safe with their air dryers anymore”, says Alberto Cajiga, VP Marketing, Essity Professional Hygiene.

For hygiene-critical areas, such as in food processing plants and hospitals, paper hand towels have long been the only acceptable hand drying solution.* Unlike paper hand towels, jet air dryers produce more airborne droplets,** which increases the risk of bacteria spread in the environment. The friction from drying hands with paper towels also helps to remove more bacteria than other drying options.*** However, due to COVID-19, more public areas will be scrutinized by visitors that demand that the same hygiene-critical standards are applied everywhere, with 86% saying they expect public washrooms to provide a safe hygiene environment to a higher extent now than before the virus outbreak.

UK Tork Safer Choice Infographic 3

“The study suggests that today people view all public spaces as “hygiene critical”, as a result of the global pandemic. Providing solutions that make people feel safe when visiting public spaces must be a top priority for facility managers that want to re-attract guests. The cost of not using the most hygienic alternative is simply too high”, says Cajiga.

*Source: Huang, C Mayo Clinic, 2011

**Source: Margas E. et al, J Applied Microbiol, 2013

***Source: Todd, J Food Prot, 2010

About the survey

The survey was conducted by United Minds in cooperation with CINT using web-panels. Data was collected between April 8-13, 2020 in the UK market with a total of 1004 respondents.