Daily Tip : October 1, 2007

Paper towels or electric dryer?

There's no contest. Did you know electric dryers are twice as energy-efficient as paper towels, even towels made from recycled paper? Although the production of the electricity that powers electric dryers generates greenhouse gases, the production of paper towels is twice as energy-intensive and creates more greenhouse gases overall. Also, the manufacture of paper towels emits pollutants, including chlorine, and many paper towels are made from virgin wood rather than recycled material. Your small choice can make a big difference.

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Comments

[Madeline Akers]

Washable towels are even better. Like towels on a roll.

I still advocate washable diapers and use.

[jacqui]

I'm having trouble thinking of ways to use an electric dryer (clothes or hair) where I would otherwise use paper towels.

[Ted]

Yeah, me too. What on earth do people use one or the other for?

[terri]

I think they mean paper towels vs dish towels that you can reuse and wash..

[steve w]

Unfortunately, paper towels have a more critical purpose.

I would be happy enough to dry my hands on my jeans. I use the paper towel to open the door on the mens room. Let's face it, not everyone washes their hands, the dorty f***s. Door opens in, not wearing a jacket or long sleave shirt, need the paper towel; preferable the ones delivered with the little motor.

Yes, I look when I go in. Door opens out, wash my hands first :)

[Christi]

"I'm having trouble thinking of ways to use an electric dryer (clothes or hair) where I would otherwise use paper towels."

ummm.....I believe they're discussing the use of paper towels to dry your hands in public restrooms vs. the use of the electric dryers that you hold your hands under to dry them.

And, yes, I agree with steve w - after drying my hands off on the paper towel, I often use it for opening the door again...but, I guess now that I know there's such a huge difference in energy consumption, I'll have to think of alternatives.

[terri]

If they're talking about bathroom use, you need to use the paper towel...I've read that using an electric hand dryer blows all the germs into the air and that paper is preferred. So from a medical perspective, I use paper (and also reuse it to open the door). However, at home, I try to use dishtowels more often, launder them, and hand my laundry outside to dry.

[Don]

It is pretty much a moot point for most of us, since most restrooms have one or the other, not both. The choice is really only for architects and building managers when they build or remodel. I think a more valuable tip would be to encourage people to request of the building management of their places of employment where paper towels are used, to switch to paper towels with recycled content, and as much post-consumer content as possible. There is another choice that needs to be included in any valid comparison, reusable cloth roles. The cloth roles in cloth role dispensers are washed and reused a number of times before they are discarded. By the way, the data on this topic is pretty sparce. As a scientist for a state environmental agency I continually look for data to support one type of hand drying over another. Some information about this subject is posted at http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/wpie/Appliances/AirDryer.htm.

[SE in Ohio]

My wife and I have a debate on which is more efficient: Using paper napkins for meals or cloth napkins and then throwing them in with a laundry load?? Thoughts from anyone?

[Brandy]

how about carrying a hanking (like in the old days). You could dry your hands, open the door, and then stick it pack in your pocket or purse and wash it when you get home for reuse.

[kathy]

I agree with Terri-I'd just a soon dry my hands on my jeans. I too have heard that the dryers spread germs around--in fact have been found to spread disease in hospital settings, and don't like to waste the paper, but handling the door is a "sticky" situation. Given the number of people who don't wash at all, I hate to touch it without a paper towel. I've noticed that some places are now putting a trash can outside the door. I really like place like the local theatres and a few other places that don't have doors at all, just a hallway to provide privacy.

[Lynne]

I finally figured out that they meant by reading the comments: to use paper towels or the hot air blower in public toilets!

I don't really like the dryers, but I know they are better; but I like the point of using 1 to open the door.

[Elsie]

I think most of us generate the most towel use at home, not in public bathrooms. At home I use "ratty towels" for many thing such as cleaning and wash them. Towels can be air dried. I rarely use paper towels at home, only for really yukky things that I don't want to wash in my washing machine. If I get my ratty towels really dirty, I doa load of just towels to not get the extra dirt on my regular clothes. There is lots of discussion about using sponges on kitchen counters and spreading germs (although i understand that you can sterilize the sponge in a microwave.) I use my clean ratty towel on the counters rather than a sponge.

Always, when using disposable paper towels, use only as many as you need.

[Lynne]

As for the paper or cloth napkins: I'd say the cloth are better. Unless you have a huge family or dinner party, a few napkins would not add much to a load of laundry. Maybe take it from a medium load to a large load if there were enuf of them.

I usually use face cloths since there is only 1 person in my family.

[SatanicMechanic]

Hey, if your talking about the towels and driers that you get in public restrooms-- what the heck?? I just wipe my hand on my pants! zero emissions, no trees harmed.

[Steven Randell]

I am quite fortunate because I lost one arm in a car crash. Is it better to dry my one remaining arm with a towel or use the dryer for half the time than a normal person?

[ccsoleil]

Having lived in Japan, there is another way: people all carry a small towel with them (and small paper towels). You can find public toilets all over the city (and smaller places too), all providing water, all spot clean, but most of them don't have toilet paper nor blowers, certainly no towels. Something to get used to, but it works!

[ABell]

What kinds of energy or gases are produced by the manufacturing and transport of an electric dryer? I assume they took that into consideration when making the comparison - but the article only discussed the energy used to run the dryer. The comparison should be equal if they are going to talk about what is takes to make paper rolls. I would still assume it's a no-brainer....

[karen]

You can skip the towels and the dryer if you just shake then rub your hands together for about minute they will dry themselves at most indoor temperatures. About the hygiene, you should wash with soap and water for 15 seconds and rinse the germs down the sink (longer than most people do by the way); or kill the germs with a modern alcohol rub[I don't know the environmental expense on that stuff] which dries even faster with a little hand rubbing. If door handles coming out of the bathroom are dirty, then so is the rest of our world equally dirty, that's why healthy skin barrier evolved. Don't put your hands in your mouth, nose or private places until you wash. "Real nurses wash before they go to the bathroom, too."

[LC]

How about carrying a facecloth in your purse and using that. Then take it home to launder?

[Helen Shane]

I have a running mental debate considering the use of water. Is it better to use a paper towel to wipe up a mess, or should I use a cloth rag that needs to be rinsed and perhaps dumped in the regular laundry. To me water conservation usually trumps almost everything else. Thinking
Sonoma County, CA users have critical concerns about aquifers, river water, etc. largely because of continuing development by our larger municipalities, including prospective gambling, whoops, gaming concerns.

[Shelley]

By this advice I assume you are speaking of the public bathroom hand drying devices? If so, rethink your thinking, please. The hot air dryers all colonize the bacteria in the bathrooms. The warm air is a perfect place for them to grow. And then they spray all that bacteria over your freshly washed hands.
How do the bacteria get in there? Toilets spray anyway from 6 to 9 feet in diameter, a fine mist of what you just thought you were flushing down. That bacteria just loves those dryers.
Skip the dryers, bring a cloth or wipe your hands on your clothes, or even air dry. It's better for your skin, and better for the environment.

[Patti H.]

I use old dish towels and bath towels for washing the car, cleaning floors, bathrooms and woodwork, then I wash them with a load of bathmats, scatter rugs and pet bedding. Saves paper towels which I use sparingly, even tearing them in half to make them go farther. I also use only fabric napkins, which are a sinch to wash and reuse.

[Bob W.]

Cost:
While environmentally better (air dry vs paper towel) how do they compare economically.
When everything is considered in the making of the towel or the electricity, which costs more than the other for the user?

[Songbird]

I believe its a great idea to switch over from using paper towels to cloth. This is especially possible at home, instead of using paper towels to clean up spills, counter tops, etc. use a old bath towel that has been cut into squares about the size of your hand. You can rinse them and keep them hanging to dry and to be reused or launder them when they get too grimmy. If you are cleaning a dirty job you can throw them away but I'm not sure of the environmental effect of doing this.