Tork is an SCA brand
Dry hands are 1,000 times safer than
damp hands
Washing hands properly becomes increasingly important during
the flu season
Countries around the world are trying to tackle the escalating H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic in different
ways. Advice from all authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), remains the same: good hand hygiene, particularly in public
places. Despite this, there are still too few people who know how to wash and dry their hands in the most
hygienic way.
“Our hands touch 300 different surfaces every 30 minutes. And, according to the CDC, up to 40 percent
of Americans could contract the H1N1 virus through 2010. So properly washing and, equally important,
effectively drying your hands is a simple way of dramatically decreasing your risk of being infected,” says
Mike Kapalko, SCA Tissue’s Environmental & Tork Services Manager. “As a leader in hygienic solutions,
Tork provides businesses and consumers with handwashing resources such as posters and educational
videos through our website.”
The WHO estimates that two billion people1, one third of the world’s population, could be infected before
the end of the pandemic and North American college and university campuses have begun to report
hundreds, and in one case thousands, of potential H1N1 cases over the past two weeks.
Viruses can survive on common surfaces like faucet or door handles for up to 72 hours, and considering
that we use our hands for almost everything, good hand hygiene is essential to minimize the spread.
Dry hands help reduce the risk
Damp hands spread 1,000 times more germs than dry hands2. It is therefore as important to dry your
hands as it is to wash them carefully with soap and warm water. When away from home, a single-use
paper towel ensures that hands can be completely dried and are virtually germ free.
Paper towels also help the cleaning itself, due to generated friction. Up to 99 percent of the germs can be
removed by drying your hands properly3. The drier your hands, the safer you will be.
Paper towels are the key to hygienic hands
Getting from 90 percent dry to nearly 100 percent dry is extremely important. A single-use paper towel is
the most effective option, as it only takes a few seconds to dry your hands completely and removes close
to 100% of germs in hand drying. A warm air dryer takes an average of 43 seconds to get your hands
only 95 percent dry.
A 2008 University of Westminster study shows paper towels are the only option that actually reduces the
number of bacteria on your hands (by up to 77%). Many people believe incorrectly that hot air drying is
the most hygienic way to dry your hands, but compared to single use paper towels, warm air dryers can
actually increase the bacteria on your hands by up to 254 percent4.
Paper towels are also the preferred way of drying hands in public washrooms, as demonstrated in a
recent Harris Interactive Consumer Poll, comparing user’s attitudes toward different hand-drying
solutions. A clear majority (55%) prefer single-use paper towels to jet air dryers (25%), warm and hot air
dryers (16%) and cloth or linen towels (1%)5.
Sources:
1 Interview by Frank Jordans (Associated Press) with Keiji Fukuda, WHO's Assistant Director-General for Health Security and
Environment
2 Patrick, D.R., Findon, G., Miller, T.E, Epidemiology and Infection
3 Patrick DR, Findon G, Miller, Epidemiol infection.
4 Redway, Keith & Fawdar, Shameem, University of Westminster study
5 Harris Interactive Online Poll
Tork is an SCA brand
Advice from Tork on taking care of your hands during the flu season
When should you wash your hands? The best way to wash and dry your hands
Good hand hygiene is especially important during Hands are full of surfaces that can be difficult to
flu seasons and when you are in public places. reach, which means that many people tend to
Wash your hands often and dry them thoroughly. If forget certain parts. When you go to a public
available, use an instant hand sanitizer as a washroom, washing your hands properly should
supplement between washes. To prevent infection take about as long as singing “Happy Birthday”
and cross-contamination you should wash your twice.
hands:
• After arriving at work. 1. Wet hands with clean warm water.
• Before meals or eating any food. 2. Apply soap.
• After visiting the restroom. 3. Rub hands together vigorously and scrub all
• After sneezing. surfaces for 20 seconds. Remember to
• Before preparing food. wash both of your thumbs as thumbs are
• Before and after visiting a sick person. quite often skipped in the handwashing
• After arriving home. process!
• When hands are visibly dirty. 4. Make sure to wash under nails, watches
and jewelry since millions of germs gather
After washing and drying your hands: there.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. 5. Rinse with clean water.
• Avoid close contact such as shaking hands 6. Dry hands with a single-use paper towel
and kissing people on the cheek. until they are completely dry.
Especially with people who are sick. 7. Use the paper towel to avoid contact with
• Cough or sneeze against your sleeve or in frequently touched surfaces while leaving
a paper tissue that you throw in a waste the washroom, such as the faucet and door
basket. handles.
8. Since hands are to be washed frequently,
use mild and gentle soaps.
Tork has created an informational video on proper handwashing.
Check it out at www.torkusa.com/handwashingvideo to view.
About Tork
The Tork brand offers a complete range of products and services within hygiene and cleaning for away
from home washrooms, healthcare, food service and industry. Through customer understanding and
particular expertise in hygiene and sustainability, Tork has become a market leader in many segments
and a committed partner to businesses in over 90 countries. Tork is a global brand in the SCA portfolio.
To keep up with the latest Tork news and innovations, please visit: www.torkusa.com.
About SCA
SCA is a global hygiene and paper company that develops, produces and markets personal care
products, tissue, packaging solutions and solid-wood products, with sales of around $15 billion USD. The
SCA Group employs approximately 50,000 people and has production in 60 countries. The hygiene
portfolio includes global brands TENA and Tork, and regional brands Tempo, Zewa, Velvet, Libero,
Libresse and Edet. SCA hygiene solutions are found in over 90 countries. SCA is recognized as a global
leader in sustainable development. SCA was ranked as the world’s greenest paper company in 2007 by
The Independent newspaper and EIRIS research. For more information about SCA, hygiene and
sustainability, please visit: www.sca.com.