What are people’s preferred method of hand drying when away from home?

• 1 out of every 5 who actually washed hands did not dry them
• Paper towels were the preferred method of hand drying over air blowers or using their clothing in public toilets
• Paper dispensers were installed at the observation site to check preference against air blowers

         – 69% voluntarily used paper towels from dispensers to dry hands
         – Only 18% used air blowers
         – 13% used their clothing

• Preference for paper towels was equal for both sexes
• Young and middle adults of both sexes had the highest preference for paper towels (around 75%)

What motivated people to prefer paper towels?

• Because they are ‘personal’ and untouched but most of all because it was seen as the fastest method of drying hands.
• People also like the sense of ‘closure’ from drying with a paper towel.