Drying our hands… something we have all taken for granted. In public establishments, we use the restroom, wash our hands, and seek out the hand towel dispenser or dryer that is located nearby. At home, we grab the nearest hand or dish towel, or we use rolled paper towels and keep them on the counter in a kitchen towel dispenser. We may even mount them on the wall near the stove top or oven in an open and often flimsy holder. When we buy the new and fancy products, we sacrifice the look we prefer for the healthy benefits of paper over cloth.
Most agree that a change from cloth towels to paper is a healthy and efficient move. A little research before buying your towels and dispenser will result just the right products. You will be able to find paper towels and hand towel dispensers that can help fight germs, reduce clutter, and prevent waste in any room of your home. No longer will you consider paper towel dispensers to be kitchen towel dispensers only, or mere holders of rolled paper hand towels.
A lot of research and money have gone into perfecting paper towels and their dispensers. They can be categorized as “counter top” or “wall mount”, dispensing “rolls” or “sheets” either manually or automatically. Each has its benefits, and there are negative impacts associated with many. There are very inexpensive versions of towel holders and certainly down right cheap towels on the market. But let’s examine some of the other considerations where value, rather than just price, plays an important role.
Counter top paper towels dispensers come in wood, metal and varying types of synthetic materials. Many of them offer designs that attempt to match popular kitchen decor. These styles dispense paper towels in perforated rolls, the most readily available towels beyond a doubt. They are usually manually operated, although newer and highly innovative models may be battery operated or electric. Counter space is required, and they offer little if any protection from dust, liquids and other contaminants.
Wall mount paper towel holder varieties are more versatile in design. They are available in roll-dispensing and sheet-dispensing models, and both manual and automatic styles are on the market. While there are some attractive designs available, most dispense uncovered rolls and require tearing the sheets by hand. The automatic as well as the manually operated types that offer a cover for the hand towels are usually unattractive metal containers that are boxy and commercial in appearance.
Manually operated roll dispensers always present the highest potential for waste. A folded towel dispenser of individual sheets has some advantage where waste is concerned as do the automatically dispensed pre-measured towels. “C fold” towels are the favorites in many of the covered dispensers. They are stacked in the dispenser, and C-folds tend to be pulled out in wads, thereby creating more waste rather than less. Multifold paper sheets (also called “M fold” towels) are interlocking and easy to remove, one at a time from the bottom of a dispenser, indicating advantages over C fold paper, both in ease of use and waste reduction.
Machine dispensing of covered towels offers an advantage in hygiene but present the highest risk for malfunction. Have you ever stood before the “magic” ones in a public restroom and waved at them futilely while your hands dripped dry? They also require electricity and are not at the top of eco-friendly lists.
In addition to looking for dispenser benefits of better hygiene, less counter clutter, reduced paper towel waste and conservation of laundry water and electricity, give some thought to the items listed below. Before choosing a paper towels dispenser for your home, consider the following simple checklist:
- Proposed Locations
- Appearance and Size
- Ease of Installation
- Ease of Use and Re-filling
- Availability of Re-fill Hand Towels
- Initial and Recurring Expenses
- Potential for Malfunction
- Expense of Repair or Replacement
- Potential for Waste
- Environmental Friendliness
Be sure to consider expense in terms of time and money and to weigh in benefits and value. Among the available hand towel dispensers and paper towels selections, there are affordable, efficient and attractive options that offer health benefits and are eco-friendly. In addition they are designed to be handy and appropriate for every room in the house!
This writer is avidly dedicated to products that promote healthy and safe use. The acquisition of a unique product has led to a renewed interest in finding and encouraging the production of household goods that are not “clinical” looking and expensive just because they increase good hygiene and are safe to use. This article addresses just one such product and is the first of many to come. We do not have to turn our homes into hospital wards to enjoy sanitary, safe and eco-friendly living!
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2-Miller Lite Beer Bar/Golf/Fishing Hand Towels w/hook $8.75 |
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VINTAGE MONOGRAMMED HAND GUEST TOWEL ” M P” *LOVELY* 28″ X 15″ $5.50 |
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METAL WALL HANGING TOILET TISSUE HAND TOWEL HOLDER RACK $7.99 |
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Riegel Gold Collection 16 x 30 Hotel Hand Towels – 12pk $38.99 |
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KOALA BABY SET OF 2 HAND TOWELS EMBROIDERED NEW DESIGN $26.00 |
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KOALA SET OF 2 HAND TOWELS EMBROIDERED NEW DESIGN $26.00 |
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Vintage Pinstriped Cotton Kitchen Towels Hand Embroidered Three 3 Very Neat EC $9.99 |
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LACE EGG SET OF 2 HAND TOWELS EMBROIDERED NEW DESIGN $23.00 |
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Pair Vintage 40s Damask Linen Bath Hand Towels Art Deco Floral $39.99 |
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BATHROOM SWAN/ HANDTOWEL HOLDER $15.19 |
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Set Of 2 Hand Towels 100% Cotton – Green $0.99 |
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OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY COWBOYS Hand Towel NCAA Hand Crafted College $9.99 |
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Tork Elevation Dispenser Hand Towel Matic Roll Black H1 System 551028A $35.95 |
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Antique Linen Guest Hand Towel Red Italian Assisi Embroidery $32.99 |
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PESHTAMAL (PESHTEMAL) TOWEL – HAND WOVEN – BAMBOO & COTTON — US SELLER $13.99 |
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PESHTAMAL (PESHTEMAL) TOWEL – HAND WOVEN – BAMBOO & COTTON — US SELLER $13.99 |
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Hanging Loose Flip Flop Bathroom Collection Shower Curtain, rug, towels, etc $24.99 |
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CHICAGO BEARS Hand Towel NFL Hand Crafted Football 100% Cotton $9.98 |
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Hand Towels-2-Finger Tip-2-Dancer Design Towels $24.99 |
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OAKLAND RAIDERS Hand Towel NFL Hand Crafted Football 100% Cotton $9.98 |
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NIAGARA FALLS NEW YORK VINTAGE BOWLING TOWEL HAND WHITE USED EUC $2.00 |
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CINCINNATI BENGALS Hand Towel NFL Hand Crafted Football 100% Cotton $9.98 |
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34x34cm Spongebob Hand Face Cotton Towel B $4.50 |
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9×9 Paper Hand Towels- CASE (1000) $23.99 |
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COCKATOO SET OF 2 HAND TOWELS EMBROIDERED NEW $25.00 |
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STEAM ENGINE SET OF 2 HAND TOWELS EMBROIDERED NEW $23.00 |
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POLICE MOTORCYCLE SET OF 2 HAND TOWELS EMBROIDERED NEW $23.00 |
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OPEN ROAD MOTORCYCLE SET OF 2 HAND TOWELS EMBROIDERED $23.00 |
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KANGAROO SET OF 2 HAND TOWELS EMBROIDERED $23.00 |
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MONKEYS SEEING NO EVIL SET OF 2 HAND TOWEL EMBROIDERED $23.00 |
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UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI HURRICANES Golf Sports Towel NCAA Hand Crafted $12.99 |
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DEER SCENE SET OF 2 HAND TOWELS EMBROIDERED $35.00 |
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COUGAR SCENE SET OF 2 HAND TOWELS EMBROIDERED $35.00 |
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UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA BULLDOGS Golf Sports Towel NCAA Hand Crafted $12.99 |
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Hand Crochet Top DOUBLE Hanging Dish Towel GRAPE THEME $5.95 |
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Bathroom Guest/Hand Towels 28 “x 16″, 1 Pair Beige Blue Damask Pattern, NWOT $12.50 |
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Cross Stitch Kitty Cat Hand Towel $6.50 |
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Peri Napoleon HONEY BEE Honeybee Black White BATH/HAND TOWEL SET 4PC $39.99 |
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UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI REBELS Golf Sports Towel NCAA Hand Crafted OLE MISS $12.99 |
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RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SCARLET KNIGHTS Golf Sports Towel NCAA Hand Crafted $12.99 |
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simplehuman Wall Mount Paper Towel Holder, Stainless Steel $22.49 The simplehuman wall mount paper towel holder can mount it to a wall, underneath a cabinet, or inside a cabinet door. Can be mounted in any direction to best fit your space…. |
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OXO Good Grips SimplyTear Standing Paper Towel Holder, Brushed Stainless Steel $24.99 Pulling off paper towels only requires one hand; the days of stabilizing the holder with your other hand are long gone with this holder by OXO. Stylishly constructed out of sleek stainless steel and black accenting, the holder has a raised vertical arm which is spring loaded to push lightly against the towel roll at any diameter size. This pressure helps prevent the roll from unraveling and spinni… |
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Riedel Large Microfiber Polishing Cloth $12.39 This Riedel Microfiber crystal cloth features a clean, white lint-free microfiber fabric, with the Riedel logo strategically placed in the corner. The generous size allows fabric protection for both hands while drying your stemware, avoiding messy fingerpprints. Use this towel dry or damp for a scratch-free cleanup. This towel is appropriately trimmed in a beautiful and rich, burgundy-red border…. |
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False Object Sensor – Vermiform Records Compilation $0.01 1. Bad Neighbor Policy – chemical pollution 2. Heroin – second coming 3. Men’s Recovery Project w/ Le Tigre – the mayor is a robot 4. Body Part – young ginn 5. Convocation Of… – solitary while amongst 6. Six Finger Satellite – the pain has gone away 7. Fast Forward – journey to the center of negril 8. Tara Tavi – green tara 9. Hail Mary – nine tenths 10. Towel – go away 11. Born Against – horkus… |
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Aunt Martha’s Iron On Transfer Patterns for Stitching, Embroidery or Fabric Painting, Patterns for Tea Towels/Kitchen Decor, Set of 5 $1.50 Insert bills this as “the world’s first ever Queen shaped picture CD featuring a Brian May interview.”… |
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