Anyone remember continuous hand drying towels in public restrooms?

[y_p_w]

Somehow the subject with my 15 year old was of sanitation when drying hands. But when I was younger, I remember when a lot of places would have this mechanism with a captive cloth towel that was pulled down. I don't know exactly what it was supposed to do when it recirculated, but I would hope that it would somehow dry it some way. What I remember most about them was that they were often wet. I'm sure that they were supposed to be serviced regularly, but a wet towel would seem to be a breeding ground for assorted stuff.

 

[JHZR2]

I remember seeing them a few times. And thinking how gross it was.

Perhaps in reality it’s no worse than hotel towels or sheets, but I suspect it’s a lot more used…

No thanks. Perhaps it transferred from one roll into another for safe disposal?

 

[BHopkins]

The "continuous" part is a common misconception.

In my youth, when these things were common, I have seen inside a few of these things. There was actually a clean roll of towel in the top, I think, and a take-up roll in the bottom. (It may have been the clean towel in the bottom. It's been a few decades since I saw inside one, so I can't say for sure.) That is why it was not uncommon to not be able to pull out anymore towel. So you were never using a dirty towel that was just continually going round and round. At least not the ones I have seen inside.

 

[Klutch9]

Yep, I remember them well from a Mexican restaurant close to us. This restaurant also had a cigarette vending machine. This was in the early/mid 2000’s.

 

[edyvw]

Still present at German airports.

 

[bdcardinal]

We still have them in the shop bathroom at work.

 

[UncleDave]

It doesn't recirculate. Every pull is clean fresh cloth separated from the take up reel.

Best system ever.

You actually walked away with dry hands.

 

[JRay’07]

That brings back some fond memories. I remember looking for the cleanest section of the “everybody towel”. The edges looked the newest.

 

[BHopkins]

Found this. Rather interesting. Of course they are interesting in selling sanitary towel dispenser systems, but if you believe their data it is by far the most sanitary.

https://ituabsorbtech.com/are-cloth-hand-towels-from-a-roll-dispenser-sanitary-2/

 

[SC Maintenance]

Still present at German airports.

I was going to say I saw one of these not too long ago. Might have been Germany, but I flew into Zurich so not airport?

 

[edyvw]

I was going to say I saw one of these not too long ago. Might have been Germany, but I flew into Zurich so not airport?

I was in Zurich recently. Cannot remember do they have it. I know Munich have them galore.

 

[Lyman]

Back in about 1980. I remember watching a coworker dry his face off using one of those. It was so gross to watch. I had to explain to him that it was just rotating around in a big loop. He never did it again LOL

 

[dishdude]

Also disgusting are the air dryers, they don't work and you're blowing all the germs in the bathroom air on your hands.

 

[ctechbob]

Remember them as a kid and wondering how they worked. Figured it out when I was at a tire shop and there was a super greasy spot on the towel and I stood there and pulled it for a long while and realized that there had to be a clean spool in there.

Probably wasted the entire roll, but learned something that day.

 

[wwillson]

The "pull the towel for a clean section" was pretty much the norm growing up where I did in Iowa. I haven't seen one in the US for years. I did see one at the Amsterdam airport a couple months ago. I was kinda surprised.

 

[BHopkins]

Back in about 1980. I remember watching a coworker dry his face off using one of those. It was so gross to watch. I had to explain to him that it was just rotating around in a big loop. He never did it again LOL

Such a shame! By you giving your coworker bad information, you denied him what is probably the most sanitary bathroom hand cleaning method, that there is.

Also disgusting are the air dryers, they don't work and you're blowing all the germs in the bathroom air on your hands.

I saw a study many years ago, showing the results of a researcher's study of the difference in spreading germs, between paper towels and air hand dryers. His study showed that hand dryers blow germs in the air throughout a bathroom. The data in the link I attached in post #9 supports this researcher's study.

Have you ever noticed the disgusting puddle of dirty sludge, that settles in the bottom of the Dyson airblade hand dryers? Here in Utah at least, Costco has the Dyson Airblade hand dryers in a lot of their restrooms, and it is so disgusting to see how dirty they get. There is no way that I will stick my just-cleaned-hands down inside one of those nasty things.

 

[Klutch9]

The "pull the towel for a clean section" was pretty much the norm growing up where I did in Iowa. I haven't seen one in the US for years. I did see one at the Amsterdam airport a couple months ago. I was kinda surprised.

I was at the Amsterdam airport a couple years back. I feel like I missed out because I didn’t see it haha.

 

[pudge]

sure do remember them, be awhile since I've seen any

 

[Nukeman7]

Back in about 1980. I remember watching a coworker dry his face off using one of those. It was so gross to watch. I had to explain to him that it was just rotating around in a big loop. He never did it again LOL

 

[Mainia]

We have one in our printshop where I work, it is no longer cloth, it is paper with some micro mesh inside the paper, then you throw the spent paper take up roll away when the main feed roll is spent. No cardboard core is used on the fresh roll.