For most of us, we are slightly disappointed to see air hand dryers in public restrooms after washing our hands. Environmental friendly factors set aside, those air dryers are just not as effective as old fashioned paper towels at getting our hands dry.  According to a  study by Effect Measure, an independent group of senior public health practitioners, you may have one more reason to be disappointed to see those dryers – every time you use an air dryer, the amount of bacteria on your hands increases by 254% and on the finger pads by 194%.

Additionally, most of the older hand dryers in use (and even some of the newer ones) have an internal screen that should be changed every 1-2 weeks. Unfortunately, most are lucky if they are changed every 1-2 years. This sad reality is not only is a waste of energy, but also keeps more bacteria, germs, and viruses trapped in the dust on the screens, which then is blown directly onto our hands when we dry them.

With the flu epidemic continually gaining momentum, the safety of hand dryers became a major concern at many universities, schools, and other densely populated facilities. At the schools where outbreaks occurred, they became a big enough concern that health department officials ordered them removed and replaced with paper towel dispensers.

If a restroom you use still has a dryer, public health practitioners recommend to wash your hands, skip the dryer, and then dry your hands with napkins, paper towels, etc. in the vicinity.

We can thank the Scott Paper Company for inventing "Towels You Don't Have to Wash"

While it may seem like a rudimentary question, the answer is quite interesting.  Paper towels were invented thanks to a incorrect shipment, a school teacher’s unique approach to fighting her students’ colds, and a man full of innovative ideas.

It all started when a delivery to the Scott Paper Company was incorrect – the paper shipment (a whole railroad car full of it!) was too thick to use for toilet paper. Arthur Scott, in charge of the company at the time, was faced with a serious dilemna – send the paper back or find an alternative use for it.

Meanwhile, a teacher in the Philadelphia School District knew her students were exchanging unnecessary germs every time they went to get toilet paper to blow their nose. To help eliminate this problem, she started giving them soft paper so they wouldn’t have to keep touching the roller towel in the toilets.

Scott had learned about this situation prior to the deliver of the too-thick paper and saw the defect paper as a chance to market a product similar to the teacher’s solution. He sold the paper as small, perforated towel-sized like sheets, calling them disposable paper towels. The product was such a success, Scott was soon selling his invention (renamed as the “Sani-Towel”, short for the Sanitary Towel) to restaurants, hotels, and railroad stations for their public bathrooms.

Later, in 1931, Scott saw an expanded use for his Sani-Towel in the kitchen, so he officially introduced the world’s first “paper towels” – a sheet a perforated, soft paper, on a roll in sheets of 13” x 8”.

And while we can’t imagine our life today without this essential household product, it surprisingly took a while before the generation popular took a liking to paper towels. People had a hard time grasping the concept of “Towels you don’t have to wash”.

So there you have it – a railroad car, a school teacher, and a true innovator led to the invention of paper towels in 1931.

According to the Environmental Paper Network, half of the planet’s forests have already been burned or cleared and 80% of the forests that remain has been seriously degraded. Deforestation is a huge problem on our planet and helps to contribute to a wealth of other issues, including loss of animal habitat and erosion.

Already known for using high amounts of post consumer recycled content in its Sunrise toilet paper line, Marcal is committed to helping to reduce the impact of the 800 pounds of paper the average American uses per year. This reduction of paper could help to sustain better homes around the globe, with less of an impact on the forests our planet so desperately needs.

The new line of Marcal products, known as Small Steps, offer an alternative to papers made from virgin fibers. Instead, these are made from 100% recycled paper. According to the company website, Marcal uses recycled paper gathered from communities in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New England. Old magazines, junk mail, office paper and newspapers are turned into paper towels, toilet paper, tissues, and napkins in the brand new line. Plus the manufacturing process is free of chlorine bleach, dyes, and fragrances – making it safer for our planet and for those with allergies.

The best part: they’re just as strong, soft, and absorbent as other popular brands. No scratching, irritation, or thin construction. Just greener paper goods for you and your family.

Your home, no matter where you live, is a great place to start giving back to Mother Nature. Here are some fabulous tips on how to make your living habits just a little bit greener. Not only will these tips help you save the planet. They’ll also help you save some money too. Enjoy!

Break the bottled water habit and drink tap water instead. It’s estimated that families often spend hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water. Many, if not most, of these empty water bottles are destined to end up in a landfill. Making the move to drink tap water from a reusable bottle can help you save money and aid the environment.

Switch to paper towels made from recycled paper. Over 90% of American households use paper towels, creating over 3,000 tons of waste each day. Switching to recycled roll paper towels can help cut down on all this trash.

Buy produce from local farmers markets that use organic growing methods instead of reaching for a prepackaged serving at a grocery store. You’ll be supporting local business, saving money, and helping your family eat healthier – all in one simple action.

Convenience is essential in most families, so it’s important to be able to find cleaning products and other household items that meet one’s needs immediately and keep the household running smoothly. While this may seem a fairly easy task, it’s actually more difficult than it seems to find ways to keep your household stocked with the essentials it needs and still be a smart consumer. More often than not, busy families fall prey comfortable habits that negatively impact the environment as well as their overall budget. Disposable everything has led to increased carbon footprints, as well as hundreds of wasted dollars each year in the average household. To reduce your impact on the planet both ecologically and economically, here are three simple tips from ToiletPaperWorld.com:

No More Cases of Bottled Water
Buy one good stainless steel or other reusable water bottle that you or members of your family could use every day, refilling as necessary, and it’s paid for itself in under two weeks. Not to mention, by avoiding buying cases of bottled water, you can avoid the unnecessary cost as well as the hassle of trying to recycle the used bottles, which in some cases, end up in a landfill anyway.

Clean Up the Way You Wipe Up
Rather than running for your Paper Towels every time you make a spill, try using sponges or dish cloths to mop of the mess. While paper towels may not be able to be eliminated from your household, you can however buy them smarter. ToiletPaperWorld.com carries Paper Towels, including environmentally friendly brands, that are perfect for outfitting your home.

Ditch the Single Serves
Single serving food items may be great for convenience, however, they actually cost you much more on your grocery bill and create unnecessary waste. To combat this problem and still get your family fed for the best value, use reusable food storage containers and buy their favorite foods in bulk. The savings will appear immediately.