How to Choose the Best Hand Towels for Your Needs?

At CLH, we know that choosing that perfect product can often be a struggle, especially when there are multiple designs to choose from. Naturally, you want to pick the product that is not only cost-effective, but that is also the best fit for your needs, which can make selecting a product out of many, somewhat of a struggle.
 

One product that we’ve noticed a lot of our customers struggling with is disposable hand towels, and knowing which hand towel type and fold is the best option. We sell 15 different types of hand towels, which means that our customers have plenty of choice when it comes to selecting the perfect hand towel type for their needs, which can make the process of selecting a hand towel even more complicated. While many people pick hand towels based on price, it’s actually important to also take other factors into account, to ensure that you are getting the best product for your money.
 

To help make selecting an option a little simpler and less stressful, we’ve put together a guide to choosing the best hand towels for your needs. This is packed full of useful information and advice, to help you make an informed decision about which product to pick.

 

Let’s talk ply…
 

You’ve probably noticed that each of our hand towel products is labeled as one ply or two ply, but do you know what the difference is? If the answer is no, don’t worry because you’re not alone. A lot of people don’t know what the differences are.
 

It’s pretty simple really, two ply paper towels are made of two sheets of paper molded together, whereas one ply are only made of one. This means that two ply paper towels are not only stronger than one ply designs, but are also more absorbent.
 

That being said, many of today’s one ply paper towels are fairly absorbent and strong. This is thanks to the use of new technologies in the design of paper towels, making them stronger and more efficient.

 

What about absorbency?
 

The main job of paper hand towels is to absorb water, drying the hands. Now, if they don’t absorb the water properly, then they lose their function, which is why it’s so important to choose a hand towel type that is super absorbent and does its job properly.
 

One way to tell if a paper towel will be absorbent is to look at the pattern it has on it. Paper towels that have a pattern are more absorbent than ones that don’t, because of the ridges and grooves of the design. These help to make the towel more absorbent, as these ridges pull water into them. Like the V-Fold Green Paper Hand Towels in 1 Ply that we offer; these have small, diagonal ridges running across them, which makes them more absorbent than normal, unpatterned towels.
 

A simple way to test how absorbent hand towels are is to do a small experiment with them. Dip each hand towel into a bowl of the same amount of water - this should be measured out - then wring each towel out until it no longer drips, then weigh each towel. The paper towel that weighs the most is the most absorbent, it’s as simple as that.

 

Which is the best fold type?
 

Of all the queries that people have about hand towels, the most common is which is the best fold type. Don’t make the mistake of presuming that all paper towels, regardless of how they are folded, are born equal, because that is not the case.
 

There are some important differences that different folded hand towels have, and it’s important to realise that. The reason that fold matters in terms of paper towels is because of money - some folds offer a more cost effective hand drying solution than others, believe it or not. The reason that cost is affected by folds is because how a paper towel is folded, impacts how it comes out of the dispenser.
 

Let’s look at what fold types there are:
 

C-Fold  - A C-Fold paper towel is a towel that has tabs that are folded in on each other, with the middle of the paper towel facing down.
 

Z-Fold - A Z-Fold paper towel is a towel that has an extra fold in the middle which creates the ‘Z’ shape. These are also known as ‘Multifold’ paper towels, and sometimes ‘M-Fold’ paper towels.
 

Interfold - Interfold towels, also known as ‘V-Fold’ paper towels, are simply folded in half. These are a popular choice because they come out of the dispenser one towel at a time, making them a cost-effective option.

 

So, those are the paper towel types, but which are the best (and most cost-effective) option? Well, we would recommend opting for the Z-Fold or Interfold paper towel designs for two important reasons.
 

Firstly, because these towels tend to come out one at a time, which means that money isn’t wasted by excess towels being pulled from the dispenser. This isn’t only important in terms of cost effectiveness, but also in terms of safety. When multiple towels come out at once, they can fall on the floor. If the floor is wet they can then become mushy and slippery, creating a slipping hazard.
 

Secondly, because these paper towels tend to come out ready opened up, this makes them easier to use. People don’t tend to open up a paper towel to dry their hands, instead, they will take more towels, so if the towel comes out already open, this will save the amount of towels that are being used, effectively saving you money.
 

There you have it, a guide to everything that you have ever wanted to know about picking the perfect paper towels for your needs.