Who would have guessed that hand washing (or, actually, hand drying) could be a contentious topic? The techniques available in public restrooms to dry your hands have fierce champions on all sides. That is what this reader is up against.
Paper Towels or Air Dryers to Dry Your Hands?
Q. After you wash your hands in a public restroom, which is better, hot air blowers or paper towels to dry your hands?
Where I work they have installed noisy dryers in some restrooms. I much prefer paper towels, but have been told the blowers are better for sanitary reasons. Is that true?
Air Dryers Spread Germs:
A. You win this debate hands down. Several hospital studies comparing hand drying methods have found that jet air dryers blow microscopic drops of water containing bacteria around the bathroom (Journal of Hospital Infection, Dec. 2014; March, 2015). Researchers concluded that jet or warm air dryers “may be unsuitable for use in healthcare settings…” since they could facilitate the spread of germs from one person to another.
An Australian study concluded that, “From a hygiene viewpoint, paper towels are superior to electric air dryers” (Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Aug. 2012). You can safely stick with paper towels to dry your hands.
There’s one other benefit of paper towels: they don’t sound like a jet airplane taking off.
