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Hand dryers can also spread airborne bacteria onto your hands. Perhaps modern dryers include intake filters to address this issue, but the filter would need rep
by proee 7y ago
Hand dryers can also spread airborne bacteria onto your hands. Perhaps modern dryers include intake filters to address this issue, but the filter would need replaced on a regular schedule, which is probably not a realistic expectation for most restroom facilities.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-bacterial-horror-of-the-hot-air-hand-dryer-2018051113823 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-bacterial-horror-of-...
- Reason077 7y agoDyson models do have HEPA filters on the air intakes.
- forgotmypwd123 7y agoThat doesn't help when the air outlets and inside of the drier fill up with gross slime mold
- hwillis 7y agoJust don't touch the basin area in the bottom!
- adrianmonk 7y agoJust don't touch is a tall order with Dyson hand dryers. They are fundamentally hard to use correctly because of tight clearances. The way they work is based on the idea of a narrow stream of air that gets water off your hands better. But for the stream to remain narrow and not dissipate, you have to get your hands close to the equipment. It's based on almost but not quite touching it. Positioning your hands in a careful and controlled manner is, ergonomically speaking, an uphill battle. So on average, it won't happen often. In other words, Dyson hand dryers kind of trap you into accidentally touching the part you don't want to touch. Worse, the same applies to all the people who used the hand dryer before you. It's a very reasonable bet that the surface where the air comes out has been touched by someone who didn't use soap when they washed their hands.
- fwip 7y agoPlus, the stream of air pushes your hand into the surface you're trying to avoid.
- Reason077 7y agoI can't say I've ever experienced this issue with the air blades. They seem easy to use them without touching any part of the hand dryer. I'm surprised that people have trouble with this!
- iforgotpassword 7y agoAre you some kind of superhuman? Even if you try really hard and aim precisely, as soon as the air turns on your hands get pushed to one side because the pressure is not exactly the same in both sides.
- Reason077 7y agoWeird... maybe they are different where you are? Older models, or not installed/adjusted correctly? I use these all the time (they’re pretty much everywhere in the U.K.) and haven’t experienced this unbalanced pressure issue. They always seem pretty much equal pressure on each side to me.
- dubyah 7y agoTheir official usage video shows touching of the sides and that person doesn't appear to have particularly large hands either. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExuvJkZ61Cg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExuvJkZ61Cg With large hands, there's an extra degree of difficulty to avoid touching the sides and the bottom. It still leaves you with wet wrists and damp fingers.
- gxx 7y agoChildren, being shorter and in front of the air blast may be more likely to have whatever crap is on their wet hands blown back into their faces.
- flamtap 7y agoMost environmental health regulations (all the ones that I know of, at least) forbid the use of air hand dryers in restaurants and public kitchens, instead requiring paper towels. That should tell us something.
- the-pigeon 7y agoYes. That no hand dryers work correctly and they need to stop being installed. They are terrible. Saving paper towels at the cost of spreading bacteria and giving everyone moist hands is not a good trade off.
- Tempest1981 7y agoThe high school near us has no paper towels or air dryers. Kids use their pants.
- brianchu 7y agoAn interesting study, but I wouldn't read too much into it. Who's to say that paper towels don't collect and deposit just as much bacteria onto your hands?
- saagarjha 7y agoThey're single use and kept in a dry place.
- brianchu 7y agoThey are not sealed from the ambient air (not usually), which is what this study is saying is where the bacteria comes from. Regardless of what common sense might say, the point is that the study didn't actually do a direct comparison.