How Should You Dry Your Hands After Washing?

Ahh yes, the mystical art of drying your hands. Ok, so you’ve done the more important part by washing your hands (properly, we hope!), and now you’re wondering, what’s the best method of drying them.

Well, here you go. Here are a few post-handwashing tips for your now clean hands.

Shaking And Waving

First up is shaking and waving, you know, that thing you’ve done since you were little. You don’t remember when you first started, but you can see a toddler doing it every day if you look hard enough.

Benefits

Shaking and waving allows you to dry your hands without touching potentially contaminated bathroom surfaces. Public restrooms often harbor pathogens on counters, dispensers, and other surfaces. By avoiding contact, you reduce the risk of picking up bacteria from these areas. This hands-free approach minimizes exposure to germs lingering in high-contact zones.

Honestly? Do enough grade school jumping jacks and evaporation will just take over. We also like the shake, wave and then let air dry.

Drawbacks

A post wash shake may seem quick and effortless, but some hygiene issues come into play when doing so. Further, shaking your hands dry is ineffective for removing moisture completely. And, wet hands transfer bacteria more readily than dry hands.

You can check bacterial transference off on your Bingo card now.

Hot Air Hand Dryers

Hot air hand dryers provide a touch-free and (mostly) eco-friendly hand drying method. Electric dryers help to reduce paper towel waste, and when used properly, they can achieve similar effectiveness due to modern features such as motion sensors.

Benefits

Hot air hand dryers effectively remove moisture when used for the recommended duration. Advanced models with high-speed airflow or heated air improve drying speed and limit the drying time to under a minute.

These devices minimize physical contact, reducing the risk of touching contaminated surfaces in shared spaces. This was important in the early COVID-19 pandemic days as surfaces were considered to be a suspect of transmission. In retrospect, a traditional hot air hand dryer blowing the exhaust of your Coronavirus-laden exhale around the public bathroom at the local Bowling Alley was not the functionality intended and most likely did not inhibit the spread of germs.

That said, hot air dryers are also environmentally sustainable, as they eliminate the need for disposable paper towels, lowering overall washroom waste and cost for facilities.

Downsides

Hot air hand dryers often leave hands partially wet when you don't use them for the full drying cycle. Research indicates people typically use them for less-than-half of the recommended cycle time, which is far less than required for complete moisture removal.

Incomplete hand drying increases the risk of spreading bacteria, compromising hygiene. Some studies also link air dryers to aerosolizing microbes in the surrounding space, potentially increasing bacterial contamination in restrooms.

Noise levels and energy consumption come into play with warm air dryers.

High-Speed Hand Dryers & Blade Hand Dryers

High-speed and blade hand dryers are designed to provide speed and efficiency. Look no further than fancy hotels and restaurants for these modern devices of hygienic luxury. Better still, they are usually situated right under the hand sanitizer dispenser.

Convenience, am-I-rite!?

Benefits Of High-Speed Hand Dryers

High-speed hand dryers offer rapid drying times, typically within 8-12 seconds, reducing wait times that Emergency Rooms would be jealous about. Automatic activation through motion sensors eliminates the need for physical contact, which in turn minimizes cross-contamination risks.

Advanced models like the Sterillo incorporate built-in germicidal features to combat airborne pathogens while neutralizing odors. We said multiple advantages, right?

These dryers use high-efficiency motors, consuming less energy per use compared to non-high-speed models, making them more economical and environmentally friendly. A win for all involved. Well, except the upfront cost for better tech.

Drawbacks Of High-Speed Hand Dryers

High-speed hand dryers may aerosolize bacteria and viruses present on hands or in the surrounding air. Research published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology highlights the increased dispersion of microbes compared to paper towels, which could pose a concern in high-risk areas like hospitals.

Blade hand dryers attempt to address this issue by collecting water dislodged from hands into a containment chamber, reducing the spread of droplets. However, improper maintenance of these dryers can lead to clogging or bacterial growth in collection reservoirs. Additionally, noise levels often exceed 70 decibels, potentially causing discomfort in quieter environments or for sensitive users.

70 decibels, while not damaging to your hearing, is only 20 dB from the sounds of a music concert.

Paper Towels

Paper towels are a widely preferred method for hand drying because they are effective. Hand touches paper, paper absorbs water, hand is dry. See how easy that was?

They also tend to remove moisture quickly and hygienically. They do possess an impact to our environment.

Benefits Of Using Paper Towels

Paper towels allow for quick and efficient hand-drying, typically taking just 10-15 seconds. This speed enhances user convenience, especially in busy settings. The friction generated while drying with paper towels assists in physically removing bacteria from your skin, according to studies published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology.

Using paper towels also minimizes aerosolization. Unlike some electric dryers, paper towels don’t spread water droplets or bacteria into the surrounding air. This makes them a more hygienic option in high-risk areas such as hospitals or food preparation spaces. Paper towels also reduce direct contact with shared surfaces when used to turn off faucets or open restroom doors.

Drawbacks Of Using Paper Towels

Paper towels remove bacteria effectively but don’t eliminate them. They transfer germs to the used towel, which, if disposed of improperly, could cause contamination. Improperly discarded towels in public restrooms often end up on floors, something you have undoubtedly seen in the local dive bar down on the corner.

From an environmental perspective, paper towels have a significant carbon footprint. Americans use billions of pounds contributing to deforestation and landfill waste. Studies suggest that paper towels consume more energy and generate more greenhouse gases than other hand-drying methods.

Cost is another drawback, particularly in commercial environments. Facilities often face high expenses for purchasing, restocking, and managing waste.

Like utilizing one round of a hand dryer’s cycle, the drawbacks of using paper towels multiplies when a person uses more than one. Just take it from the City of Portland’s sustainability study. They discuss the environmental impact in more depth.

Rolling Cloth

We’re not even sure who uses a rolling cloth these days, but they do - technically - provide a reusable option for drying hands. These types of towels retract into a dispenser, and their effectiveness really depends on proper upkeep and maintenance. So launder a rolling cloth regularly if you’re going down that path.

Any Clean Towel

Let’s not overthink it. You can use any towel available. Literally any.

Hand towel. Chamois cloth. Old flannel shirt. Is an old flannel shirt proper hand hygiene? Maybe not. But hey, whatever works in a pinch.

What is the BEST Method to Dry Skin?

If you can spare the time and convenience, a good air dry after washing hands is the best method. Given that, other options could be the right choice to make at the time.

For instance, if you work at a restaurant or in the healthcare industry, you don’t have time to air dry your hands. Nor would the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) approve.

How Should You Dry Your Hands in Winter?

Some people’s hands take some abuse in the Winter from excessive washing (especially with hot water) in the form of dry skin. We’re much bigger fans of a nice hand towel over a Dyson Airblade for these situations. Also big fans of a moisturizing hand cream as well.

As a Food Handler, What is the correct order of steps for handwashing & drying?

Here are some steps you can take that don’t involve wiping your hands on your apron or down the legs of your pants when getting your hands clean.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture states that, “Participants failed to wash their hands or washed them incorrectly over 95 percent of the time they should have. Nearly half of the participants cross-contaminated spice containers because they didn’t wash their hands adequately.”

Handwashing & Drying Steps

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