Are bathroom hand dryers more sanitary these days?

Question

I heard a while back about all the bacteria that gets circulated through those. Are current hand dryers more sanitary, or why do so many bathrooms lack paper towels?

Hmm, so there aren't any sanitary strips they can put in there to help purify the air? That would be cool. :)

Answer 1

I agree totally with the first answer. As for the second answer, sure, the button would be clean if they had someone there cleaning it after every use... But they don't! The best way is the infrared activated paper towel dispensers, but alas providing the paper is more expensive than just blowing warm air. Health regulations mandate that they provide a way for you to dry your hands, and the blower is accepted, so there you go!

Answer 2

Just want to get my 2 cents in before you resolve this or put it to vote- I'm in total agreement with the 2nd answer. And, in my opinion, the biggest drawback about the blowers is that they take too long to really work and very few people actually dry their hands like that- we hit the button, sort of rub our hands together hoping that some of the water will fall off or maybe evaporate, give 'em a shake and furtively wipe the worst of the water somewhere where it won't show too much (inside of coat, underside sweater, etc...) and flee the washroom. In light of that, I really don't think the hand dryers are more sanitary- people walk around with wet hands; if that's not sanitary, it's gross. :-P
I just carry my own wet wipes and use them. They do dry quickly and only I TOUCH them! Now that's sanitary, in my opinion!

Answer 3

Well , actually they are pretty much the same and the button which u touch with your hands is usually the cleanest part of it because of the strong chemicals they use to clean them with .

The best way to dry your hands is actually with paper after washing them the correct way . to wash your hands correctly all u have to do is to get your hands wet with warm water ( not hot ) , then rub them with soap for 20 seconds and rinse again with warm water .

The reason why the hands dryers do not work is not because of they are dirty inside but because of all the bacterias which u get from the air not from the dryers .

i wanted to add something which i forgot about : well actually that its not the only thing which food handlers do , after washing their hands food handlers also use a liquid called hand sanitizer which could be another option for people who are worried about hygiene . however it would require having a bottle with the sanitizer to every place your going to ( it is like alcohol but does not substitute washing your hands ) .

about the last answer all i can say is that people who actually wash their hands are pretty clean and i say this because it is a known fact than most people do not do that . i also want to ad that whether or not they are clean they still blow bacterias and thats all they do . although blow dryers have a possitive thing about them which is that they do not requiere cutiing a tree .

Answer 4

The button you hit with your wet hand is probably where all the bacteria is. The new ones have reflective infrared sensors that turn the blower on when you put your hands under them. So.. yes, they are more sanitary.
FYI, the newest way to catch a disease these days is going through security at the airport. They make you take off your shoes and walk across the floor where countless people's smelly sweaty nasty feet have just passed. I got back from a flight a few weeks ago and picked up a nice case of athletes foot, which I NEVER usually get. From now on I'm going to have a spare pair of socks handy.