A simple experiment involving air hand dryers that appear in many public restrooms has gone viral in the past few days. TikTok user @phonesoap’s video shows how to set up the experiment, first shaking a petri dish in a public toilet, mimicking the air waving motion to dry hands, then holding different petri dishes to the air blown by different hand dryers and collecting samples. Then, these samples are kept in an incubator for three days to examine how they grow.
Perhaps surprisingly, only the petri dish that simulated waving your hand for air remained in top condition, while the hand dryer in a gas station toilet experienced the most bacterial growth. Although this experiment was not large-scale, it looks like it might be enough to get many people to give up on hand dryers.
And this is EXACTLY why I don’t use hand dryers. You’re welcome. pic.twitter.com/m9PPhbNo4U
— t. (@_blkhoney) July 12, 2022
While this viral video isn’t really a large-scale study, several different past studies by the University of Leeds School of Medicine have already shown that hand dryers contribute to the spread of batteries. In a study in which people were asked to dry their hands with jet air dryers, air hand dryers and paper towels after contaminating their hands with Lactobacillus, a harmless bacterium normally found in toilets, it was found that the level of Lactobacillus in the air around jet air dryers was 4.5 times higher than that of air hand dryers. It was found to be 27 times more than paper towels.
But, the researchers say, while dryers can help spread bacteria, the real problem isn’t caused by the dryers themselves, and is rooted in people not washing their hands properly. Researchers also mention the possibility that the hygiene habits gained thanks to the COVID-19 outbreak may have slightly improved this situation.
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