Drying Your Hands in Public Bathrooms
Washing your hands at home in the bathroom is easy – soap and warm water with a soft clean towel to dry them.
But step into a public washroom and you probably won't be so fortunate.
Nine times out of ten you could be faced with an electric wall mounted air dryer and not even a paper towel in sight. But is that a problem?
Air hand dryers are said to be spreading germs
A study by the University of Leeds in the UK has found that airborne germ counts were 27 times higher around jet air dryers in comparison with the air around paper towel dispensers. In fact, researchers found that both jet and warm air hand dryers spread bacteria into the air, onto their users and even those close by.How the study was undertaken
Professor Mark Wilcox (lead researcher) and his team contaminated the hands of volunteers with lactobacillus. This is a type of harmless bacteria (not normally found in public bathrooms) but which would mimic poorly washed hands. Then off to a public bathroom to carry out the test.The research team found the following
- Air bacterial counts close to jet air dryers were found to be 4.5 times higher than around warm air dryers and 27 times higher compared with the air when using paper towels.
- Next to the dryers, bacteria persisted in the air well beyond the 15 second hand-drying time, with approximately half (48%) of the lactobacilli collected more than five minutes after drying ended.
- Lactobacilli were still detected in the air 15 minutes after hand drying.
How well do you wash your hands?
Most people know that washing your hands can help to prevent passing on unwanted germs, viruses and bacteria. But how many people just flick their hands under some running water and think that will do?Here is a proper hand washing technique to use
1. Use warm water 2. Use a mild soap rather than antibacterial soap 3. Work up a good lather, all the way up to your wrists, for at least 20 seconds 4. Make sure you cover all surfaces, including the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers, and around and below your fingernails 5. Rinse thoroughly under running water 6. Dry your hands with a clean towel or let them air dry 7. In public places, use a paper towel to open the door as a protection from germs that the handles may harbor At the same time avoid becoming obsessive compulsive about hand washing because this can easily reduce the protective oils in your skin (especially in a dry environment) causing the skin to become dry and cracked. Germs are usually only a problem when transferred to the nose, mouth or an open wound. For this reason, obsessive hand washing can actually increase your risk of getting sick by facilitating an entry for germs. Keep free of germs by mild to moderate hand washing plus building and boosting your immune system. A strong immune system is your best defence against any pathogenic bacteria.Written by Jane Chitty
Jane writes for Healing Natural Oils, a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as a range of beauty products. Apart from writing about those various conditions, she also covers general health, environmental and other subjects of interest. She has lived in Kenya as well as Cape Town, South Africa and spent time in San Diego, USA. She now lives in Somerset, England with regular visits from her far-flung children and grandchildren. She is a keen gardener and enjoys growing fresh fruit and vegetables with her husband on their joint allotment. As a result, there is something available to use in the kitchen virtually all year round. Her regular posts can be found on our blog.