Are Hand Dryers Sanitary? Choosing the Safest Drying Method

Written by Staff Writer

You’re in a public restroom, finish washing your hands and turn to see both a paper towel dispenser and a hand dryer. Which do you usually choose?

Many choose the dryer because it uses less paper and seems more environmentally conscious. But does it clean your hands? Multiple studies, including one published by Harvard Health, found that some bathroom hand dryers may actually leave your skin contaminated with bacteria.

However, not all dryers are created equal. When you are faced with the dilemma of using a dryer, paper towels or wiping your palms on your clothes, it’s important to weigh your options and choose the most hygienic one.

Why Drying Hands Matters

Wet hands transfer germs more easily than dry ones. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) handwashing guidelines recommend scrubbing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, then drying hands completely.

For food service workers, this matters even more. You can quickly touch sinks, prep tables, utensils, packaging and ready-to-eat foods in rapid succession. A rushed wash followed by incomplete drying can quickly lead to contamination across the kitchen.

What’s in Restroom Air?

Restroom air isn’t sterile. Every time toilets and urinals are flushed, they release microscopic droplets into the air. These particles include fecal matter and bacteria. People can also bring bacteria into restrooms on their skin and shoes, which may become airborne.

Air dryers circulate the air around them, making the cleanliness of bathroom air part of the hygiene equation. One study in Applied and Environmental Microbiology found that bathroom hot-air dryers can deposit bacteria and bacterial spores from the atmosphere onto nearby surfaces during use, including your hands.

How Different Hand Dryers Work

Not all devices carry the same hygiene risk. Airspeed, drying time, filtration and maintenance make all the difference.

Traditional Warm Air Models

Traditional dryers use warm airflow to evaporate water from your skin. They usually have lower maximum airspeeds than those offered by jet dryers, so they may spread less moisture into the surrounding area.

Their main weakness is drying time. Many users don’t wait long enough for their hands to dry fully. Instead, they wave them under the dryer for a few seconds, get impatient and leave damp.

High-Speed Jet Air Models

High-speed models use powerful airflow rather than hot air to quickly dry hands. Jets literally blow droplets off the skin instead of evaporating moisture. This solves the issue of drying time while creating another: excessive dispersal.

Jet dryers are the biggest offenders among common restroom drying options. High-velocity air can spread bacteria from the air onto skin and from poorly washed hands into the surrounding area with shocking efficiency.

HEPA Filter and UV-C Models

Some newer dryers include High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, short-wave ultraviolet light (UV-C) features or enclosed drying areas. These upgrades can help reduce the spread of pathogens, but they don’t automatically make a hand dryer a more sanitary choice than paper towels.

HEPA filters are designed to capture particles from incoming air before that air blows onto your hands, and have been proven to reduce the spread of bacteria.

UV-C is a short-wavelength form of ultraviolet light that damages the DNA of microorganisms, preventing them from reproducing. It is built into the drying chamber of some models and activates during the drying cycle to target bacteria on hands.

The Importance of Maintenance

While the type of dryer used is important, proper maintenance of individual devices matters just as much. A neglected dryer can become a hygiene problem. Facility managers should watch for:

• Dust, residue or visible buildup on nozzles
• Clogged intake vents or reduced airflow
• Moisture collecting in water trays or drip areas
• Expired, clogged or missing HEPA filters.
• Dirty internal surfaces or signs of mold.
• Sticky buttons, sensors or hand openings.
• Dryer placement too close to toilets or urinals.
• Weak airflow, unusual odors or longer drying times.
• Missed cleaning logs or unclear filter replacement schedules.

A high-end dryer isn’t a sanitary upgrade if it isn’t properly maintained. A simple setup that staff can easily clean and inspect every day is ideal.

Hand Dryers vs. Paper Towels

Paper towels are generally considered more hygienic than dryers. They have three clear advantages:

• They dry hands quickly.
• They create friction. This helps remove water and some remaining bacteria from the skin.
• They don’t blow restroom air across your hands.

A Mayo Clinic Proceedings review found that paper towels dry skin and remove bacteria more efficiently and cause less contamination in the washroom environment than electric dryers. That is why paper towels are the better choice when hygiene is the main concern.

Where Paper Towels Fall Short

While paper towels are more sanitary, they aren’t perfect.

Proper maintenance is needed no matter which device is used. If users need to touch a paper towel dispenser repeatedly, reach inside it or handle a jammed roll, they can quickly contaminate their clean hands. Overflowing trash bins can also make a restroom dirty and increase the chance of contact with used towels.

Paper towels also create waste and require restocking. In high-traffic buildings, those needs can raise costs and increase the workload for cleaning staff.

Even with those drawbacks, paper towels still offer the clearer hygiene advantage as long as dispensers are properly maintained, stocked and placed near the sink.

Reusable Fabric Towels

Reusable fabric towels may seem like another possibility, but they are not a safe option for shared restrooms or food service handwashing stations. Once one person dries their hands, that towel can hold moisture, skin cells and bacteria. Each additional use increases the chance of transferring germs back onto clean hands.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code doesn’t allow shared reusable towels for hand drying. It does allow continuous fabric towel systems that provide each user with a clean section of towel. In other words, a clean towel service system is allowed, but a shared cloth towel hanging near the sink is not.

The Safest Choice for Food Handlers

The FDA Food Code allows several hand-drying methods, including single-use towels and heated-air dryers, but it also emphasizes that food establishments must provide facilities that support safe hand hygiene. FDA current good manufacturing practice rules also state that handwashing facilities must be designed so employees’ hands do not become a source of contamination for food, food-contact surfaces or food-packaging materials.

Paper towels help managers meet that goal. They dry skin quickly and give employees a clean barrier for turning off faucets or opening restroom doors without contaminating their hands again.

Air dryers introduce variables like restroom air quality, unit cleanliness and airflow strength. That’s to say nothing of whether employees wait long enough for their hands to dry completely. These factors can increase the risk of cross-contamination.

When paper towels are available, employees should use them. Managers should keep dispensers stocked, choose hands-free models when possible and place them close to the sink so employees can dry their skin without touching doors or equipment.