Experiment reveals why you should NEVER use a hand dryer

Hand dryers have a dirty little secret: the machines suck bacteria out of the air and spray it onto freshly washed hands.

The invisible microbes were discovered by TikToker @the_lab_life1, who took samples from dryers in a mall, a movie theater and at work on separate petri dishes.

After incubating the samples, she found that all three contained sticky, bubbling organisms — except for the air-dried shell.

The reason is not that the machines are full of bacteria, but the hand dryers push bacterial aerosols from the bathroom onto your hands.

While the lab scientist hasn’t revealed what bacteria was caught, previous research shows that E. coli, hepatitis and fecal bacteria lurk in public restrooms.

The shocking video makes people think about using the hands-free dryers that promised to be more hygienic than machines with a push nozzle or a pull leveler for a paper towel sheet.

The clip has garnered more than two million likes and more than 12,000 comments from users shocked by the findings.

“Doubt all the times I used the air dryer,” one TikTok user commented.

While another shared, “And that’s why I walk out of every bathroom with hands dripping. I won’t catch myself using a hand dryer.’

TikToker @the_lab_life1 explained, “All the bacterial aerosols from the bathroom are basically pushed onto your hands.”

The sample taken at work seems to fire off most of the bacteria, and the scientist felt compelled to “pop” one of the bubbles on the shell.

One of the samples was taken by waving the dish in the bathroom air to show comparison and was the only one not riddled with bacteria.

The scientist hasn’t revealed what kind of bacteria she found, but previous research has shown that flu, strep, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), salmonella, shigella, and norovirus live in public restrooms.

A 2015 study examined the microbes found in public bathrooms and found genetic traces of more than 77,000 different types of bacteria and viruses in these spaces.

And when you use a power hand dryer, those bacteria are lifted off surfaces and sprayed onto your hands.

Previously, old models were believed to be so powerful that they captured germs, but a study conducted by the University of Connecticut and Quinnipiac University in 2018 found that even the less powerful models rank hand washing in fifth place.

The team placed petri dishes containing “bacteria food” in bathrooms without hand dryers and found that only six pathogen colonies grew within 18 hours, compared to up to 254 after being blown with such air for just 30 seconds.

These bacteria include Staphylococcus aureus, which is resistant to the antibiotic methicillin and can cause life-threatening sepsis, pneumonia, or toxic shock syndrome.

Because of hand dryers’ ability to transfer spores, scientists say they may be able to spread Clostridium difficile, which causes watery diarrhea that can lead to severe dehydration.

“This suggests a different mode of C.difficile transmission and one that should not be interrupted by hand washing or traditional methods of surface sanitization,” reads the study published in AMS magazines.

Much of the bacteria in the air comes from toilets that are flushed, creating a fine mist of microbes – including fecal clouds.

And these fecal clouds can spread over an area as large as 65 square feet, Harvard Health Publishing reports.

With this in mind, experts are urging people to use paper towels to dry their hands.

A study conducted by the University of Westminster in 2015 found that Jet air dryers cause the greatest proliferation of airborne microbes – while designed to be the most hygienic.

People put their hands between two dryers, enabling contactless service.

A short distance from the jet air dryer, researchers found 59.5 colonies of yeast, compared to an average of only 2.2 colonies for paper towels.

There were 67 yeast colonies 0.2 m from the dryer, compared to only 6.5 for paper towels.

The greatest spread of microbes was found 0.6 – 0.9 m from the floor, the exact face height of small children who might be standing near the dryer.

Lead researchers Dr Keith Redway from the University of Westminester said: ‘These findings clearly indicate that disposable towels spread the fewest microbes of all hand-drying methods.

Cross-contamination in public toilets is a legitimate public health problem.

“The extent to which jet air dryers spread microbes in the washroom likely has implications for policy guidance for facilities managers working in a wide variety of environments, from sports venues and airports to schools and hospitals.”