After washing your hands, it's certainly not good if you just leave it wet. So to dry it, there are many choices for hand dryers. But, did you know that hand dryers can pose a risk to your health?
Hand dryers can be found anywhere, especially in public facilities, such as hotels, malls, or hospitals. The main reason this machine is often used after washing hands is that it is fast and practical. But in fact, dry does not always mean clean.
Hand Dryers Increase Bacterial Spread
The purpose of hand washing is to remove dirt and germs from the hands. Washing hands should be done regularly to avoid the spread of diseases that can be transmitted through hand touch.
Germs are more easily spread through wet hands. For this reason, it is important to dry your hands after washing your hands. But unfortunately, instead of ensuring hand hygiene, using a hand dryer can actually increase the spread of bacteria.
This is because hand dryers can spread bacteria from your hands into the air, and these bacteria will remain in the air for some time afterward. As an example, jet-air dryer can spread bacteria up to a distance of 2 meters. According to research, these bacteria can still be detected in the air around the hand dryer up to 15 minutes later.
Not only that, hand dryers that are near the toilet are also usually unhygienic because they may be exposed to fine splashes from the toilet when rinsing.
Research also shows that hand dryers take longer than toilet paper, cloth, or towels to dry hands, although some people may think otherwise. As a result, hands are not dried properly, so bacteria are more easily attached to hands that are still wet or damp.
Come on, Clean and Dry Hands Properly
This message seems trivial and maybe you too are tired of reading or hearing it many times. But if you want to avoid various diseases, you need to understand and really practice how to wash your hands properly. Therefore, let's pay close attention to the following steps for cleaning and drying hands:
- Wet hands with running water, using cold or warm water.
- Rub hands with soap until foamy. Do not forget to rub between the fingers, as well as the palms and backs of the hands up to the fingers.
- Continue rubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds or sing the happy birthday song from start to finish twice as a guide.
- Rinse hands with running water.
- Dry your hands with a tissue. nowIf you don't have a tissue, dry your hands using a hand dryer with your hands still, until they are completely dry.
Hand hygiene is important to prevent the spread of bacteria. However, reconsider if you want to use a hand dryer, especially in public. If you have no other choice, spend more time drying your hands using this machine. Make sure your hands are completely dry to prevent the spread of bacteria.
