21 Oct Why drying your hands promotes good hand hygiene
In our previous blog, entitled “The Importance of Good Hand Hygiene,” we addressed the importance of washing your hands, hand hygiene and the many benefits that arise from this practice. Today we will focus on the importance of drying your hands as well as the best methods to utilise.
Increased Focus on Hygiene
In this day and age many people are becoming increasingly more health conscious and are better educated in terms of their health and healthy choices, as well as about the diseases and infections caused by bacteria and viruses that spread at the drop of a hat (or via a bat!). it is good to know that washing your hands properly with soap and water remains one of the most important ways that you can help stop the spread of germs.
Germs can spread from person to person or from surfaces to people as you touch your mouth, nose or rub your eyes with unwashed hands. By washing your hands and ensuring good hand hygiene, you are able to combat the spread of germs and protect the vulnerable within our society.
Do wet hands spread more germs than dry ones?
Yes, believe it or not, wet and damp hands can actually spread more germs than dry ones!
Research undertaken by the US government’s National Institute of Health states that: “The transmission of bacteria is more likely to occur from wet skin than from dry skin; therefore, the proper drying of hands after washing should be an integral part of the hand hygiene process in health care.” (See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3538484/#:~:text=The%20transmission%20of%20bacteria%20is,hygiene%20process%20in%20health%20care.)
Even a bathroom that looks sparkling clean can contain a host of microscopic organisms, both in the air or on a variety of surfaces including taps, basins, counters, doors and door handles. These micro-organisms can include both bacteria and viruses, with wet or damp hands providing the perfect breeding ground for them.
How do I wash my hands?
By taking less than a minutes to wet your hands under clean running water, lather them with soap and wash them for a period of 20 seconds, then rinse properly under clean water and lastly dry them, you are helping to reducing the spread of germs.
What is the best way to dry your hands after washing?
At home you may prefer to dry your hands on a clean towel or hand towel, but in the workplace there are generally four ways that you can dry your hands:
1, Use a warm air hand dryer
2. Use a paper towel
3. Use a cotton towel
4. Give them a good shake!
All of these have their own pros and cons, but there is definitely an option that stands out head and shoulders above the rest as a best practice method.
Are warm air hand dryers the best hygienic option available?
No, hand dryers are not the most hygienic way to dry your hands and in reality they can increase the amount of germs on them!
Public restrooms or ablution facilities within shopping centres as well as many workplaces utilise hot air dryers; and people mistakenly believe that this is the most hygienic way to dry their hands.
Funnily enough, hand dryers also take longer to dry your hands than a paper towel and even then I always feel as if they aren’t 100% dry!
Why are paper towels a better option for drying your hands?
Paper towels provide a much faster and more efficient way to dry your hands and effortlessly practice healthy hand hygiene.
Many paper towel dispensers are touch free, allowing users to access the paper towel without coming into contact with the dryer’s surface, therefore having one less touchpoint to pick up germs in the bathroom.
When using papers towels to dry your hands, vigorously rub them on your hands to dry them. This action of rubbing the paper towel over your hands also assists in removing bacteria on the hands and causes less contamination within a bathroom environment.
Single use paper towels give a user the convenience of utilising a paper towel once and then disposing of it, allowing the best option in terms of time, hygiene and limiting the spread of germs.
Drying your hands with a single use paper towel remains a fast and efficient way to practise hand hygiene
Using a towel to dry your hands
Although using towels to dry your hands leaves them feeling soft and refreshed after drying, they can carry germs should they not be washed regularly or allowed to dry between uses.
Towels are an environmentally friendly way to dry your hands, since they quite versatile, can be reused after being washed, do not require electricity and at the end of their lifespan they can be repurposed. But it should be remembered that towels can also harbour germs if not washed adequately and on a regular basis.
Cotton towels remain a popular choice for drying hands after washing. Towels should be regularly washed after use.
Is drip drying your hands a good choice?
While you may save a couple of seconds doing your hand wafting and drying or simply drip drying them as you exit the bathroom (or better yet wiping them on the seat of your pants as you walk out!), this is not a recommended method to hygienically dry your hands.
Should you touch anything on your way out, germs are more likely to transfer onto your hands as they are wet or damp.
With regards to wiping your hands on the seat of your pants…the answer is no. Just don’t do it. Think about everything that the seat of your pants comes into contact with and the many surfaces that it touches on a daily basis.
Thoroughly washing your hands with soap and water takes less than a minute and, when done correctly, can assist in preventing the spread of germs that can cause a variety of illnesses including gastrointestinal and respiratory ailments.
It goes without saying that good hand hygiene is an essential part of preventing the spread of germs. as you can see, hand drying is an important part of the process and needs to be taken into account during the hand washing process to ensure clean, healthy hands.
