When the skin is wet and not dried, it is important, if you are in a public facility, to make use of a commercial hand dryer. Not doing so, can accelerate the transmission of bacteria and germs. Therefore, once you wash your hands in a restroom, it is a good idea to use the drying method that is available, whether it is a dryer or paper towel.
Reducing Waste Paper and Germs
With that being said, it is still important to distinguish what health benefits are associated with the commercial hand dryer as this method has been proven, by third-party research, to be a better alternative to drying the hands with paper towels. Not only is waste paper reduced, the use of the dryer also reduces the number of germs that are transmitted as well.
When conducting research, the effectiveness associated with hand-drying includes such criteria as the speed of drying, the efficiency of bacterial removal and the degree of dryness that is achieved. Another important component is the prevention of cross-contamination. When air dryers are used, especially automatic dryers, the transmission of bacteria is lower, and infection control is enhanced.
Hand Drying by Dryer Takes Longer
The only complaint registered by users was the time it took to dry the hands. It takes only a short span of time to dry hands with a paper towel where the drying process takes about 10 to 15 seconds with a hand dryer. However, when you look at the reduction in paper waste and the hygienic effectiveness of using a dryer, the amount of time for drying is a negligible point.
Enhancing Infection Control
The human swine influence pandemic that took place in 2009 reminds people about the importance of keeping the hands clean in order to circumvent the spread of disease. The efficiency of hand hygiene toward infection control has been considered an important process since the effect on minimizing infections by doing so was first observed in 1847. At that time, it was recognized that washing the hands reduced the number of deaths occurring form puerperal fever.
Hand washing itself is defined as washing the hands with an antimicrobial type soap or plain soap with water. Hands may be rinsed briefly or scrubbed. When hands are adequately washed and dried, studies show that significant reductions in infectious disease have been shown to occur – namely in such facilities as health care institutions, restaurants, and child care facilities. While much information has been documented about the efficacy of handwashing, fewer details exist with regards to the effectiveness of drying the hands and its role in eliminating contamination.
Nevertheless, it is known that wet hands transmit germs much easier than dry hands. Therefore, the process of washing the hands is complemented by drying the hands in turn. Shaking the hands dry, according to research, is not enough. To completely get rid of bacteria, a hand dryer should be used.
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