The Best And Worst Ways To Dry Your Hands

It’s always important to wash your hands.

But did you know that drying your hands is just as vital to stopping the spread of germs?

One expert has said not drying your hands after a trip to the bathroom can be worse than not washing them at all.

This is because bacteria, such as E. coli, thrive on damp surfaces (including wet hands) and previous research has suggested that 85% of the microbes spread by people contaminating surfaces happen when hands are still moist. 

And it turns out there are better ways to dry your hands, too.

Microbiologist Dr. David Webber has ranked the world’s most popular hand drying methods – from best to worst.

Here are The Most Popular Hand Drying Methods

The best technique is called ‘the surgeon’ – which involves running your fingers over every inch of your hands under a dryer, ensuring they are bone dry and free from bacteria.

Drip Dry Is the Worst! – (AKA, not drying their hands at all) should change their act at once – as this was voted the least hygienic.

Wringing hands under a dryer is the second-best method, followed by shaking them to remove excess water and using paper towels.

Using Toilet paper, and wiping hands on your pants were considered the worst practices.