Hand Dryers No Good

[Guest]

Everyone in the cleaning industry has always been told that hand dryers in restrooms are not sanitary, they spread germs and bacteria around. I always thought that this just came from the paper companies because they are loosing sales to the hand dryers.

A couple of years ago, I was working with a rep, and I noticed that after he washed his hands and noticed that there were no paper towels, only a hand dryer he left the restroom with wet hands. I asked him about it.

He said

that hand dryers blow a lot of germs and bacteria around. He also told me to take a look under the hand dryer next time I was in a restroom. There is a filter underneath the hand dryer that is supposed to be cleaned on a weekly basis.

I looked at one and it looked like it hadn't been cleaned in

years. It had layers and layers of caked on gunk(disgusting). Since then I will not use hand dryers in restrooms.

Now this is where the story gets really interesting. The schools and universities that have had the H1N1 (swine flue) outbreak this year are being told by the health department that they have to take out all of their hand dryers and replace them with towel dispensers because the hand dryers

are spreading disease. Please pass this along so everyone knows not to use hand dryers. "

http://www.snopes.com/medical/swineflu/handblower.asp

[phkrause]

Now that is really interesting Richard.

pk

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

air blow dryer ad off to the right of the screen

[SivartM]

*hides under bed*

[Guest]

The ads are placed there in accordance to what is posted here. The same thing happens when you have google e-mail, or gmail like I do. And yet there are still people who think their e-mails are private.

Google sees all. And they are not alone.

[Neil D]

Everyone in the cleaning industry has always been told that hand dryers in restrooms are not sanitary, they spread germs and bacteria around. I always thought that this just came from the paper companies because they are loosing sales to the hand dryers.

A couple of years ago, I was working with a rep, and I noticed that after he washed his hands and noticed that there were no paper towels, only a hand dryer he left the restroom with wet hands. I asked him about it.

He said

that hand dryers blow a lot of germs and bacteria around. He also told me to take a look under the hand dryer next time I was in a restroom. There is a filter underneath the hand dryer that is supposed to be cleaned on a weekly basis.

I looked at one and it looked like it hadn't been cleaned in

years. It had layers and layers of caked on gunk(disgusting). Since then I will not use hand dryers in restrooms.

Now this is where the story gets really interesting. The schools and universities that have had the H1N1 (swine flue) outbreak this year are being told by the health department that they have to take out all of their hand dryers and replace them with towel dispensers because the hand dryers

are spreading disease. Please pass this along so everyone knows not to use hand dryers. "

http://www.snopes.com/medical/swineflu/handblower.asp

Richard....Did you write the above? Who wrote the SNOPES article? Inquiring minds want to know.....

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

Hey, yeah. The Snopes site says that the story has not been determined to be true OR false...it's undetermined.

[Bravus]

I just know that they're frustrating and annoying to use, slow me down and don't do a good job: I'm far happier if there are hand towels. Or, you know, I went to a function at a classy golf club once, and they had individual little terry-cloth hand towels that you used and were laundered and returned. Probably not so environmentally friendly, but very nice for getting hands clean... and in fact, though more expensive, probably better for the environment over all than throwing away paper...

[GreatLakesGramma]

Remember those roller towels they used to have in some restrooms? Maybe they were really the best way to go.

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

I remember those! You never could find a dry spot on the towel to dry your hands ...

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

What really gets to me are the people who use the restroom then just dribble water over their hands and not really wash them. I've seen that so often!

[Bravus]

Pardon to anyone this offends, but I think it's funny:

"Never wash your hands in a public bathroom - your genitals are cleaner than their sink" - P.J. O'Rourke

[Gail]

I have heard that if you sing the happy birthday

song to your self that is enough time to wash you hands

Clever! I have to go try this!

[Gail]

BRAVUS

WHAT do you think is funny???

I guess you didn't read the quote...

[Gail]

Go back a page :)

[Dr. Shane]

I really like the Roller Towels although I don't see them in this part of the country.

[Tom Wetmore]

I have often muttered to myself after witnessing someone leaving the restroom without washing their hands, "He must think his ______ is pretty darn clean... But remind me not to shake his hand."

[Jeannieb43]

And the dirtiest part of the public restroom is the door handle. I always try to open the door using a paper towel.

[John317]

Studies (i.e., just good observations at any restrooms) show that only a small percentage of the men wash their hands after using the bathroom, but not surprisingly the majority of women do wash. This means that if you're looking for a clean hand to shake, don't shake a man's hand and do shake a lady's.

[GreatLakesGramma]

My son once spent some time in a men's restroom observing the other men, after I told him about reading an article about handwashing in restrooms. At least in that restroom, on that day, almost all of the men washed their hands.

[SivartM]

About a third of the time probably I see someone leave the restroom without washing his hands. Whenever I do I start crying and run after him, kicking him in the shins and screaming at him to go back and wash his hands. He usually just runs away though. It's disgusting.

Really, though, I do see a lot of men leave the restroom without washing their hands.

[Dr. Shane]

There is more bacteria in a man's mouth than on his male genitals. I always wash my hands and have taught my son too as well. However the real importance in hand washing is after a bowel movement not after urinating.

[Outta Here]

It's just good practice to wash hands several times a day. If you're near a sink--wash your hands. Simple as that. Carry some hand sanitzer too, so that you can sanitize your hands after turning off the sink and opening the door.

[Guest]

I believe in Hand Sanitizer.

[Bravus]

I dunno - there's that research that shows children who are insulated from all dirt and germs end up getting sicker more often... they haven't built up any immunity. Good hygiene is important, of course, but I sometimes think we go overboard - just because we know the germs are there we think we need to get rid of them all. That's (a) impossible and ( maybe not even healthy. Our bodies are good at living in symbiosis and/or truce with a huge variety of other organisms.