Which Is More Sanitary in a Public Restroom?

Public bathrooms are notoriously germy, which makes choosing between drying your hands using a bacteria-spewing hand dryer or a microbe-laden paper towels feel like a tough call … Or is it? We turned to microbiologists to see if there was a clear winner in the age-old hand dryer versus paper towel debate—here’s what they had about which hand-drying method is more hygienic.

Are Hand Dryers or Paper Towels Better?

We have to hand it to air dryers—specifically high-speed versions, like the Dyson Airblade and Excel Xlerator. Germ-wise, paper towels and dryers are basically tied. A 2020 meta-analysis of 23 studies comparing the two suggests that neither poses a serious viral or bacterial risk, says Kelly Reynolds, PhD, director of the Environment, Exposure Science & Risk Assessment Center at the University of Arizona and lead author of the analysis. “Overall, there was less contamination with paper towels, but we found that the difference wasn’t significant.”

When you consider the environmental impact, however, high-speed dryers win. According to an MIT study from 2013, machines that can dry hands in 10 to 15 seconds have the least impact on the environment. Here’s the rub: Not all dryers work that fast. “We looked at a variety of scenarios, including those where people used conventional hand dryers for less than 30 seconds, and they left with damp hands,” says Jeremy Gregory, PhD, executive director of the MIT Climate & Sustainability Consortium and lead author of the study.

Which brings us to a germier rub. Moist hands collect more bacteria than dry hands, says Sandra Wilks, PhD, a microbiologist and associate professor at the University of Southampton in England. “The drying process isn’t the problem; more important is washing your hands properly, then drying your hands thoroughly before you exit.” So if there’s a speedy machine, have at it. Otherwise, grab a towel.