Doctor’s disgusting experiment proves why you should NEVER use a hand dryer

A doctor has revealed the disgusting reason why you should never use a hand dryer and always opt for a paper towel or hand-shaking instead.   

Epidemiologist Dr Eric Feigl-Ding, who is on the COVID-19 mortality expert committee for the World Health Organization, shared a TikTok video originally posted by US company Phone Soap that showed the effects of shaking your hands dry compared to using a hand dryer.

In the clip, a man tests various petri dishes to see how many germs grow once they are incubated for three days.

Epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding, who is on the COVID-19 mortality expert committee for the World Health Organization, shared a TikTok video originally posted by US company Phone Soap that showed the effects of shaking your hands dry compared to using a hand dryer. In the clip, a man tests various Petri dishes to see how many germs grow once they are incubated for three days. 

Shaking his hands dry left caused nothing to grow in the petri dish,  while placing a petri dish under the hand dryer saw a huge amount of bacteria appear grow in just three days.

A similar level of germs appeared from a gas station dryer, while a Dyson airblade at a movie theatre quite as bad, but still saw significantly more growth than the petri dish that was shook dry. 

Sharing the video, Dr Feigl-Ding wrote: ‘Nota Bene—DO NOT USE BATHROOM HAND DRYERS. Research shows these dryers suck in and blow fecal aerosols. Shake your hands dry instead’.

It comes after a California woman warned people to beware enclosed hand dryers in public restrooms by sharing a sickening photo of what she says are the potentially-harmful bacteria and fungi that can be blown onto your skin every time you use one.

Shaking his hands dry left caused nothing to grow (pictured) while a hand dryer from the same location saw a huge amount of bacteria appear.

A similar level appeared from a gas station dryer, while a Dyson airblade at a movie theatre wasn’t as bad – it still had significantly more than from shaking dry

Nichole Ward took to Facebook to share the troubling results of an experiment.

The photo she posted shows a Petri dish packed with fungi and bacteria after it had been put inside a hand dryer for just three minutes.

The image shows a Petri dish with several things growing quite large in it after just 48 hours.

Sharing the video, Dr Feigl-Ding wrote: ‘Nota Bene—DO NOT USE BATHROOM HAND DRYERS. Research shows these dryers suck in and blow fecal aerosols. Shake your hands dry instead’.

It comes after a California woman warned people to beware enclosed hand dryers in public restrooms by sharing a sickening photo of what she says are the potentially-harmful bacteria and fungi that can be blown onto your skin every time you use one.

She explained that the dish has ‘several strains of possible pathogenic fungi and bacteria’ which end up on the hands of people who use enclosed hand dryers.

Pathogenic fungi and bacteria are those that cause disease. 

‘I stuck the open plate in an enclosed hand dryer of a public bathroom for a total of 3 minutes. Yes 3 only. 

‘DO NOT EVER dry your hands in those things again,’ she added.

Bacteria are more easily spread when your hands are wet, so if you’re a shaker and don’t dry your hands properly, you may as well not have bothered washing your hands.  

Instead it’s best to shake them dry or your a paper towel.

Researchers at the University of Leeds in the UK previously called for air hand dryers should be banned from hospital toilets because they blow bacteria around the room.

They found high levels of dangerous bacteria that cause blood poisoning, pneumonia and gastroenteritis when dryers were used.

Writing in the Journal of Hospital Infection, they called for the dryers – which can leave up to five times as much bacteria on the floor as paper towels – to be taken out of hospitals.

Leeds scientists also found in 2020 that  paper towel to dry your hands is ‘substantially’ more effective at removing viruses like COVID-19 than a hand dryer.

In the study they found ten out of 11 surfaces touched by someone who used a hand dryer had significantly more contamination than from people using a paper towel.

Scientists say hand drying is important to minimise the spread of dangerous microbes.

A Dyson spokesperson told FEMAIL: ‘The methodology of this video is flawed and there is extensive research to show that our technology is hygienic. 

‘Hand washing and drying is one of the most significant measures in preventing disease transmission as damp hands can spread up to 1000 times more bacteria than dry hands, so any content which misleads the public with inaccurate experiments, is concerning. 

‘Dyson’s microbiologists are focused on drying hands hygienically and sustainably and all Dyson Airblade™️ machines contain a HEPA filter to capture particles as small as bacteria from the washroom air’.