I’ve got some bad news for you.  It seems that those pesky hot air blowers that dry your skin are actually blowing viruses around everywhere. After reading an article in Fortune magazine today it really made me think about this. It’s funny how we invent new technology to take care of one issue such as wasting paper and killing more trees in exchange for dispersing viruses throughout a public bathroom to get everyone sick.

The new study was quoted as saying:

“virus(‘s) in the air even 15 minutes after someone used a jet dryer, at levels 100 times higher than after a paper towel was used.”

100x?  That’s pretty significant.  Of course when you dry your hands on a paper towel how much are you actually putting in the air?  Almost zero, so a hundred times nearly zero is still a small amount right?  But if you have one of these in a hospital it is a different scenario.  Any medical facility should prefer disposable wipes, towels, or napkins to ensure as much of the evil bacteria is removed and disposed away from the public.  A dryer for your skin in those areas can cause an issue.

If you are in a standard nail salon or cosmetics store your risk of high pathogens is much lower. So for the rest of the world your skin getting blown dry should continue to be the standard in bathrooms most everywhere.