Smarter: Why You Should Dry Your Hands After Washing Them

When we asked on Twitter whether people dry their hands after washing them, 91.5 percent of the respondents said they did. I’m glad that most people do dry their hands, but for those of us who wondered why, here’s what experts told me.

Germs spread more easily when your hands are wet, so you should definitely dry your hands thoroughly after washing them. In fact, damp hands can spread 1,000 times more bacteria than dry hands, says Heather Viola, DO, a primary care physician at Mount Sinai Doctors Ansonia, a healthcare practice in New York City.

Another benefit is that by drying your hands you can lower the level of any remaining microbes, including bacteria, left on them.

Is there a better method of drying your hands? For instance, is it better to use paper towels compared with a hand dryer in a public restroom?
Okay, this is where things get hotly debated. There’s no conclusive scientific evidence that points to either using a paper towel or an air hand dryer as being the better way to reduce germs on your hands, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

With air dryers, you run the risk of water, potentially contaminated with germs, being blown around, says Alexandra Seguin, MSN, an infection preventionist at Rush University Medical Center.  But it’s worth noting that there are also studies that show that the contamination levels from air dryers aren’t significant. So a lot boils down to preference. 

Most of the experts I spoke to prefer to use paper towels. James Dickerson, PhD, CR’s chief scientific officer, is one of them. He’d rather dry his hands with a paper towel or a clean handkerchief than risk potentially spreading around germs with hot air. 

Handkerchiefs are more environmentally friendly than paper towels. But if you don’t have one, you can try this method of drying your hands using a single paper towel.

Before you use either you should, of course, wash your hands thoroughly. Once you’ve done that, remove as much moisture from them as possible, James says. This can be done by wringing your hands or vigorously shaking them before using a towel or handkerchief.

But regardless of whether you prefer using paper towels, a handkerchief, or air dryers, the bottom line is that any method that encourages people to dry their hands will help prevent germ spread.

What are the best practices when drying your hands?
Rubbing your hands to create friction will help remove germs and dry your hands more effectively. 

And lastly, don’t wipe your hands on your clothes. (Darn.) If your clothing is dirty, it could contaminate your hands again and reduce the benefits of hand-washing, Heather says.

Bonus link: The best technique to wash your hands.