Note: This article pertaining to Air Drying Machines Versus Paper Towels: Which Are Better to Use? was originally published on Friday, September 25, 2018 at 11:11 in the evening and has been updated.
Earlier today, Thursday, September 25, 2025, I encountered a public washroom that was equipped with both an air drying machine and paper towels to dry off hands after washing them. Air drying machines that are found in public washrooms at airports and elsewhere seem to have minds of their own: push the power button for them to start; and they stop just before your hands are completely dry. It is almost a law of chance and odds — unless you happen to be fortunate enough to find one of those air drying machines which rely on your hands breaking a beam of light, which means that they will stay on until you remove your hands when you feel that they are completely dry…
Air Drying Machines Versus Paper Towels: Which Are Better to Use?
…and even then, some of them are finicky, wanting you to move your hands to ensure that you are still there lest they shut down from perceived inactivity.
Then there is the power of the air being blown: sometimes it is too weak that it seems to take forever to dry your hands — even while vigorously rubbing them — while at other times, they are so powerful that the skin on your hands starts rippling in waves, similar to the faces of people while they are skydiving before deploying their parachutes.
“Fortunate enough”, I wrote earlier in this article? Perhaps not, according to this article from the National Library of Medicine of the National Center for Biotechnology Information of the National Institutes of Health of the United States, which suggests that you might want to reach for that paper towel instead of an air drying machine the next time you want to dry your hands in a public washroom.
Proponents for air drying machines reportedly argue that costs can be cut by as much as 99.5 percent versus using paper towels; and that the machines are supposedly “green”: less waste and fewer trees needed to manufacture those paper towels, for example — never mind that paper can be recycled and that paper towels can be manufactured from as much as 100 percent recycled paper…
…but the results from as many as twelve different studies — as well as an episode of the television program Mythbusters from 2013 — claim that drying your hands with an air drying machine is significantly less sanitary than simply using paper towels.
The following paragraph is from the aforementioned article:
“Hand hygiene has the potential to prevent diseases and reduce health care–associated infections. The proper drying of hands after washing should be an essential component of effective hand hygiene procedures. Most studies have found that paper towels can dry hands efficiently, remove bacteria effectively, and cause less contamination of the washroom environment. From a hygiene standpoint, paper towels are superior to air dryers; therefore, paper towels should be recommended for use in locations in which hygiene is paramount, such as hospitals and clinics. The provision of paper towels should also be considered as a means of improving hand hygiene adherence among health care workers. Our findings may have implications for health professionals and medical educators aiming to design effective programs to promote hand hygiene practices.”
One other negative aspect is that if you dry your hands with an air drying machine, you then might have to touch the door if you have to pull it to exit the public washroom; and you will most likely have unwanted germs use your clean hands as a vehicle to travel to sensitive parts of your body — such as if you rub your eyes with those hands, which could lead to illness.
Final Boarding Call
I chose paper towels over the air drying machine when I was in the aforementioned public washroom earlier today — especially as it was one of those machines similar to the one in the photograph that is featured at the top of this article: I do not like the way it sprays water all over the place as the hands are inserted into the machine. Furthermore, using one of those air drying machines is like playing the classic game of Operation: try to use the air drying machine without your hands touching inside of it or on the edges of the opening, which I find unsanitary. I am surprised that no illuminated buzzer is attached to the air drying machine to alert you that your hands went where they were not supposed to go.
Then again, I do not like when paper towels are available through a dispenser that is similar to a tissue box — such as the one in the photograph above — as the residual water from the wet hands of previous users drip onto the remaining paper towels, which I find disgusting.
I usually carry at least one paper towel in my pants pocket in case there are no paper towels or other mechanism for drying my hands after washing them in a public washroom — as well as to possibly use it for turning the faucet on or off if it is not electronic and automatic; for pumping soap out of the dispenser if it is not electronic or automatic; and to pull the door if I cannot push it.
I do like that an increasing amount of doors of washrooms are equipped with a device with which the door can be opened either electronically, with an elbow, or with a foot if the door must be pulled open so that the door does not need to be touched in order for it to be pulled open.
For years, I have professed the importance of washing your hands to prevent illness — such as in this extensive article — as washing your hands regularly is amongst the best ways to prevent the spread of diseases, infections, and even illnesses such as the common cold. I speak from experience: with one or two minor exceptions that are too negligible to even mention, I have not suffered from a cold, fever or other illness in several years since I adopted the aforementioned habits in order to avoid getting sick or catching an illness. I have never even had a flu shot. That is because I am diligent about washing my hands, as it has worked for me for years — and it can work for you as well if you are diligent about washing your hands properly to increase your chances of avoiding illnesses in the future.
Interestingly, my track record is also despite using various air drying machines at different public washrooms. Still, if you are going to go through the trouble of washing your hands, you might want to keep them as clean as possible; so if you have a choice, you are apparently better off using paper towels instead of air drying machines.
All photographs ©2015 and ©2020 by Brian Cohen.
