Do you prefer paper towels or air dry...

From the NYTimes:



Really?


The Claim: Paper Towels Thwart More Germs Than Air Dryers Do

By ANAHAD O’CONNOR


Published: September 13, 2010



THE FACTS The key to clean hands is simple: Wash thoroughly with soap and water. But once the faucet is off, do you reach for the paper towel or the air dryer?



Bacteria thrive on wet hands, so the method that removes the most moisture should theoretically be most effective. But some studies suggest that other factors play a role. A few have portrayed conventional air dryers — and the newer jet-air machines where users stick their hands into a slot while air shoots out rapidly — as bacterial breeding grounds that contaminate hands and disperse germs. But those studies tend to have a conflict of interest: financing from the paper industry.



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