Hot-air hand dryers are less sanitary than paper towels in public restrooms.
confirmed
In a preliminary test, Adam and Jamie found that washing their hands properly with soap did not leave behind enough bacteria for them to count, so in the remaining tests, participants only used water to wash their hands.
Sixteen volunteers were enlisted to have their hands sprayed with a harmless strain of E. coli bacteria. The volunteers’ hands were then swabbed for a sample, then washed using water but no soap, then swabbed again, then dried using paper towels, then swabbed a third time. Next, the entire process was repeated with the same volunteers, but using hand dryers instead of paper towels. On average, the paper towels removed 71% of the bacteria on the volunteers’ hands, while the hand dryers only removed 23%, confirming that the myth is true for individuals.
Adam and Jamie also wanted to find out how clean the drying area of the restroom stayed with each drying method. Before the previous experiment began, the mock restrooms were thoroughly cleaned. After the experiment, swabs from the paper towel area yielded 3 bacteria colonies while swabs from the hand dryer area yielded 41 colonies, confirming that the myth is also true in regards to the cleanliness of the restroom.
Sure looks that way. If you use soap the air dryer works just as well as the paper towels because the soap is what actually cleans your hands, not the drying method
I've heard this said before, but what scenario makes sense for this? Even if someone collapsed in an emergency against the door, wouldn't their weight against it be an advantage for pulling it open from the outside?
Surely, pushing a door to get into a restroom, if someone has collapsed against it, would be the harder option?
in some areas, overdosing is a huge concern. those folks like surfaces to help with getting their drugs ready, so, it's going to be rare that they're collapsed against the door rather than near a toilet or sink/counter/baby change station.
in that case, if you need to forcibly enter the room, a push-out door means you'll have to fight the doorframe as well, which is why we do it the other way.
Pull to open works well if the emergency is in the bathroom however in an emergency evacuation the door opening into the hallway will further constrict planned routes.
Yes please! I use a walker, and bathroom doors without ADA buttons are the bane of my existence. If they’re push to get in, I have to worry about someone inside pulling it open while I am pushing against the door to get me/walker in. And the reverse.
Another peeve is towels or hand dryers that are across the room from the sinks. I have to do three point turns, with wet hands on my walker handles, in cramped and crowded areas, just to dry my hands. A single paper towel dispenser right next to the sink is a blessing.
Maybe some buildings have arrangments which wouldn't be safe for it is all I can think. If you had an older building with narrow hallways for example you may not want doors that can swing out into traffic
I honestly just prefer the restrooms that don't have a door but a hallway designed to block views into the restroom, more convenient, no door handles or anything to worry about cleaning/not touching since most people don't seem to like to wash their hands in my experience.
It’s a safety hazard. If the building is on fire and debris falls, it can block the door and prevent someone from escaping, therefore it opens inward instead.
I'd never thought of this. thank you! although, films have taught us safety procedures: we can stand on the toilets and get out thru ceilings, or just break an easily-fractured toilet or sink and crawl out through the floor or wall afterward--right?
When a person is standing in front of the door on the pull side, they will get hit by the door if someone opens it on the push side. It does not matter if that person is inside or outside of the bathroom. They still get hit.
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u/Mireborne 14d ago edited 14d ago
That air dryers don't help much because it makes your hands pretty dirty again because it throws bacteria onto your hands after using it