Microbiologist Tim Call set out to discover how many germs are lurking in public hand dryers – and the results are enough to leave you reaching for the hand sanitiser
A microbiologist has flagged up some grim findings for those who are wary of germs in public restrooms.
Tim Call highlighted the astonishing number of germs lurking in public hand dryers, which could be a nightmare scenario for anyone with germaphobic tendencies.
After conducting an experiment sparked by frequent claims of how much bacteria hand dryers can harbour, Tim shared shocking results. “I performed this test because there are many that believe that hand dryers are a terrible way to dry your hands after washing them. I’m not sure if I truly believe that,” he said.
Tim carried out his investigation by first placing a petri dish in a public toilet area, capturing five bacterial colonies from the ambient air. For a more focused test, he placed another petri dish under a hand dryer which, after just one activation, revealed eight bacterial colonies.
A further interaction with the dryer brought the count up to 15 colonies. Pushing the envelope, Call allowed ten blasts of air on a fresh plate which culminated in spotting 20 bacterial colonies and the growth of two significant patches of fungus. Despite these unsettling discoveries, Call isn’t completely convinced hand dryers are as problematic as some might assume.
“My experiment showed a simple air test of the bathroom, and a test of air being blown onto a petri dish with varying amounts of air blown. While the experiment shows that there are bacteria in the air and that a small amount will blow onto your hands, I don’t believe this is from the hand dryer.
“I believe the hand dryer is simply pulling the air from the room and that air is already contaminated. In my opinion, you should be totally fine to use a hand dryer to dry your hands.”
Tim, who regularly shares educational clips on TikTok about how filthy common items can be, continued: “I make this content because I’ve always been curious about what was growing around me and I wanted to visually see it.
“The cleanest thing that I tested that surprised me was the gas pumps at gas stations. I thought they would be filled with bacteria due to the amount of usage but was surprised to see there was very little growth – around five colonies grew. I hypothesise this is due to the gas fumes being antimicrobial.”
His video certainly struck a chord, sparking a wave of comments from shocked viewers. One TikTok user responded: “I’m gonna stop leaving the house,” while another chimed in: “As long as you wash your hands afterwards you should be ok…oh wait…”
A third quipped: “So I’m going in with a hazmat suit on,” and yet another declared: “I don’t use those and don’t allow my kids to use them either.”
