TikTok exposes how filthy hand dryers in public bathrooms are

They’re a standard feature in public bathrooms and an important part of the handwashing process. But a new video has exposed hand dryers’ filthy secret.

Hand dryers are standard in just about every public and communal bathroom, but they could be doing a lot more than just blasting water away from your hands.

TikTok account PhoneSoap uncovered the rather filthy truth in a video posted earlier this week, exposing what really happens when people use a dryer after washing their hands.

Following an experiment conducted by comparing residual germs from a standard hand air drying method with a variety of hand dryers, there were staggering results.

The test involved collecting air blasted from a Columbia Vortex, Dyson Airblade, and two Xlerator hand dryers with an experiment tray.

A tray was also held in the air and shaken around to simulate someone shaking their hands dry, to see how that would compare.

A viral TikTok has exposed how filthy public hand dryers are. Picture: TikTok/phonesoap

The five trays were then placed in an incubator for the germs to “grow” for three days.

After being removed, each was placed under a microscope so germ particles could be analysed.

While there was “no visible growth” on the tray that was just shaken around, the same certainly couldn’t be said for the wall hand dryers.

There was “quite a bit of nasty stuff” on the tray tested with the first Xlerator dryer, while the Columbia Vortex – found in a petrol station bathroom – was completely covered in “nasty” germs.

The Dyson Airblade, inside a cinema bathroom, was dotted in germs too but not quite as significantly as its counterparts.

The final Xlerator dryer, inside a shopping centre, was the least offensive of the dryers, with just a few specks of germs on the tray.

The first Xlerator dryer tray was covered in germs. Picture: TikTok/phonesoap

The germs from the petrol station dryer were gross. Picture: TikTok/phonesoap

“Based off this test, it looks like waving your hands dry is the best option,” a man narrating the video said.

The shocking clip has been viewed more than six million times and has received close to 8000 comments.

Viewers couldn’t believe the outcome of the experiment, with many swearing off ever using hand dryers again.

“I love how we wash our hands and then just blow bacteria on them,” one comment read.

“Whelp. I will be doing the shaking from now on,” someone else said.

This tray collected germs from a cinema bathroom. Picture: TikTok/phonesoap

The video came as welcome news however to people who always avoided hand dryers because of the noise or concern over germ spreading.

“Thank you for this! Literally never use those after I realised it’s literally blowing all the bathroom germs everywhere,” one wrote.

“I stopped using air dryers after I heard them described as ‘the wind of a thousand farts’,” another said.

“I never use the hand dryers because they are obnoxiously loud. Now I’m glad I don’t,” a third commented.