Dyson Airblade hand dryers spread 60 times more germs than paper towels and regular dryers, study finds

YOU might want to think twice next time you dry your hands with a Dyson Airblade hand-dryer after research shows they spread 60 times more germs than standard dryers.

James Dyson the inventor of the Dyson vacuum cleaner and hand dryers, photographed in Walsh Bay, February 19, 2013. Pic - Sam Mooy

YOU might want to think twice next time you dry your hands.

Dyson Airblade hand-dryers spread 60 times more germs than standard air dryers, and 1300 times more than standard paper towels, according to research published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology.

The research shows Dyson dryer’s 690km/h blasts of air are capable of spreading viruses up to 3m across a bathroom.

The standard drier spread viruses just 75cm and the hand towels just 25cm.

The Dyson dryer uses “sheets” of air to dry hands.

The company says they’re actually more hygienic.

But a Dyson spokesperson told the Herald Sun they “believe this research has been conducted under artificial conditions and it is flawed — using unrealistically high levels of virus contamination on unwashed, gloved hands.”

“The machine has been proven to be as hygienic as paper towels, through research conducted by the University of Bradford (published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology), Institut de Recherche Microbiologique, the College of Medicine (University of Florida), and Campden BRI,” the statement said.

“The Dyson Airblade hand dryers are the only hand dryers that have been globally certified hygienic by NSF P335 accreditation.”

In February this year Dyson released a video on its YouTube channel hitting back at claims that paper towels are more hygienic than its hand-dryers.

Titled “Paper’s Dirty Secret”, a voiceover on the video says: “Independent research shows that before they even reach the washroom, paper towels can contain large communities of culturable bacteria.”

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Originally published as Dyson Airblade hand dryers spread 60 times more germs than paper towels and regular dryers, study finds