Which is better: towel- or blow-dried?

• Position: Sanitizing - Brief article

Which method has the upper hand: towel-dried or blow-dried? Everyone knows that the best way to keep germs at bay is to wash your hands with soap and water after going to the bathroom, changing a diaper, or handling raw meat, but what is the best way to dry them? Is it better to pluck a paper towel from the dispenser or plunge your dripping wet hands under the hot air dryer?

Jeffrey Kahn, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, admits there is little scientific data to support whether one method of drying is better than another. "The most important issue is to focus on the hand washing," he recommends.

"Few people consider all of the...