Bathroom sanitation is an issue all public bathrooms face on a day-to-day basis. Recently a Facebook post went viral about an image of a Petri dish claiming to contain bacteria and pathogenic fungi from a hand dryer. The post is by Nicole Ward, who shared the image of bacteria and fungi she said grew after only a few days. "I stuck the open plate in an enclosed hand dryer of a public bathroom for a total of 3 minutes," Ward says in the post. "Yes 3 minutes only. DO NOT EVER dry your hands in those things again." She goes on to finish by saying, "This is several strains of possible pathogenic fungi and bacteria that you're swirling around your hands, and you think you're walking out with clean hands. You're welcome."
The hand dryer in question Ward claims she stuck the dish in is a Dyson Airblade and the manufacturers commented about the situation, saying they were surprised to see the results and were "unclear on the methodology employed." It should be mentioned that Ward's scientific background is unclear, so her
Now, it goes without saying that these results should be taken with a grain of salt, but the post has been shared at this point more than 530,000 times, so it is clearly reaching an audience and making an impact. It is making people question whether or not they should be using an enclosed hand dryer in a public restroom, due to the possibility of harmful bacteria. Ward even goes so far to say in the comments that she won't dry her hands at all in the bathroom. Not with a dryer. Not with paper towels. Simply wave her hands in the air and dry them on her clothes.
This all brings up an interesting conversation about bathroom sanitation and how clean your hands get after washing them in public bathrooms. For owners of restaurants, clean and sanitary bathrooms are a must. Before purchasing any sort of products, it is important to ensure you are getting quality products that will keep the customers healthy and germ-free. Having an unpleasant experience in a bathroom due to unsanitary conditions is a turn off for many people and could lead to that customer never returning again. Don't leave that up to chance and research products before purchasing them. Check out our selection of janitorial products to ensure your bathrooms are kept clean.