20 Eye-Opening Medical Facts That You Should Keep In Your Mind

12. Using paper towels to dry your hands decreases bacterial count by 45 to 60 percent whereas using a hand dryer increases it by 255 percent.

When researchers tried to count the number of bacteria in both cases they were in for a surprise. When hands are dried using a dryer, there is no guarantee that whatever bacteria is on your hand would go for sure, especially if they are poorly washed. Whereas when you use a paper or cloth towel, the force and friction is likely to dislodge and remove the bacteria from your hands. Most times this is not a problem because the surface of our skin contains quite a lot of them and our immune system is equipped to deal with it. They also, in a way, act as a protective barrier preventing other harmful bacteria from staying on the skin.