Hand Drying 101

Last year the big news was that frequent handwashing with plain ol' soap and water is the best defense against germs.  But today, a new study released in the Journal of Applied Microbiology (Snelling et al.)  tells us that how we dry our hands matters, too.  So what should we do?  If you're given the option, the best method of hand drying is to use paper towels.
In the study, Snelling and her team looked at bacterial counts after drying with paper towels, traditional hand dryers, and a newer type of dryer that uses high velocity jets to dry hands faster than the traditional model. They also compared the use of hand dryers while either rubbing the hands together or keeping them still. Interestingly -- not at all what I would have thought -- rubbing the hands while using any type of dryer counteracted the initial reduction of germs from handwashing.  Apparently,  bacteria from deeper within the skin were brought to the surface. (Hand washing reduces the number of bacteria on the skin, but does not completely eliminate it. Keep in mind here that our bodies are naturally covered in commensal bacteria that are not harmful to us.  It's the bacteria we come in contact with, say, after touching raw meat, that we really worry about).
To get back to the results, though, the reduction of bacteria was the same for all types of dryers when the hand washers did not rub their hands.  And, of course, they found that the best way to keep bacterial counts low is to dry hands with paper towels. 
So...
1)  Wash hands with soap and warm water -- lather and scrub -- long enough to get through the entire alphabet song.
2)  Rinse hands well.
3)  Dry your hands -- until they're completely dry -- with a paper towel.  And for those times you have to use a hand dryer, avoid rubbing your hands.