We all know that public bathrooms aren't usually the most hygienic of places, and most of us will take the time to be extra vigilant when it comes to washing and drying our hands if we find ourselves needing to use one in a pinch.
But did you know that even the hand dryers in public bathrooms spread bacteria?
That's the claim made by one doctor on TikTok, who said you should always avoid using hand dryers if you can - because they're "disgusting".
The doctor, from the US, made a video after seeing a viral clip of a woman who put her hair inside a Dyson Airblade hand dryer in order to mimic the current trend of getting perfect hair curls from one of Dyson's other products, the Airwrap.
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But the doctor, who posts under the username @madmedicine, claimed using the dryers are a bad idea, as he said studies have shown they spread more bacteria than the traditional paper towel method of drying your hands.
He said: "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but those hand dryers in public restrooms are extremely disgusting.
"There have been actual studies done on those hand dryers to see if they spread bacteria. And spoiler alert - they're going to spread more bacteria compared to just using towels."
Commenters on the video were split by the doctor's claims, as while some agreed that they would never use hand dryers again, others defended Dyson for being one of the cleanest options out there thanks to the use of HEPA filters which help to filter the air before it makes contact with your skin.
One person wrote: "I never use them. I’d rather wipe my hand with my shirt."
While another said: "That's why I never use them."
But someone else disagreed, writing: "This video is wrong. Those studies also show that filtered dryers, like the Dyson, are much cleaner than unfiltered dryers."
"The air that comes out is clean. The germs they 'spread' are those already on the hand. So it makes no difference to the user", a fourth commented.
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