Jenny's Noodle

Image credit: swinefluremedies.org

Kids are constantly being nagged told to wash their hands, but the results of a new study say the drying technique is just as important. In fact, not drying your hands properly may increase the spread of bacteria. 

"Good hand hygiene should include drying hands thoroughly and not just washing," according to Dr. Anna Snelling of Bradford University. "The most hygienic method of drying hands is using paper towels or using a hand dryer which doesn't require rubbing your hands together."

Paper towel may not be the best way to go green, but Snelling and her team found that rubbing the hands together under traditional hand dryers can actually counteract the reduction in bacterial numbers following handwashing. You've been warned.

Read the full report in the Journal of Applied Microbiology.

[via Science Daily]