Is it more environmentally friendly to use a hand-dryer or paper towels to dry hands after using a bathroom?

Question

Is it more environmentally friendly to use a hand-dryer or paper towels to dry hands after using a bathroom?

Answer 1

Best use towels as hand dryers are only sucking in the air in the bathroom,heating it up and blowing it on to your hands!Atomised toilet water from a flush can reach a 20 metre radius so think about some of that in your hand dryer!!!

Answer 2

if you dont mind looking like a pratt its more environmentally friendly to run around waving your arms about like a human windmill untill they dry.

Answer 3

Blowers because the energy used is still not comparable to the energy it takes to grow trees, cut them, manufacture them and ship them  (not to mention the landfill space which produces heat to an ever warming planet)_

Answer 4

we're not talking about blowing around pathogens-

as was noted, the energy to blow dry you hands is significantly less than the energy to manufacturer, ship and dispose of paper towels

Answer 5

energy in using a hand-dryer is the same as making paper towels what percentage of recycled paper goes into making of paper towel I do-not know           although their would be no need to plant trees other than on nature reserves if they didn't have their uses why not just shake your hands dry ?

Answer 6

paper towls because they get recycled

Answer 7

Neither. you should use just normal cloth hand towels.  the paper towel wastes trees and the hand dryer wastes electricity.

Answer 8

Why don't you use a cloth or just a tawl ?

Answer 9

wipe them on your pants

Answer 10

go for hand dryer :)

paper towels = tree is chopped down + involves high amount of electricity consumed by the factory + packaging + transportation of goods + taxes + landfill spaces used up + short lifespan of product + improper use and wastage of paper towel

hand dryer = large amount electricity is needed + expensive + long lifespan BUT no trees is chopped down, no transportation and packaging and taxes etc :D

Answer 11

Why use either? Whatever happened to ordinary terry towels?

Even public bathrooms can use those cotton roll towels. Why waste electricity? Why kill trees for waste paper?

Answer 12

Why bother with either?   Just wipe them on your jeans, or let them air dry.  No electricity, no dead trees.