What's greener - paper towels or electric hand dryers?

I've got to go with the electric hand dryer on this one.  The hand dryer uses a pretty minimal amount of energy - on the order of 15 Watt-hours per use.  That's the equivalent energy of lighting a CFL for about an hour.

In comparison, not only does a paper towel require a greater use of resources (cutting down trees, turning the raw materials into paper towels), but that process requires a significant amount of energy, and then the towels need to be transported to a store, and then to the restroom.  In comparison, after installation, the electric hand dryer is ready to go.

So the hand dryer saves on raw materials, and probably on total energy use and emissions, too.

 I've gotta go with the electric hand dryer for enviro reasons, too...but I must admit that I sometimes will choose the paper towels because they're faster to use!

I think the hand dryers are best, especially because usually what happens is that I see that there aren't towels, so I just use my jeans. Now that's conservation, ha.

I have seen air dryers that use a strong blast of air, as opposed to hot air, made by an enviro company and that would be better. This isn't an easy answer, though. Things that need to be thrown away aren't generally the best idea. But with all the eco-talk in the media these days you'd think that CO2 emissions are the only important environmental subject and so the dryer would be worse.

Personally, I run my wet hands in my hair or on my pants. I suppose we could carry our own cloth towels with us so we wouldn't have to use either.

I don't choose either because of the paper production issue and that hand dryers suck in when they shut off and then blow out all the germs that they sucked in for the next user.   I'm all for the hair or pants method or even just air drying.  I sometimes carry an EO sanitizer with me to avoid the situation all together.

Bamboo would be a good option for towels as it is naturally antibacterial, sustainable and biodegradable...but that would probably be expensive. 

What about those cloth towel things that you often find in schools?  The kind where you pull down to get a clean section of towel?  I assume the used rolls get washed and replaced.  Now to calculate the amount of energy needed to wash and dry the cloth roll... :)

I usually end up just shaking my hands gently over the sink so it doesn't look like a trout was swimming there and then dry my hands on my hair.  It helps cut down the small frizzies and since I don't use product or have a particular style, it doesn't really show.  Plus, a little water helps add some body to my otherwise dead straight hair.  :)

I also carry bandanas on a regular basis - they work great for drying, wiping, nose blowing, protecting your head in the rain, cleaning glasses, tourniquet for snake bites, camoflauge from alien attacks, tying onto a ... wait, I'm starting to sound like Douglas Adams and the towel thing...

Slate confirms that in 95% of circumstances, electric dryers are greener than paper towels.  And of course they also confirm that drying your hands off on your clothes (or hair) is the greenest option.

If you don't wash your hands to begin with you'll also save on water! ;)

I like Hand dryer...

I t is safe effective and even energy efficient.

http://www.greenoptions.com/forum/thread/321/what-s-greener-paper-towels-or-electric-hand-dryers

Between the two, I'd choose a paper towel. However at my home, my family and I use a hand cloth to dry our hands after washing.

Well, between the 2, I always choose the paper towel. Those blowers just stir up the stink that is always in those bathrooms!