A hand dryer is an electric machine which might make use of a heating element and an air blower to dry the hands after hand washing . It is commonly used in public toilets as a cost-effective alternative to paper towels .
31-617: Dyson Airblade is an electric hand dryer made by the Singapore -based company Dyson , found in public bathrooms across the United Kingdom. It was introduced in the United Kingdom in 2006 and in the United States in late 2007. In 2013 the Airblade Tap was launched, which incorporates Airblade technology into a bathroom faucet enabling washing and drying in a single unit. Instead of using
62-472: A careful cost analysis to determine whether they are cost effective in their building. Costs are always relative to the kWh cost that the facility is charged by its provider. In the UK, this will typically be around 10–12p, the only way to compare costs accurately is to work out the rated energy consumption and divide it by the number of drys the hand dryer is capable of performing back to back in one hour, which will give
93-441: A company may spend $ 2340.00 per year on paper towels, where as the hand dryer expenditure would be as low as $ 14.00 per year—this will vary according to the cost of paper towels and electricity). They require very little maintenance compared to paper towels, which must be replaced. An added benefit is the removal of the paper waste. Hand dryers represent a larger initial investment, so those responsible for facility management must do
124-526: A hand dryer. Respondents overwhelmingly considered paper towels to offer faster hand drying than electric hand dryers (68% vs 14%). On the whole they also considered paper towels to be the most hygienic form of hand drying in public washrooms (53% vs. 44%). Excel Dryer Excel Dryer is an American manufacturer of hand dryers , based in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts . In the mid-1960s, they created their first hand dryer from Excel. This hand dryer
155-588: A lawsuit by competitor Excel Dryer was filed against Dyson, claiming that Dyson's advertising comparing the Airblade to the Excel Dryer Xlerator were deceptive. Dyson's advertisements stated the Xlerator produces twice as much carbon dioxide, is worse for the environment, and costs more to operate than the Airblade. Excel Dryer charged that Dyson was falsifying its comparisons by submitting a 20-second dry time for
186-562: A means to stop the spread of bacteria. Bacteria transmit more easily from wet skin than from dry skin. WHO recommends that everyone “frequently clean [their] hands…” and “dry [them] thoroughly by using paper towels or a warm air dryer.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that, “Both [clean towels or air hand dryers] are effective ways to dry hands.” A study in 2020 found that hand dryers and paper towels were both found to be equally hygienic hand-drying solutions. Other research suggests paper towels are much more hygienic than
217-406: A study conducted by TÜV Produkt und Umwelt GmBH from May 2004 to February 2005, different hand drying methods were evaluated. The following changes in the bacterial count after drying the hands were observed: Another paper found that air dryers dispersed marker bacteria in a radius of three feet (one metre) and onto the investigator's laboratory coat . Another study found that hot air dryers had
248-432: A wide jet of heated air, Dyson Airblade uses a thin layer of unheated air travelling at around 400 mph (180 m/s; 640 km/h) as a squeegee to remove water, rather than using heat to evaporate the water. The Dyson Airblade is claimed by its manufacturer to dry hands in 10 seconds and to use less electricity than conventional hand dryers. The first commercially available high-speed, horizontal-wiping air dryer
279-440: Is 69% more energy-efficient than conventional hand-dryers and 97% more cost effective than paper towels. The Airblade is cheaper to operate because it does not require hot air which greatly increases electricity consumption. The Airblade is also cheaper to operate due to decreased drying times. The Airblade V can dry off hands in 12 seconds, versus 25 for a traditional hand dryer. A comparative test found that both paper towels and
310-462: The Dyson Airblade dryer) have countered the claims presented, suggesting that the results were intentionally falsified. Many people object to the loud noise that hand dryers make. Typically, installed hand dryers make over 80 decibels of sound at a distance of 10 ft (3.0 m) while in operation. It is much louder for the user and may exceed safety limits for children whose ears are at
341-455: The Airblade dried hands quickly, achieving around 90% dryness in about ten seconds, supporting Dyson's claim of approximately ten seconds of drying time. A conventional warm air dryer took about forty-seven seconds. In the United States, Dyson worked with the NSF to become the only certified hand dryer under Protocol P335 for Hygienic Commercial Hand Dryers. The Royal Society of Public Health has given
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#1732869962016372-540: The Dyson Airblade hand dryer its first hygiene accreditation. A paper was presented at the 17th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Munich, Germany in 2007 by the University of Bradford and Dyson showing that for a set drying time of 10 seconds, the Airblade led to significantly less bacterial transfer than with the other driers ( p < 0.05). When the latter were used for longer (30–35 s)
403-479: The European Tissue Symposium, to compare the levels of hygiene offered by paper towels, warm-air hand dryers and the more modern jet-air hand dryers. The key findings were: The scientists also carried out tests to establish whether there was the potential for cross contamination of other public toilet users and the public toilet environment as a result of each type of drying method. They found that: In
434-629: The Iowa state capitol showed an annual savings of 10.5 tons of solid waste and 176 trees. However, a Dutch study published in March 1995 indicated that there was environmental parity between hand dryers and paper towels as hand drying methods when all factors were taken into consideration. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both stress the importance of frequent and thorough hand washing followed by their complete drying as
465-452: The Model A, World Dryer’s flagship model. In 1993, Mitsubishi Electric introduced a new type of hand dryer "Jet Towel"( ja:ジェットタオル ) that blows jets of air on both sides of the hand, pushing the water off rather than evaporating it. Hand dryers have been popular with industries for their apparent economies. According to manufacturers, hand dryers can cut costs by as much as 99.5% (for example
496-616: The Xlerator to the Materials Systems Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , rather than Excel Dryer's tested 12-second dry time, thus inflating energy consumption figures in the Airblade's favor. In 2014, a paper was published in the Journal of Hospital Infection (2014;88:199-206), showing that high-speed hand dryers such as the Dyson Airblade can spread large numbers of a harmless test bacteria through
527-474: The air in the vicinity. The Dyson company challenged the study with its own criticism of the methods and conclusions. Hand dryer It may either operate with the push of a button or automatically using a sensor . The earliest hand dryer was patented on June 13, 1922 by R.B. Hibbard, D. J. Watrous and J.G. Bassett as a "Dryer Machine" for the Airdry Corporation of Groton New York. This machine
558-474: The capacity to increase the bacterial count on the skin, and that paper towel drying decreased skin bacterial count. This is corroborated by another study which found that the mechanical action of paper towel drying removed bacteria, something air dryers cannot do. Doctors at the University of Ottawa claim that "the blowing of warm air may lead to an accelerated dehydration of the skin surface, thereby affecting
589-405: The electric hand dryers found in many public toilets . A review in 2012 concluded that "From a hygiene standpoint, paper towels are superior to air dryers; therefore, paper towels should be recommended for use in locations in which hygiene is paramount, such as hospitals and clinics." In 2008, a study was conducted by the University of Westminster, London, and sponsored by the paper-towel industry
620-479: The energy consumption per dry. The world's lowest energy hand dryer uses just 1 watt-hour per dry and is rated at 0.24 kW. Due to the reduction in litter and waste in comparison with paper towels, which cannot be recycled, hand dryers are claimed to be better for the environment. By eliminating the need for paper towels, hand dryer manufacturers estimate that over 5 billion paper towels from over 200,000 trees per year can be saved. Another study shows that whereas
651-530: The height of the device. Some units, however, are designed to be quieter at the cost of drying speed. The term aural diversity was coined following the findings of Prof. John Levack Drever’s study of the noise impact of high-speed hand dryers and the inadequacy of policy and guidance of acoustics. Research conducted in 2008 indicated that European consumers much prefer hand towels over hand dryers in public washrooms: 63% of respondents said paper towels were their preferred drying method, while just 28% preferred
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#1732869962016682-592: The majority of the environmental impact of a hand dryer occurs during its use, the environmental impact of paper towels is predominantly in the material production and manufacturing stages. It is estimated that hand dryers use 5% less energy than paper towels in the first year, and 20% less over five years. A World Dryer study of 102 hand dryers installed in public schools in Topeka, Kansas, claimed an annual savings of 34.5 tons of solid waste, 690,000 gallons of water, and 587 trees; another World Dryer study of 153 hand dryers in
713-556: The new model quieter than the old one. The Airblade V is a hands-under hand dryer that complies with the Americans With Disabilities Act . The Airblade Tap is a non-contact bathroom tap that both washes and dries hands. It eliminates the need to move to a separate area to dry hands, and therefore eliminates any water dripped on the floor. All three hand dryers use a new Digital Slim Motor, the Dyson V4. On 5 December 2012,
744-405: The paper towel industry the European Tissue Symposium, which suggests that use increases the amount of bacteria on the fingertips by about 42%; paper towels reduced the number of bacteria by 50 to 75%, while warm air dryers increased bacteria by 194%. The report found that "the manufacturer’s claim that the tested JAD [Airblade] is 'the most hygienic hand dryer' is confirmed ... assuming that
775-570: The term 'hand dryer' refers to electric devices only because its performance in terms of the numbers of all types of bacteria remaining on the hands of users compared to paper towels was significantly worse." In early 2013, three new models of the Dyson Airblade were introduced: the Airblade Mk. 2, the Airblade V, and the Airblade Tap. The Mk. 2 uses a similar design as the original model, but has increased jet air speed from 400–430 mph (180–190 m/s; 640–690 km/h), and new soundproofing makes
806-428: The trend was for the Airblade to still perform better; however, these results did not reach statistical significance ( p > 0.05). In addition, the study showed that rubbing hands whilst using the driers counteracted the reduction in overall bacterial numbers at all anatomical sites. Hygiene associated with the product has been questioned in research by the University of Westminster Trade Group, London and sponsored by
837-415: The viability" of the microorganisms, and that the warm air may "penetrate all the crevices in the skin, whereas absorbent towels may not reach such areas, even though the skin appears dryer". The European Tissue Symposium, a trade body, has produced a position statement on the hygiene standards of different hand drying systems. This summarises some of the scientific research undertaken. Dyson (creators of
868-503: Was Model S/RS and was stainless steel, later it became available in White and Chrome. In 1989, Excel Dryer released a Hands-Off model called HO-IL, HO-IW, and HO-IC for surface mounted and a year later, R76-IW, and R76-IC for recessed mounted. In 1997, Denis Gagnon bought the company. The company hired 3 former Rocket Scientists including Sol Aisenberg, George Freedman, and Richard Pavelle. In 2001, their first high speed hand dryer, Xlerator,
899-463: Was produced. In 2022, the company claims it dries hands in 8 seconds. Excel Dryer's products have been approved for LEED v4 credits and other green building standards. In 2015, Excel Dryer released a different hand dryer model called a ThinAir (TA-SB, or TA-ABS) and the Xlerator was modified with the New Controllers. In 2018, Excel Dryer released a hand dryer that can be installed on top of
930-467: Was sold as a built in model or freestanding floor unit that consisted of an inverted blower (much like a handheld blow dryer) that was controlled by a floor pedal. Known as "Airdry The Electric Towel", these units were used in restrooms, barbershops and factories. Airdry Corporation moved to Chicago and San Francisco in 1924 to centralize their distribution. The hand dryer was later popularized in 1948 by George Clemens, who founded World Dryer and invented
961-580: Was the Mitsubishi Jet Towel, developed since 1991 and introduced in 1993. It has been available in the United States since 2005. There are several technical differences among electric hand dryers, such as airspeed, water containment, energy efficiency , use of heat, type of filter, motor lifespan, and power usage. The same technology is used by Dyson in the Air Multiplier fan to create a cooling air stream for personal comfort. The Dyson Airblade