What To Consider Before Purchasing Hand Dryers

This is part three of a manufacturer roundtable addressing some of the top questions facility cleaning executives have about hand dryers.

Sam Bernard
Global Category Director
Dyson Professional

William Gagnon
Vice President of
Marketing & Sales
Excel Dryer, Inc.

Dan Storto
President
World Dryer

How can hand dryers contribute to a facility’s green/sustainable initiatives?

Bernard: Hand dryers can produce significantly less carbon dioxide per dry than other hand drying methods (our hand dryers produce up to 76% less CO2 than paper towels) and they don’t produce any waste during use. Paper towels need transportation, storage and then removal and disposal once they’ve been used.

Gagnon: In March 2000, the U.S. Green Building Council formally released the LEED® Green Building Rating System. Today, hundreds of public and private building projects in the United States and abroad use LEED as the standard for green building specifications. All hand dryers save trees and are a great source reduction alternative, but high-efficiency dryers also save energy. Users of our original, patented, high-speed, energy-efficient dryer qualify for LEED credits in two categories: EA (Energy & Atmosphere) Prerequisite 2 - Minimum Energy Performance, and EA Credit 1 - Optimize Energy Performance (now a mandatory credit for all LEED-certified facilities).

Storto: Hand dryers can help new construction, renovation and maintenance projects quality for The U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits. Replacing paper towels with hand dryers in restrooms helps meet the critical LEED requirements of reducing the waste stream. It also creates operational cost improvements by reducing the time it takes employees to restock dispensers and clean up and dispose of the clutter paper towels leave behind.

What are the advantages to warm air hand dryers, compared to their cold air counterparts?

Bernard: Warm air hand dryers have no advantages over high-speed hand dryers without a heating element. In fact, traditional warm air dryers tend to be slower, less hygienic and use more electricity. NSF International states that a hand dryer must dry hands in 15 seconds or less in order to be considered hygienic.

Gagnon: Heated air hand dryers naturally dry hands a bit more quickly than cold air dryers. That being said, we’ve recently developed no-heat technology that dries hands in seconds while using only 500 watts and a maximum of 4.5 amps. This innovation is at the core of our newest and greenest hand dryer, the most eco-friendly high-speed hand dryer on the market today.

Storto: Often, people prefer the feeling of warm air contacting their wet hands. The heated air also expedites water removal through evaporation. However, turning off the heat in models that have that capability can save energy costs.

What are the advantages to jet air hand dryers and in what situations should they be considered for use?

Bernard: High-speed hand dryers are the most suitable type of hand dryer for all applications, because of the clear hygiene and efficiency advantages they offer over conventional hand dryers.

Gagnon: High-speed hand dryers essentially produce a more powerful, focused and effective air stream than conventional dryers. This results in shorter dry times and more efficient energy use. Further, all of our high-efficiency hand dryers come with enhanced standard features, including adjustable speed and sound, adjustable heat settings, an externally visible service LED and multi-voltage options. With all that our products offer, there is no public restroom we can imagine that would not benefit from high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryers.

What are the benefits between standard blow dryers and blade drying options?

Bernard: There is only one line of hand dryers that utilizes true blade technology. The benefits of these hand dryers revolve around hygiene, technology, design, cost savings and low environmental impact.

Gagnon: Our hand dryers have a hands-under design allowing for touch-free, hygienic hand drying. This is in stark contrast to “trough-style” blade hand dryers. Trough-style hand dryers catch and hold water blown off users’ hands, leaving pools of stagnant water where bacteria can grow. Further, their open design allows trash and other contaminants to readily collect in the trough. In a highly publicized 2016 report, investigators from the Loyola Medical Center’s Microbiology Lab found 10 of the 12 trough-style dryers tested were considered “grossly contaminated” with potentially harmful bacteria, including a pathogen that can be found in fecal matter. In addition, the investigative report stated hands were tested after being washed and again after being dried in the trough-style dryer, and half were found to be dirtier after they were dried. With a commitment to providing the most efficient, sustainable and hygienic options to consumers, Excel Dryer has not and will not manufacture a trough-style dryer.

Storto: The best choice really depends on end-user preference. Some users prefer vortex, or “hands-under” hand dryers, others prefer to place their hands in the cavity of a “hands-in” dryer.