3 reasons why hand dryers are becoming the No 1 choice for hand drying

A new report, publicised here, has shown that the hand dryer market is set to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.29% between 2017 and 2021.  Compared to the 3.61% growth anticipated for paper towel dispenses in the same period, it shows that for hand drying methods, the hand dryer is fast becoming the number 1 choice.  This post will discuss 3 reasons why this may be apparent.

1. Costs

When buying a hand dryer, it may seem like a big outlay at the start, however once the purchase has been made the savings when compared to other hand drying methods can be substantial.  For low use (less than 100 uses a day) you can get very good performing and energy efficient hand dryers for between £100 – £150. Commercial properties such as offices can run 4 hand dryers like the stylish Stealthforce Plus for as little as £100 a year, compared to over £1000 spent on paper towels a year (based on office of 100 people using 4 hand dryers) Businesses can also make substantial savings by making use of purchasing hand dryers that are on the Energy Technology List (ETL)

Once installed, there is no waste to dispose of or repeated changing of towels like you get with other hand drying methods, which all adds up the costs when factored into facilities management.

2. Environmental

Environment concerns are rightly so becoming a factor in consumer purchasing decisions.  The associated carbon footprint of disposing of paper alone has a massive impact on the environment.

Businesses and schools alike can benefit greatly from switching to energy efficient hand dryers, which are now becoming common place rather than purchasing the energy consuming, slow to dry conventional hand dryers that rely on the heat to evaporate the water rather than blasting the water away with a high speed airflow.  Some modern hand dryers do come with a heater element included, however they usually have the option to disengage the element or have fast dry times which negates the energy use.  The heat in these units is there purely as comfort on the hands rather than a benefit to the dry time.

Of course, with the increase in speed comes an elevation in noise which is not always desirable.  This is discussed in the section below.

3. Solutions are being provided to previous challenges to the hand dryer market

Dry speeds:

Ok, so you see on some manufacturers websites that their hand dryer will dry your hands in 5-10seconds.  In reality, and we have tested them, there are only a handful of hand dryers that can truly dry the hands in around 10-15 seconds.  Consumers want to dry their hands as quickly as possible and a paper towel can achieve this. The hand dryer industry is providing products that can certainly provide the 10-15 second dry times to ensure customer satisfaction (again be wary of false claims). 

The ones that we know provide the best dry times at maximum settings include the New Dyson V HU02 (12 secs), eXtremeAir GXT (11 Secs), Turboforce (12 secs), JetDri MK2 (14 secs) and Machflow (14 seconds)

So, our advice is to find a hand dryer that can be shown to truly produce the fastest dry times available and then the issue of hand dryer efficacy over other methods cannot come into question.

Noise:

With an increase in the speed of the motor comes an elevation in noise levels as the increase in air volume is apparent.  Manufacturers have become aware of this, especially with standards such as the Quiet Mark championing consumer needs for quieter electrical appliances.  The paper towel is of course silent but comes with other issues discussed above.

Dyson have revolutionised their V Airblade model.  Not only does The Dyson V HU02 provide extremely fast dry times of 12 seconds, the Dyson scientists have come up with ways to make it one of the quietest hand dryers in its class. This sleek, high performing, popular hand dryer is one of the best in the business and Dyson are continually developing ways to keep it that way.

Others in this category that certainly are worth a look include the American Dryer eXtremeAir GXT, the Dryflow Elite MK2 and the Dryflow Classic Plus MK2.  The eXtremeAir GXT is one of the most manually adjustable hand dryers on the market.  It can have its motor speed turned down to produce Quiet Mark accredited levels and still provide dry times of around 23 seconds at just 300W rated power at this setting without the heater element engaged.  Still a great performance when compared to conventional hand dryers of around 35-35 seconds’ dry times with high energy consumptions.  The beauty of this hand dryer is that you can install the same hand dryer throughout a building like a university, and fine tune the motor to the area.  Eg. next to libraries it can be turned right down, but left at maximum settings in areas like canteens where footfall is high and speed of traffic flow is of the essence.

The Dryflow Elite MK2 and Dryflow Classic PLUS have been built with quiet yet good performance in mind.  A quiet dry time of around 20 seconds means that these units really hold their own in the quiet hand dryer category at around 70dB.  Again, most manufactures will state a decibel level from 1m away from the hand dryer.  These 2 units keep their quiet sound levels even when the hands are placed under the airflow when in use.

With every drop in motor speed you are going to get a reduction in performance, this is inevitable at the moment.  However, the above show that there are great hand dryers available that tick the energy saving, fast drying tick boxes yet are not too loud on the ear drums.

Hygiene:

This is a constant area of contention between the paper towel manufacturers and the hand dryer manufacturers; which is the most hygienic method of hand drying and why?  Well, models such as the Dyson V HU02 and Dyson Airblade AB14, include scientifically tested, premium quality HEPA filtration and antibacterial materials that go a long way in providing a very hygienic drying experience.  The American Dryer eXtremeAir CPC, with its Cold Plasma Clean technology, is also hitting back with a strong case in the debate.

The fact remains that no matter what method you use to dry your hands, the key prerequisite to correct hand hygiene is that you thoroughly wash them with soap and water.  The drying part should then just do what it is supposed to do and that is dry the hands.  Completely dry hands give less of a breeding ground for germs and mean choosing a hand dryer that actually does this is a main priority.

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