Are Electric Hand Dryers Better for the Environment?

Hand dryers are one of the most important washroom amenities that anyone running a washroom will need to provide, and they can come in the form of simple paper towels, or in the form of electric hand dryers. There are also different types of electric hand dryers, however- but which type of dryer is better for the environment?

Types of Hand Dryer

Paper Towels

Paper towels are still an incredibly popular method of hand drying across many washrooms all over the world. With hand drying, the most important part of being hygienic is to come away from the dryer with your hands completely dry- as this is what helps prevent the spread of bacteria and germs. Whilst paper towels are very effective at this, however; the amount of waste products they produce once used makes them one of the more environmentally unfriendly methods of hand drying.

Push-button Hand Dryers

These are the traditional hand dryers that most washroom users are familiar with. You simply push a button to start the dryer. Although they are relatively inexpensive and can be seen as the standard hand dryer of choice in a lot of places, some low-power models can take up to a minute to dry hands, thus consuming more energy than may be necessary. This dryer type is most frequently available as a blow down hand dryer.

Automatic Hand Dryers

Automatic hand dryers, as implied by the name, start automatically when users hold their hands near them. This eliminates the need to touch the potentially bacteria-ridden surface of the dryer, as well as being more energy efficient because they stop automatically when the hands pull away from the dryer. Like with push-button dryers, however, the lower-power models can take users quite a while to dry their hands completely, which means that they can be very energy wasteful when compared to the next type of electric hand dryer.

High-speed Hand Dryers

To address concerns with the energy use and time drawbacks with traditional hand dryers, manufacturers have also developed higher-speed dryers, such as the Dyson Airblade, which can dry hands in just under 30 seconds. The main drawback to these types of dryer, is that they cost more than traditional dryers and because they are so powerful, they tend to be noisier; which could add some unwanted noise pollution to your washroom environment.

However, in terms of which electric hand dryer is best for the environment; the answer is High-Speed Dryers like the Dyson Airblade. With a dry time of just under 10 seconds, touch-free operation and a HEPA filter that removes 99.9% of bacteria; high-speed hand dryers are some of the most hygienic dryers around with some of the shortest dry-times available, making them some of the best electric hand dryers you can get.

To conclude this article, when looking for hand dryers for your washroom that are environmentally friendly, your best bet is to find a high speed, automatic electric hand dryer with a low dry-rate. If you were interested in viewing our range of hand dryers, including our range of blade hand dryers, you can view all of our Hand Dryer products here.