History of Hand Dryers

June 23, 2021 Richard Dawood

The first Hand dryer was patented in 1921. It was made by Airdry Corporation of New York and was sold as a built-in unit or as a freestanding unit. The hand dryer was first introduced in 1948 by George Clemens, the founder of World Dryer. In 1993, a new type of hand dryer called the Jet Towel was introduced.

How much Costs can A Hand Dryer reduce overall? Or is it cheaper to use than Paper towels?

Hand dryers are very popular in industries or supermarkets, malls, big restaurants wanting to cut costs. Our Vortex™️ Hand Dryers can cut costs by up to 95%.

Hand dryers require very little maintenance and are more energy-efficient than paper towels.

Costs are typically based on the kWh cost of the facility and are not always accurate. To compare costs accurately, divide the energy consumption by the number of dry times the hand dryer can perform.

Costs are always relative to the kilowatt-hour cost of electricity that the facility is billed by its provider. Generally, this is around $0.224 - $0.338 in Australia. Are Hand Dryers eco-friendly?

Due to the reduction in waste and litter, hand dryers are claimed to be more eco-friendly. However, studies reveal that the majority of their environmental impact occurs during the production and consumption of the towels.

A World Dryer study claimed that 102 hand dryers in public schools in Kansas annually saved about 34.5 tons of solid waste and 587 trees. A study conducted by the same organization in the state of Iowa showed that the same equipment reduced the state's solid waste by 10.5 tons.

The proper drying of the hands is an integral part of the hygiene process.

Both the WHO and the CDC have emphasized the importance of regularly washing your hands and drying them thoroughly after using them. The WHO and the CDC also noted that the spread of diseases, like coronavirus, can be prevented through these simple steps. Other studies suggest that paper towels are more hygienic than air-powered hand dryers. This conclusion was made after examining the hygienic qualities of paper towels in public toilets. The study, which was conducted in 2008, compared the levels of hygiene offered by different paper towels and hand dryers. It found that the former provided the best results. After washing and drying hands with warm-air and jet-air dryers, the number of bacteria on the fingers and palms increased by 25% and 42% respectively. After using a paper towel to dry and wash hands, the total number of bacteria on the fingers and palms was reduced by up to 77% back in 2008.

Now if you look at the current technology this has been decreased to a great extent an individual study in 2020, found that drying hands effectively have reduced up to 80% of the total bacteria in the fingers.

And, in the pandemic, it was good to have a good quality Automatic hand dryer to maintain hygiene standards and being aware of the things you touch. The technology has come a long way and it is safe to say that hand dryers are safe and easy to use. Reference Ozwashroom