Category: Blog

This blog was written by a 3rd party source to give our readers a different point of view.

Good to see everyone back for part two. Lets dive right into Myth Number Three.

Myth Number Three – “Hand Dryers are More Expensive than Paper Towels.”

In the article “Blowing Hot Air? Five Myths About Hand Dryers Debunked” by president of Excel Dryer Inc. Denis Gagnon he points out “Hand dryers are a one time purchase; once installed they require considerably less attention than paper towel dispensers. Unlike paper, which can cost $15-$30 or more per case, the energy costs of using a hand dryer amount to pennies per day.” It seems logical that a company trying to save money would install a hand dryer. Even though dryers may require larger upfront cost- money is saved in the long run when the company no longer has to purchase paper towel. This generates a positive ripple effect as staff can then spend less time cleaning up and refilling the paper towels.

Myth Number Four – “Paper Towels are Better for the Environment Than Hand Dryers”

The theory behind this myth comes from hand dryers using electricity as opposed to paper towel, which seemingly uses none.  I feel this is an easily debunked myth. In the bathroom you can’t see how much energy went into making the paper towel. However, behind the scenes many resources were used to get the paper to that point. “Although paper towels do not consume electricity in their use, they consume a great deal of energy to be fabricated in the first place…there are also the well-documented environmental costs of paper fabrication; deforestation, pollution and contaminated sediments in nearby sources of water, air pollution from pulp and paper mills, and solid waste production.” The amount of electricity used by a hand dryer that only runs when needed does not outweigh the environmental costs of paper towel.

Myth Number Five – “Hand Dryers are Difficult to Install and Maintain”

This could be a subjective myth as every installer is different as is every model. However, “Many modern models are instead surface-mounted and can be installed at various designated heights quite easily. Quality dryer models do not require much mechanical attention or repair to work properly.” Meaning one doesn’t have to cut a large hole in the wall and hire a hand dryer maintenence department to watch over them. “As long as you choose a vendor with good customer service, installing and maintaining dryers should not present much of a problem.” It’s always good to keep in mind that as time passes and technology improves popular myths need to be reexamined.

This blog was written by a 3rd party source to give our readers a different point of view.

These days many commercial bathrooms have hand dryers. Without question, hand dryers will continue to be added to more and more bathrooms in the future. This seems to be the way public opinion is headed as people become more conscious of germs and protecting the environment. However, there are still myths about hand dryers floating around in the public consciousness.  I’d like to tackle five of these myths examined in the article “Blowing Hot Air? Five Myths about Hand Dryers Debunked” written by Denis Gagnon president of Excel Dryer Inc. and inventor of the Xlerator hand dryer. The article in its entirety can be found publicly at http://www.handdryersvspapertowels.com/Resources/ExcelDryerXlerator/Hand%20Dryers%205%20Myths-Web.pdf

Myth Number One: – “Hand dryers are not sanitary.”

This is an argument I have not heard before and I was interested to read more about this myth. In 1993 an unpublished study funded by the Association of Makers of Soft Tissue Papers (truly there is an association for every line of work) concluded “…that hand dryers dramatically increased bacteria counts.” In 1994 Dr. Syed Saatar from the University of Ottawa discredited the 1993 study in his paper “Bacteria on Washed and Dried Hands: A Critical Review of two Unpublished Reports from the University of Westminster.” Dr. Saatar found the study had  “Certain flaws in the methodology that compromised its value.”   This supports a study conducted in 1990, which found “That the interior of a hand dryer is dry, and constantly heated, creating a poor environment for the propagation of microorganisms.” The study goes on to state “The interior of a dryer has bacteria counts two to four times lower than other surfaces in the bathroom…” In the end this myth was debunked by science. Like all myths though they tend to take on a life of their own. The next myth is definitely a popular one.

Myth Number Two: – “Hand dryers don’t dry hands effectively.”

This was an issue with older hand dryer models that didn’t dry hands in a reasonable amount of time. “The ineffectiveness of typical hand dryers lies in a flawed design of most early models, and those flaws continue in many existing dryers today.” These early hand dryers took a long time to evaporate the water on the hands and people were frustrated. “The idea was that a warm steady stream of air would evaporate the water on hands, much as a hair dryer dries hair.” This of course takes time that people in the bathroom were not willing to spend when drying off with a paper towel was quicker. Excel Dryer Inc. developed the Xlerator to combat this issue. Excel “…developed a more focused streamlined nozzle that would direct high-velocity air at the hands, blowing away the loose droplets and breaking up the layer of water vapor between the air and the skin, allowing it to evaporate more quickly.” Fortunately I’ve seen this more efficient hand dryer in many public bathrooms. Now our hands can dry in 10-15 seconds as opposed to several minutes.

The norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes severe gastrointestinal distress. It occurs when someone touches a contaminated item like a counter top, money, etc. and then puts their hand or fingers in their mouth. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends washing hands with soap and water to prevent norovirus spread. According to the article “Proper Hand Washing, Including Drying, Helps Combat Norovirus” at www.cleanlink.com proper hand drying is just as important as proper hand washing techniques. “A Mayo Clinic study determined that because bacteria is more likely to be transmitted from wet skin than dry skin, proper hand drying after washing should be an integral part of the hand hygiene process.” I feel this is important to know and think about next time we are washing our hands in the bathroom. In many public bathrooms I’ve witnessed individuals wipe there hands briefly on their pants or wave their hands around to shake some water droplets off. That’s not good enough. The soap and water doesn’t remove all of the bacteria from your hands. Drying is critical to removing the optimal level of bacteria and preventing illness.  The article goes on to discuss how drying hands thoroughly with paper towel reduces bacteria on palms by up to 77 percent. What if an automatic hand dryer can take bacteria removal to the next level?

One example of a hand dryer on the market that takes bacteria removal seriously is the Dyson Airblade. Let’s look at the all new and improved Dyson Airblade dB or Dyson AB14.  It’s much improved from the original Dyson Airblade as it operates 50% quieter and moves air at 420 MPH.  You place your hands inside of this model so it is touch less and it dries hands more thoroughly than paper towel. The hand dryer “Wipes the surface of the hands dry with a high-velocity sheet of air in 12 seconds.” Both sides of the hands are dried simultaneously. This dryer does not require hands to be rubbed together which brings more bacteria to the skin’s surface. Bacteria is further reduced since the Airblade dryer has a HEPA filter that removes 99.97% of bacteria from the air before blowing it on your hands.  This hand dryer eliminates the need to rub wet hands together and cleans the air before it reaches said hands. Once we’ve all washed our hands we need to also realize the importance of drying them. Wet hands still have many bacteria on them. Proper hand drying is key to not spreading disease and a good automatic hand dryer is an ideal way to dry hands thoroughly and quickly.

Another example of a hygienic hand dryer is the all new ExtremeAir CPC.  This hand dryer does not need filters as it uses cold plasma clean technology which sanitizes hands safely (and surrounding air) without any chemicals.  In fact, CPC technology kills E. Coli, C. Diff, MRSA, Staph, TB, and more on and around your hands naturally, without chemicals.  It is the only dryer that kills small viruses and microbes, including bacteria, while creating a purifying bubble of air  Cold plasma or bipolar ionization is nature’s way of cleaning the air and killing germs. High levels of ionization are found in the fresh air breeze off the ocean or on top of a mountain. CPC technology is natural and safe.

The Excel Dryer Xlerator Hand Dryer can also be equipped with an optional HEPA kit.  This HEPA kit purifies the air before the air reaches hands making it one of the most hygienic hand dryers available today.  The Xlerator is 100% USA made and offers a quality US build that is hard to come by in any industry.  At ProDryers, we stand behind this hand dryer with 100% confidence and can honestly make the claim that after several years of selling 500+ per month, we have had less than 10 warranty claims.  The quality of this hand dryer is absolutely amazing.  We suggest the most popular hand dryer, the Excel Dryer XL-BW.  The HEPA kit can be added if desired but even without it, the dry time is amazing at 10-15 seconds and damp germ-spreading hands will never be a problem again.

Just a few reasons why it’s time to use hand dryers and drop the paper towels:

1. Save Trees (Trees Provide Oxygen, Shade, Shelter to Animals and Important Insects, and Much More)
2. Save Resources Like Oil Used to Transport Paper
3. Save Landfill Space
4. Reduce Restroom Clutter
5. Reduce Vandalism Such as Clogged Toilets Stuffed with Paper Towel
6. Increase Customer Experiences
7. Save on Paper Towel Costs
8. Kill Germs (ExtremeAir CPC)
9. Save Water (20,000 Gallons of Water are Polluted to Make Just 1 Ton of Paper Towels)