We take for granted the technology developed by
manufacturers of public bathrooms supplies. Most public bathrooms are fitted
with at least one automatic device. One of the oldest inventions that still is
used to this day is the hand blower. I use that term hand blower versus
referring to it as a dryer because the original models were strong enough to
heat a small room, dry a person's hair or dry out damp clothing! This turbo
powered blowing is what the first machines were well known for.
Image Credit: Americandryer.com
At first it was assumed that these dryers were more sanitary
than using disposable paper towels. Eventually it was discovered that this
strong blast of air was actually helping to spread germs into the air and onto
surfaces in the restroom. Once these test results put a damper on the automatic
hand dryer's reputation, they set to work to improve upon their design.
First, study shows that after washing hands with
non-alcoholic soap and then drying with a warm air dryer, only 9% of bacteria
remained, but 20% remained when drying with cloth and 13% with paper. Clearly,
among these methods, the dryer is the most hygienic way. Yet, touch free dryer
can futures reduce the chance of bacteria transferring to you. Also, study also
shows that bacteria are found in unused papers towels, especially those
recycled ones since they are made with mixed materials.
Second, when it comes to price, people always think that
paper towel is cheaper than hand dryers at the first glance. But, that is
totally wrong. Because buying a dryer is a onetime cost, however, paper towel
requires endless repurchasing process plus the labor cost for changing paper
when they are out and the maintenance/stocking cost. Let's say that the average
usage of a public bathroom is 200 people per day, then, paper towel will cost
$2.4 while high speed hand dryer will only cost less than 8 cent. (Based on the
average price of a tissue is 0.6 cent and people use two tissues to dry their
hand while the electricity cost 10.2 cent for 1KWh) By using high speed hand
dryers, you can save about $850, which means that the breakeven time for buying
a hand dryer is within a year.
Finally, carbon footprint/energy consumption. Do you know
that in order to produce one ton of paper towel, 3.5 tons of wood is needed?
And, the pulping production may cause a mixture of chlorine and other chemicals
(depending on the bleaching materials used) which then turn into toxic
chemicals. These chemicals could cause skin cancer and even affect immune
system. Besides, paper towels can NOT be recycled. It is one time use only.
This explains why 40% off trash in US land filed contains paper products. On
the other hand, hand dryer keeps improving and is being more and more energy
efficient now. Traditional dryers use about 2200 watts but high speed dryers
use an average of 1300 watts only.
Before you consider buying these dryers, be sure to look
into the power requirement, durability, warranty, and mounting style. These
traits are some of the things that will help you choose the best dryers
available. Some hand dryers excel more than others so it is wise to compare and
contrast before you buy.
One of the best electric hand dryers available today is
manufactured by Bobrick Washroom Equipment Inc. The company manufactures
quality washroom equipment, not only for North America, but also for other
countries in the world. They also manufacture other equipment such as shower
dispensers and bathroom partitions. For more info visit http://www.americandryer.com
No comments:
Post a Comment