Touch-free, Hygienic and Sustainable Hand-Drying Solutions for Commercial Restrooms
Sponsored by Dyson Inc. | By Andrew A. Hunt
There is no audio associated with this presentation.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hand washing is one of the best and easiest ways to prevent the spread of germs. Effective hand drying is an important consideration in commercial restrooms. There are two main options: disposable paper towel dispensers and hand dryers. Air knife hand dryers, which use a concentrated, flat sheet of high-velocity air to blow or scrape liquid off of wet hands, are a hygienic and sustainable option. This course will introduce the reader to air knife hand dryers and their main features and discuss how the technical components of these dryers, such as HEPA filtration, touch-free operation, and fast dry times, contribute to their hygienic performance. This course will also discuss how air knife dryers contribute to overall sustainability by reducing energy usage, carbon emissions, operational costs, and resource use, and how to select dryers with sustainability in mind. Included will be a discussion of relevant standards and certifications and how specification of hand dryers can contribute to LEED points and other green building programs. Finally, this course will address common misperceptions about air knife hand dryers and compare their performance and sustainability with paper towels.
Photo courtesy of Dyson
Dyson is a global technology company focused on solving problems others ignore. Dyson for Business provides innovative solutions to commercial spaces through their touch-free hand dryers, air purification, and cordless vacuums. Dyson Airblade™ hand dryers offer a hygienic and sustainable hand drying solution to fit a range of restrooms and help businesses save on costs, space, CO2 emissions and mess. All Dyson Airblade™ hand dryers come standard with HEPA filters, undergo rigorous testing, and are proven hygienic.
Originally published in SDM
Originally published in June 2021
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Explain how air knife hand dryers can reduce energy, carbon emissions, cost, and resource use.
- Describe how the technological components of hand dryers reduce waste, energy use, and improve their hygiene performance.
- Describe some of the common misperceptions surrounding the use of commercial hand dryers and the differences in energy consumption and waste reduction amongst hand drying solutions.
- Enumerate the sustainability advantages of air knife hand dryers over paper towels and how waste reduction can conserve natural resources.
- Discuss new safety guidelines for reopening restrooms in existing commercial spaces and protocols to follow for new builds; while earning multiple credit categories in green building programs such as WELL v2 and LEED v4.
- 1, BD+C, ID+C and O+M.
ADA State Accessibility/Barrier-Free
1 ADA State Accessibility/Barrier-Free
