Service Life
It is a safe bet that equipment and fixtures will likely not last as long as the building itself, meaning that they will need to be repaired or replaced either by need or desire at some point. Planning for a service life that is as long as possible not only keeps costs under control, it contributes to the long term durability and sustainability of the restroom and the building. Most equipment is manufactured for a specific number of uses, meaning that a high frequency of use in a high traffic restroom (e.g., airports, schools, etc.) will use up the planned number of uses quicker, thus creating a shorter service life. Selecting equipment that is suited to its level of use will obviously maximize the time that it remains in service before needing to be replaced. A contributing factor to longevity is the ability of the equipment to resist corrosion since restrooms create conditions that can corrode unprotected materials. Therefore, any equipment or fixtures need to be manufactured to resist this corrosion in order to operate properly over time without premature failure. Finally, certain restroom environments are prone to vandalism for whatever reason. Recognizing that reality and selecting equipment with features that can slow or deter vandalism will certainly contribute to the continued use and operation of equipment without premature disruption.

The above design parameters and criteria form a general basis that is applicable to the overall restroom design and its individual parts. One aspect of the design is worthy of particular attention due to its impact on both facility operations and green building principles—hand drying.

Hand Drying Options

Everyone who uses a sink in a restroom needs and wants to dry their hands conveniently and effectively at the same time. Traditionally there have been two options available to designers for this function: paper towels or traditional air dryers. More recently, however, a third option has emerged with growing popularity, namely the use of high-speed, energy-efficient air dryers. Each of these three choices is discussed in more detail below:

Paper Towels
Commonly considered as popularly preferred among restroom users, paper hand towels are usually quite unpopular with restroom cleaning staff and facility managers. The reasons have to do with the need to dispose of them after use, then to continually replenish them, and the resultant ongoing costs of that disposal and replenishment. From a green operations and management standpoint, it should be noted that they have an inherent flaw. While they can be purchased with a respectable amount of recycled content, they typically are not eligible in most communities for then being recycled again. Instead, they must be sent to the waste stream either for incineration or placement in a landfill, both of which are preferred to be avoided. According to the US EPA, it is estimated that approximately 3,000 tons of tissues and paper towels end up in US landfills every day. That equates to as many as 51,000 trees per day to replace the number of paper towels that are discarded daily. The embedded energy and resources in the paper towels is also significant with each ton of paper produced typically requiring on the order of 7,000 gallons of water, 360 gallons of oil and 158 million BTUs to produce.

From a practical standpoint, paper towels present other issues as well. Containers to hold the waste towels need to be designed into the restroom layout so they are conveniently accessed by users, but not subject to abuse. Maintenance staff will require ready access to retrieve those containers and empty them of course, but also to keep them clean since this is now the repository for bacteria and germs wiped from the hands of users. The timing of the maintenance activities needs to coincide with the actual usage level too, since it is quite common for trash receptacles to overflow with paper towels creating not only an unsightly situation but an unsanitary one. In addition, the very presence of paper towels sometimes invites unwanted use and activity causing clogged toilets and sinks. This creates further maintenance and monitoring issues that detract from other duties.

Regarding budgeting, a number of simple studies have been performed to look at the cost of using paper towels. To purchase the paper towels, whether in roll or folded form, most facility managers pay on the order of 1 to 2 cents apiece. Consider that the typical user takes an average of 2.5 towels per visit meaning that every 100 daily users consumes 250 towels costing $2.50 to $5.00 or over $1,000 per year. A high use setting such as a university campus could well have 40,000 daily restroom visits across multiple buildings and restrooms. Even if the paper towel cost per visit were only 1 cent, that would add up to $400 per day and for the days the university is in operation could cost on the order of $75,000 per year or more. Add the cost of delivering the clean towels to the restrooms plus removing and disposing of the used ones, and the full cost is much higher. These are significant dollar amounts that could readily be spent on other maintenance items no doubt.

In short, the use of paper towels for hand drying has significant implications not only on the restroom design, but also on the ongoing operation and maintenance of the restroom. Further, their environmental impact is notable in terms of materials and waste management and the embedded resources used to create them.

Traditional Air Dryers
Recognizing the limitations of paper towels and seeking to eliminate the waste and cost they embody, electric hand dryers that use heated air have been in use for decades. These manufactured pieces of restroom equipment have been developed to be reliable and long lasting with durable components and materials that have proven to hold up to the rigors of many restroom settings. Manufacturers typically point out that these standard hand dryers boast long motor life and quiet sound design that are suitable for high traffic facilities needing vandal resistant features. They are offered in models that satisfy handicapped accessibility requirements by being recessed into the wall. And in the interest of hygienic operation, they are offered in touchless sensor operation models in addition to the classic push button version.

As many people have observed, however, their inherent strengths come at the cost of some limitations too. From a user standpoint, they don’t dry hands as quickly as paper towels, sometimes taking up to 30 seconds to achieve satisfactory dryness. In locations where both paper towels and traditional hand dryers are offered, both will likely be used as a result. From the standpoint of the building owner or manager, they consume energy, sometimes more than desired. The blower fan is one source of energy consumption but so too is the electric heating coil, the combination of which can require on the order of 2,300 watts and a dedicated 20 amp circuit. Further, while these units will have ingress ratings using the IP codes, they are often not rated for finger protection and only minimally for water infiltration.

Overall, traditional air hand dryers serve certain situations quite well when use is limited, durability and vandal resistance are paramount, and paper towels are meant to be avoided. They come with limitations though related to the time it takes to dry hands and the amount of energy they use in the process. Nonetheless, they have set the stage for the next generation of air hand dryers that are overcoming some of these limitations while garnering even more benefits.

High-Speed, Efficient Air Dryers
The emergence of high speed air hand dryers has changed the way many people think about alternatives that can eliminate the waste and cost of paper towels while still meeting user satisfaction. In the process, manufacturers have responded to the need for greater energy efficiency and customization of products to suit different restroom situations.

Compared to their traditional hand-drying predecessors (left), high-speed energy-efficient hand dryers (right) are a preferred choice due to their shortened drying times, greater energy efficiency, and contemporary exterior appearance. Photo courtesy of World Dryer, Inc.