You know those wimpy hand driers at your local public restrooms?  They just do not seem to get your hands dry. Intended to reduce paper waste, they instead waste a tremendous amount of energy since you would have to use them at least twice to get your hands dry. 

Indeed the traditional hand dryer has not changed much for over 60 years.  Dyson has just developed a brand new hand dryer that they claim if faster, cleaner, and more efficient than what we are used to.

Dubbed the Airblade the drier forces air at over 400 mph through a 0.3 mm gap, which Dyson clams, works just like a blade that wipes the water of your hands.  It’s powered by a motor that consumes 83% less energy than a conventional hand dryer.   

The Airblade also improves on the sanitary aspects of the hand drying process. Our current hand dryers suck in the bacteria filled air around you heats it up and spits it back out on your hands.  From there the water from your hands and bacteria from the air usually ends up on your shoes, the floor, or on the walls.  The Airblade uses a HEPA filter to remove bacteria and mold from the bathroom air that it sucks in.  It also collects and traps the water from your hands and passes it through an iodine resin micro filter and sterilized then it is released into the bathroom as a small mist. 

You should be able to test the Dyson Airblade in public restrooms in Europe. It’s unclear when these dryers will reach the United States, but if any of you European EcoGeeks come across the new Dyson Airblade, tell us what you think about it.