Hand Drying Enters the Jet Age

The electric hand dryer was patented in 1921 by the Airdry Corporation of Groton, New York. It was described as a downward facing air blower and in reality it differed only cosmetically from the industrial equipment from which it was derived.

Its early take-up was driven by the business zeal of enterprising young Americans building the greatest economy the world had ever known. Unfortunately international depression and world war then took hold, but by the 1950s people were again embracing new technologies and the hot air hand dryer became an emblem of modernity.

Their popularity grew steadily and by the 1980s they were commonplace. The technology matured and there were few further developments until 1993 when Mitsubishi Electric introduced a new type of hand dryer. Called the Jet Towel, it blows jets of air on both sides of the hand, pushing the water off rather than evaporating it away.

This was seen to offer many advantages: it used far less power than traditional dryers; drying time was reduced from about 30 seconds to 10 seconds; water droplets and bacteria were directed straight into a drain; and noise levels were reduced.

The Jet Towel was such an instant hit in its home market of Japan that initially production could barely keep up with demand.

Introducing a radical new product like the Jet Towel to the UK market is always exciting. Initially, you are pretty much guaranteed some sales based on novelty value - there are always people who want to be different. The question is: can you build from this initial small foundation?

The second wave of Jet Towel uptake was based on the rapid drying speed. There are many installations where there is a sudden influx of people wanting to dry their hands almost simultaneously - theatres and conference centres, schools and colleges, workplaces with fixed break times, washrooms serving transit lounges, etc.

There is a significant hygiene benefit to high-speed drying in that if the dryers are busy, people are tempted to settle for partial drying and walk off with still damp hands, which can transfer bacteria to door handles, light switches, etc. Fast drying reduces the likelihood of a queue building up and the Jet Towel's integral drain ensures that bacteria are dealt with as efficiently as possible.

The quiet operation of the Mitsubishi Electric Jet Towel was also appreciated early on. In locations such as the public rooms of luxury hotels, libraries, boardrooms and restaurants, a nearby hand dryer can be very intrusive if it is noisy. The Jet Towel is whisper quiet; technically speaking it produces only 58dB-61dB, with none of the high or low frequency sounds that can be annoying or penetrating. In fact, the Jet Towel has been granted the coveted Quiet Mark Award by the Noise Abatement Society, and has even been installed in mental health counselling centres where every effort is made to maintain a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

Since the European launch of the Mitsubishi Electric Jet Towel there has been an increasing interest in energy efficiency. Prior to 2008, this was largely being driven by a desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but when the banks crashed, the emphasis shifted to cost-savings. Now with the economy growing again there is returning interest in carbon footprint reduction and continued focus on cost.

Mitsubishi Electric Jet Towel qualifies under the UK's Enhanced Carbon Allowance (ECA) scheme, and similar programmes elsewhere in the world. These promote energy efficiency by providing tax relief on the capital outlay for qualifying low-carbon products. The ECA is designed as a long-term measure to help accelerate the take-up of low energy equipment, and it or successor schemes are expected to be available for many years to come.

Not that long ago many people in the UK had never seen or used a jet-type hand dryer. Now we have gone through a stage where most people have used them at least a couple of times and are coming to appreciate their many benefits. At the same time, facilities' managers have developed an understanding of their low-cost, high-performance capabilities. The levels of awareness and interest in jet dryers is increasing rapidly, and there has been a change in vernacular vocabulary in which hot air dryers are increasingly referred to as old-fashioned.

It is inevitable that hot air dryers are replaced as they age. Many are being replaced with jet dryers, which as we have seen have many advantages. We can justifiably conclude that Mitsubishi Electric Jet Towel is leading a quiet revolution in hand drying.

About Mitsubishi Jet Towel

Mitsubishi Electric's first Jet Towel was launched in 1993 and the version now available in Europe is in the eighth generation of its development. It has proved a winner with installers for its high tech elegance, with operators for its low running cost and reliability, and with users for its convenience, speed, hygiene and innovative design. The Jet Towel has high environmental credentials, avoiding the use of paper towels or rolled cloth and lowering power consumption and noise levels to a fraction of alternative hot air dryers.

Further Information

Website: www.jettowel.co.uk