After almost a year of working remotely during a global pandemic, many companies are planning for the imminent reopening of public spaces and offices, with a keen focus on staying safe. As these plans take shape, it’s clear there is a demand for healthy and hygienic solutions for these spaces, especially shared spaces such as washrooms.

“This global pandemic is the greatest crisis of modern times, and it has fundamentally changed the way we work and our approach and attitudes to hygiene,” says Alex Knox, Dyson VP of Environmental Care. “Keeping shared spaces clean has never been so important and we all want to touch things less. We’ve developed a fast, hygienic and touch-free way to dry hands, which comes without the cost and environmental concerns associated with papers towels. Our Dyson Airblade^TM hand dryers also feature HEPA filters that capture 99.97% of particles, including bacteria and viruses, to dry your hands with clean air, not dirty washroom air.”

It is estimated that we spend one third of our adult life at work[1] and in today’s climate it is vital that hygienic hand washing and drying solutions are available in workspaces to help control the spread of germs. All Dyson Airblade^TM hand dryers have HEPA filtration, drying your hands with clean air – not dirty air. They are also touch-free, with our latest hand drying technology the Dyson Airblade 9kJ, engineered with time-of-flight sensors which activate in 0.25 seconds to deliver clean air. This overcomes the problems faced by some paper towel dispensers and button-based hand dryers. In addition, Dyson Airblade 9kJ is up to 99% less expensive to run than paper towels with up to 85% less CO2 emissions[2]. It’s clear that they are a safe, cost efficient and hygienic solution for any washroom and provide peace of mind for at a time when hygiene is of paramount importance and futureproofing offices with safe and hygienic technology is front of mind.

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[1] World Health Organisation, Occupational Health Global Strategy

[2] Dry time determined for Max mode using Dyson test method 769 based on NSF P335 to a measurement of 0.1g residual moisture.2  Average electricity price $0.1/kWh as of May 2019. For calculations visit www.dyson.com/calcs.

As part of this renewed vigour around hygiene, Dyson commissioned research with an independent laboratory into different drying methods after rinsing hands or properly washing hands and examined the question of aerosolization, which became a topic of much discussion at the beginning of the pandemic.

The new research supports that Dyson Airblade technology is a safe and hygienic washroom solution, especially compared to paper towels, giving employers and employees assurance that a Dyson Airblade hand dryer is a hygienic washroom essential at a time when returning to public spaces is a concern for many.   

“We know damp hands can transfer up to 1,000 times more bacteria than dry hands”[1], says Salome Giao, Senior Researcher at Dyson. “We wanted to ensure that people are washing and drying their hands properly and dispel any myths around aerosolization and hand dryers,” she explains. “Not having a drying option in a washroom due to misinformation can increase the spread of germs and is ultimately unhygienic,” she adds.

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[1] Patrick D, Findon G, and Miller T (1997). Residual moisture determines the level of touch-contact-associated bacterial transfer following hand washing. Epidemiol. Infect. 119: 319-325

What is the study and what does it mean for employees and guests?

This new research supports that the Dyson Airblade^TM is a safe and hygienic way to dry your hands. In this independent study, hands rinsed with water (no soap) or washed with soap for 20 seconds were then dried using Dyson Airblade^TM hand dryers or paper towels. The objective was to determine the effect of the different hand drying methods on concentration of aerosols and bacteria in air. The study results showed that aerosols can be generated in a washroom due to different activities, such as walking, and using a tap. It also revealed that, in general, drying your hands with a Dyson Airblade^TM hand dryer showed no statistical difference to these common washroom activities, such as walking and washing hands.

It also showed the increase of aerosols and bacteria numbers after drying with any of the Dyson Airblade^TM hand dryer models is comparable to the numbers obtained when hands are dried with paper towels, dispelling any uncertainty around this technology in the process. Add to that the fact that Dyson Airblade technology is touch free at a time when people are conscious of touching surfaces such as dispensers, door handles or buttons. In a recent global hygiene study[1], Dyson examined how attitudes towards the washroom and general hand hygiene have changed since COVID-19 started.The study revealed that poorly maintained washrooms caused people concern, with 42% of Candians worrying about having to press buttons on hand dryers to use them. Sixty three per cent of Canadians surveyed selected touchless activation of a hand dryer as one of the features that would put their mind at ease if using a hand dryer and a further 44% stated that hand dryers with filters, which clean the air, would also make them feel more confident when drying their hands with a hand dryer.

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[1] Global survey conducted in July 2020 across 14 countries worldwide (UK, DE, ES, FR, IT, NL, US, CA, MX, CN, JP, MY, SG, AU) with 8758 respondents in total (500 in Canada), aged 18 years-old or above. Individual percentages vary per country.

FUTURE OF HYGIENIC WASHROOMS  

• A  global hygiene study undertaken by Dyson in 2020 looked at how attitudes towards the washroom and general hand hygiene have changed since COVID-19 started.Comparing to the same time in 2019, there was a portion of people who were more concerned around using hand dryers. Fifty-eight per cent selected touchless activation of a hand dryer as one of the features which would put their mind at ease when using a hand dryer, and a further 47% stated that including filters, which clean the air used to dry their hands would also ease their concerns when using a hand dryer. Please reach out to Katie Doan if you’re interested in learning more about the local findings of the global study.
• For over 15 years Dyson microbiologists have drawn on expertise from a range of sectors, including the food industry, the public health sector and chemical microbiology – to ensure Dyson Airblade™ technology is safe for real-world use.  
• The technology is touch-free, which helps prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses. This is crucial in public or communal spaces, such as office washrooms, department stores, shopping malls or service stations.  
• All Dyson Airblade™ hand dryers have HEPA filters as standard. Tests have shown the filters capture  99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns.  
• Dyson Airblade hand dryers are also equipped with powerful  Dyson digital motor V4 that draws dirty air into the machine, passing the dirty air through the HEPA grade filter and releasing purified air.    
• The latest model, the Dyson Airblade 9kJ hand dryer, is the fastest, most energy efficient HEPA filtered hand dryer and uses ‘time of flight’ sensors to quickly activate air - drying hands in 10 seconds in Max mode, while using less energy and offering an alternative to single-use paper towels.  

DYSON AIRBLADE 9kJ HAND DRYER:

• The Dyson Airblade 9kJ hand dryer is the fastest most energy efficient HEPA-filtered hand dryer 
• Three years in development, more than 700 prototypes  
• The Dyson Airblade 9kJ hand dryer produces up to 85% less CO2 than paper towels and costs less than 99% to run in Eco mode[1]  
• More information can be found here: https://www.dysoncanada.ca/en/commercial/hand-dryers/airblade-9kj 

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[1] Dry time determined for Max mode using Dyson test method 769 based on NSF P335 to a measurement of 0.1g residual moisture.2  Average electricity price $0.1/kWh as of May 2019. For calculations visit www.dyson.com/calcs.

ABOUT DYSON 

• Having started in a Coach House near Bath, UK, Dyson has consistently grown since it was established in 1993. Today Dyson is a global technology company with engineering, research, development and testing operations in the UK, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. Dyson has 10,551 patents and patents pending globally.  
• Dyson directly employs over 14,000 people globally including 6,000 engineers and scientists. Drawing on its global research and development network, Dyson is realizing ambitious plans to develop new technologies with global teams focused on solid-state battery cells, high-speed electric motors, vision systems, machine learning technologies, and A.I. Investment. Dyson’s in-house robotics team is one of the largest in the UK. Alongside the growing in-house activity, the Dyson Robotics Lab at Imperial College London continues its long-term research program.  
• In 2018, turnover grew 28% to £4.4bn and profits increased by 33% to £1.1bn. Dyson will continue to reinvest profits back into technology development, products and support its owners.  

ABOUT THE DYSON PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY  

• Dyson Professional aims to bring hygienic Dyson technology to every building in the world. We provide our business owners with machines that solve problems others ignore in environments such as offices, airports and hotels.    
• Dyson hand dryers have been cited as effective in multiple research studies carried out by the University of Bradford, UK; Philipps University of Marburg, Germany and Campden BRI, UK for example. The studies show that Dyson Airblade hand dryers are hygienic. We can also confirm that they are safe to install in environments where hygiene is paramount, such as on food premises and hospitals.