Commercial hand dryers: key facts
- There's no single best commercial hand dryer. Match the type to footfall, noise sensitivity, vandal risk and hygiene policy, room by room.
- The main types are hands-in (blade or jet), high-speed hands-under, traditional warm air, slimline, recessed and vandal-resistant. Several can overlap in one product.
- A noise figure means little without the distance it was measured at and whether hands were in the airflow. A peer-reviewed study found many public dryers ran louder than their makers claimed.
- Electricity per dry = kW × seconds ÷ 3,600 × pence per kWh. Use the rated power with the heater on, if it has one.
- An IP rating (BS EN 60529 / IEC 60529) classifies how well the casing keeps out fingers, solid objects and water. Ask what rating the unit has and whether it suits where it'll be fitted.
- Employers must provide towels or other suitable means of drying beside washbasins (Workplace Regulations 1992, reg 21). A dryer can meet that.
- In clinical areas, NHS England's infection control manual says staff should dry hands with disposable paper towels.
- Fitting a hand dryer is electrical work for a competent electrician, to BS 7671. Ask who takes the old units away as electrical waste.
What types of commercial hand dryer are there?
Six types cover most commercial washrooms: hands-in (blade or jet) dryers, high-speed hands-under dryers, traditional warm air dryers, slimline or low-profile dryers, recessed dryers and vandal-resistant dryers. The first three describe how the unit dries hands; the last three describe how it's built and mounted, so one product can be, say, slimline and high-speed.
Suppliers use different names for the same thing. These are the types as we'll describe them on this page:
- Hands-in (blade or jet) dryers. You put your hands into an open slot and draw them slowly upwards or downwards through thin, fast sheets of air. They rely mainly on air speed rather than heat, and some have no heater at all.
- High-speed hands-under dryers. A downward jet from a nozzle, like a traditional dryer but with a faster, narrower airflow. Hands stay outside the unit and you rub them under the stream.
- Traditional warm air dryers. A gentler, wider stream of heated air. They rely more on heat than air speed, so a dry takes longer and the heater adds to the power drawn while it runs.
- Slimline or low-profile dryers. Shallow units that stick out less from the wall, for narrow rooms and corridors where people walk past.
- Recessed dryers. Set into the wall or a duct panel so the front sits flush or nearly flush. Need a void or stud wall, so they're best planned in a new build or refurbishment.
- Vandal-resistant dryers. Heavier casings, often stainless steel or thick metal, hidden or tamper-proof fixings, no buttons and few openings. Made for public toilets, transport and schools.
Most current commercial units start automatically from a sensor. Push-button dryers still exist; they're cheap and simple but the button is one more thing to touch, jam or break.
Which type of hand dryer suits which building?
Busy public, retail and leisure washrooms tend to suit fast hands-in or high-speed hands-under dryers, built tough where there's no supervision. Offices next to desks or meeting rooms need the noise checked first. Narrow rooms suit slimline or recessed units. Clinical areas should follow infection control guidance, which points to paper towels.
Use this as a starting point for your shortlist, not a rule. The right answer can differ between two washrooms in the same building.
| Setting | Usually worth shortlisting | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Offices | High-speed hands-under or hands-in; slimline where space is tight | Noise carrying into open-plan areas or meeting rooms through doors and walls |
| Shops, shopping centres, stations | Hands-in or high-speed hands-under in vandal-resistant casings | Queues at peak times; units being hit, jammed or pulled off the wall |
| Gyms and leisure centres | High-speed hands-under, with an IP rating suited to damp rooms | Steam and splashes near showers; people using the dryer for hair and faces |
| Restaurants, pubs and hotels | Slimline or recessed for small customer toilets; quieter models near dining areas | Noise in small, tiled rooms; staff handwash basins have separate food hygiene rules (below) |
| Schools | Vandal-resistant, sensor-only, with noise checked at pupil height | Break-time peaks, sensory needs and the UKHSA paper towel guidance: see hand dryers for schools |
| Hospitals, clinics, care homes | Paper towels in clinical and care areas; dryers only in public toilets, if your infection control team agrees | The national infection control manual (below) |
| Accessible toilets | A type that's quiet, sensor-operated and can be reached by a seated user | Mounting height and position: the user must be able to dry hands while seated |
| Rarely used toilets | A simple unit, or paper towels | A dryer may never pay back its installation cost |
Weighing dryers against towels at all? Our guide to hand dryers vs paper towels compares running costs, hygiene studies and waste.
What is the best commercial hand dryer?
There isn't one. The best commercial hand dryer for a busy station is a poor choice beside a quiet meeting room, and neither belongs in a clinical area. Decide what matters most in each washroom (speed, noise, toughness, hygiene policy, cost) and shortlist the types that meet it.
Rankings and "best buy" lists rarely say what building they had in mind. Work through these four questions for each washroom instead:
- How many people dry their hands at the busiest moment? High peaks (end of a film, half-time, a train arriving, break time) favour fast dry times and enough units, more than any single feature.
- Who will hear it? If the washroom opens onto desks, a dining room or a quiet ward corridor, or it's used by people with sensory needs, put a noise limit in the specification and listen before you buy.
- Who's watching? Unsupervised public washrooms need vandal-resistant casings, hidden fixings and a strong wall. A staff toilet behind a keypad usually doesn't.
- What does your hygiene policy say? In healthcare, follow your infection prevention and control team. In food businesses, check with your local environmental health team. Elsewhere, decide and record why.
Then compare the shortlisted models on the spec sheet points below, and on the price of buying, fitting and running them. Our hand dryer running cost calculator works out the running cost from any model's power and dry time.
How do I compare dry time, noise and power on a spec sheet?
Treat all three as claims to check. Ask how the dry time was measured, at what distance and with hands in or out of the airflow the noise was measured, and what the unit draws in watts with the heater on and off. Figures measured different ways can't be compared side by side.
Dry time
Spec sheets give a dry time in seconds, but they don't all say how "dry" was judged or how wet hands were to begin with. Ask the supplier how the figure was arrived at, and whether the same method was used for every model they're offering you. Then time a real dry yourself at a demonstration: people rarely use a dryer as carefully as a test does.
Noise
Noise is usually given in dB(A). The number depends heavily on where the microphone was, so a figure with no distance attached tells you very little. A peer-reviewed study of 44 dryers in public washrooms in Canada found many were louder than 100 dBA with hands in the airflow, and many ran louder than their manufacturers claimed (Keegan, Paediatrics & Child Health, 2020). Ask for:
- the distance the noise was measured at;
- whether hands were in the airflow;
- the figure at the lowest speed setting, if speed is adjustable.
Hard, tiled washrooms make any dryer sound louder than it did in a showroom. If noise matters, ask for a demonstration in your own building.
Power
- Rated power in watts or kW is what the unit draws while running. It also tells your electrician what the circuit has to carry.
- Heater on or off. Some dryers let you switch the heater off, and some have no heater. Power with the heater on can be much higher, so ask for both figures and use the one that matches how you'll set it.
- Standby power is what the sensor and electronics draw between uses. Ask for it; across many units and a whole year it adds up.
- Adjustable speed. Turning a unit down can make it quieter but slower, which affects queues at busy times.
How much electricity does a commercial hand dryer use?
Work it out from the spec sheet: rated power in kW × dry time in seconds ÷ 3,600 gives kWh per dry; multiply by your price per kWh and the number of dries. In our worked example, a 1 kW dryer running 10 seconds costs about 0.08p a dry at 29p per kWh; a 2.4 kW dryer running 30 seconds costs about 0.58p.
The two units below are assumptions chosen to show the arithmetic, not typical figures for any type. Use the figures from the spec sheets you're sent.
- Electricity: 29p per kWh, rounded from the 2025 government average for small non-domestic users (29.09p, including Climate Change Levy, excluding VAT).
- Use: 300 dries a day, 250 days a year = 75,000 dries.
- Dryer A: 1.0 kW for 10 seconds. 1.0 × 10 ÷ 3,600 = 0.0028 kWh per dry × 29p = about 0.08p per dry. Per year: 75,000 × 0.0028 = 208 kWh = about £60.
- Dryer B: 2.4 kW for 30 seconds. 2.4 × 30 ÷ 3,600 = 0.02 kWh per dry × 29p = about 0.58p per dry. Per year: 75,000 × 0.02 = 1,500 kWh = £435.
Two things fall out of the sum. First, dry time matters as much as power: a unit with a lower wattage that takes three times as long can use more per dry. Second, the yearly electricity for one dryer is often small next to the cost of buying and fitting it, so durability, warranty and repair times can matter more over its life.
These figures leave out standby power, servicing and filters. To run the sums for your own building, including a comparison with paper towels and a payback period, use the hand dryer running cost calculator.
What else should I check: IP rating, filters, drips, sensors and warranty?
Check the IP rating against where the unit will be fitted, whether there's a filter and what it costs to replace, how water from hands is collected or kept off the floor, how the sensor behaves if something is left in front of it, and exactly what the warranty covers.
- IP rating. The IP Code, set out in BS EN 60529 (the UK version of IEC 60529), classifies how well an electrical enclosure protects people from reaching hazardous parts inside, and protects the equipment from solid objects and water. It's written as IP followed by two characters. Ask what rating the dryer has, whether it was tested to that rating, and whether it suits the room: damp changing rooms near showers are a different environment from a dry office toilet. Your electrician will check what the wiring regulations need where a room contains a shower.
- Filter. Some dryers draw air through a filter. Ask what it's for, how often it needs changing or cleaning in a washroom as busy as yours, what replacements cost, and whether a blocked filter affects performance. Filters only help if someone maintains them.
- Drips and water collection. Hands-in dryers often have a drip tray or collection reservoir; hands-under dryers drop water on the floor and wall below. Ask who empties or cleans it, how often, and what stops it overflowing. Wet floors are a slip risk.
- Sensor. Ask about the range, whether it can be triggered by someone walking past, and whether there's a maximum run time so the unit stops if a bag or paper is left in front of it.
- Casing and fixings. Material, finish, how it's cleaned and what cleaning products it tolerates. In public toilets, ask for tamper-proof fixings and what the wall needs to be to hold it.
- Warranty. How long, whether it covers parts and labour, whether labour means someone comes to site, whether misuse or vandalism is excluded, and how quickly spares are available.
Are there places where hand dryers shouldn't be used?
Clinical and care areas: NHS England's National Infection Prevention and Control Manual says clinical hand wash basins must have paper towel dispensers and staff should dry hands with disposable paper towels. Schools in England: UKHSA guidance asks for paper towels by basins. Food premises must provide materials for hygienic drying at handwash basins; check what your local environmental health team expects.
The general workplace rule is permissive: the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, regulation 21, require "towels or other suitable means of drying" at washing facilities, so a dryer can meet it. More specific guidance applies in some buildings:
- Healthcare. NHS England's National Infection Prevention and Control Manual applies in all care settings. It says clinical hand wash basins must have wall-mounted liquid soap and paper towel dispensers, and that staff should dry hands thoroughly using disposable paper towels. Don't fit dryers in clinical areas; for public toilets in a healthcare building, ask the infection prevention and control team. Scotland has its own manual.
- Schools in England. UKHSA guidance for children and young people's settings asks for liquid soap, warm water and paper towels. See hand dryers for schools.
- Food businesses. Food hygiene law (Regulation 852/2004, Annex II, Chapter I) requires handwash basins with hot and cold running water and materials for cleaning hands and for hygienic drying, and says toilets must not open directly into rooms where food is handled. It doesn't name a drying method. Customer toilets are usually a free choice; for kitchen handwash basins, check with your local environmental health team.
The research on hygiene and hand drying is mixed, and some studies on both sides were funded by industry. Our guide to hand dryers vs paper towels summarises what the studies found and who paid for them.
Where should a commercial hand dryer go in the washroom?
Close to the basins, so people don't drip across the floor, clear of door swings and walkways, at a height the actual users can reach, and on a wall that can hold it. In a wheelchair-accessible toilet, Approved Document M says a person should be able to wash and dry their hands while seated on the WC.
- Near the basins. A dryer at the far end of a row makes people walk with wet hands, which wets the floor and leads some to give up.
- Out of the way. Keep it clear of door swings, cubicle doors and the route out. Someone drying their hands shouldn't block the exit.
- Height. Mount for the people who'll use it, and ask the supplier for its recommended height for that model. Where a washroom serves adults and children, or standing and seated users, consider more than one height.
- Accessible toilets. Approved Document M Volume 2, paragraph 5.8, says the WC, finger rinse basin and other accessories in a wheelchair-accessible unisex toilet should be arranged so a person can wash and dry their hands while seated on the WC. A dryer mustn't eat into the transfer space beside the WC. See disabled toilet regulations. Approved Document M applies in England; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own guidance.
- The wall. Heavy vandal-resistant units need a substantial wall or proper fixings into a stud. Recessed units need a void.
- Numbers. Size from the busiest few minutes, not the daily total: count the people drying hands in that window and divide by how many one dryer can serve in it, allowing time to step up and away.
Agree final positions with whoever is designing the washroom and, where building work is involved, building control.
Who can install a commercial hand dryer, and what happens to the old ones?
A competent electrician, working to the wiring regulations (BS 7671). It isn't a job for general maintenance staff unless they're qualified for electrical work. When you replace dryers, the old units are electrical waste: ask the supplier in writing who takes them away and how they'll be dealt with under the WEEE rules.
Electrical work. A hand dryer needs a suitable supply and, often, a new or upgraded circuit. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (regulation 16) say nobody should do work that needs technical knowledge or experience to prevent danger unless they have it, or are suitably supervised. In practice: use a competent electrician who'll design, install and test the work to BS 7671 and give you a certificate. We don't give wiring instructions.
Before the electrician arrives, have ready:
- the spec sheet for each model, including rated power with the heater on;
- the positions you've agreed, with heights;
- whether walls are solid, stud or tiled over boarding, and whether any are fire-rated;
- a plan for keeping some toilets open while work is done.
Old dryers are electrical waste (WEEE). Under the UK WEEE rules, producers of non-household electrical equipment may have to finance its collection and treatment when it becomes waste. GOV.UK guidance says this covers equipment the producer put on the market on or after 13 August 2005, and older equipment of any make that a business is replacing with equivalent new equipment, unless the producer and the business have agreed something else. Separate take-back duties apply to retailers of household equipment. So ask your supplier: will they remove the old units, who pays, and where they go. Don't put them in general waste.
What should I ask a hand dryer supplier before I buy?
Ask for figures you can compare (dry time, noise at a stated distance, rated power with and without heat, standby power, IP rating), running and maintenance costs (filters, cleaning, drip trays), warranty terms, and a fitted price that includes electrical work, making good and removal of old units.
Copy this list into your quote request so every supplier answers the same questions.
- Type and model recommended for each washroom, and why.
- Dry time in seconds, and how it was measured.
- Noise in dB(A), the distance it was measured at, and whether hands were in the airflow.
- Rated power in watts with the heater on and off, plus standby power.
- IP rating, and whether it suits the room it's going in.
- Filter: whether there is one, change interval, replacement cost.
- Water: drip tray or not, how it's emptied and cleaned.
- Sensor: range, maximum run time, any button.
- Casing and fixings: material, tamper resistance, what the wall needs to be.
- Recommended mounting height for your users, and for any accessible toilet.
- Number of units for your busiest period, and the working behind it.
- Warranty: length, parts and labour, on-site visits, exclusions for misuse, spare parts availability.
- Fitted price: units, electrical work, new circuits, making good, removal and disposal of old units.
- Who does the electrical work, and what certificate you'll get.
- References from similar buildings, and whether you can hear a unit working before you order.
Be wary of savings figures that aren't based on your building. Check them with your own numbers in the running cost calculator.
Related guides
Commercial hand dryers: frequently asked questions
What is the best commercial hand dryer?
There isn't a single best one. A fast, tough dryer suits a busy station; a quieter unit suits a washroom next to offices; clinical areas should use paper towels. Decide what matters most in each washroom and shortlist the types that meet it.
What are the main types of hand dryer?
Hands-in (blade or jet) dryers, high-speed hands-under dryers and traditional warm air dryers describe how the unit dries. Slimline, recessed and vandal-resistant describe how it's built and mounted, so one product can be more than one type.
How do I choose a hand dryer for a commercial toilet?
Start with peak use, who will hear it, how likely it is to be misused and your hygiene policy. Then compare dry time, noise at a stated distance, rated power, IP rating, filter, warranty and fitted price for the shortlisted models.
How much electricity does a commercial hand dryer use?
Multiply rated power in kW by dry time in seconds and divide by 3,600 to get kWh per dry. A 1 kW dryer running 10 seconds uses about 0.0028 kWh, roughly 0.08p at 29p per kWh. Use the spec sheet figures for the model you're offered.
Are hand dryer noise ratings reliable?
Only if you know how they were measured. Ask for the distance and whether hands were in the airflow. A peer-reviewed study of public dryers in Canada found many ran louder than their makers claimed.
What IP rating does a hand dryer need?
It depends on the room. The IP Code (BS EN 60529) classifies protection against access to hazardous parts, solid objects and water. Ask the supplier what rating the unit has and whether it suits the location, and let your electrician check the wiring regulations for rooms with showers.
Do commercial hand dryers have filters?
Some do. Ask what the filter is for, how often it needs changing in a washroom as busy as yours and what replacements cost. A filter only helps if it's maintained.
Can I use hand dryers in a hospital or clinic?
Not in clinical areas. NHS England's infection control manual says clinical hand wash basins must have paper towel dispensers and staff should dry hands with disposable paper towels. Ask the infection prevention and control team about public toilets.
Can our maintenance team fit a hand dryer?
Only if they're competent to do electrical work. Fitting a dryer means connecting it to the electrical supply, so use a competent electrician who'll install and test it to BS 7671 and give you a certificate.
What do I do with old hand dryers?
Treat them as electrical waste, not general waste. Ask your supplier whether they'll remove and dispose of them under the WEEE rules, and who pays.
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources on 12 November 2026:
- BS EN 60529:1992+A2:2013 Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code), BSI Knowledge
- Chapter 1: Standard infection control precautions, National Infection Prevention and Control Manual for England (NHS England)
- Electrical and electronic equipment (EEE): producer responsibilities (GOV.UK)
- Gas and electricity prices in the non-domestic sector (DESNZ, GOV.UK)
- Keegan NL. Children who say hand dryers 'hurt my ears' are correct. Paediatrics & Child Health, 2020 (PubMed)
- Approved Document M: access to and use of buildings, Volume 2 (GOV.UK)