Paper Towels VS Hand Dryer

We usually need to wash our hands after using the toilet, and then need to dry our hands. There are two main ways: one is a paper towel and the other is a hand dryer. In making such a comparison, first need to consider the three main factors which is the environmental cost, cleanliness and economic cost. 

In The Factor Of Environmental Cost:

Firstly, paper towels consume large amounts of wood during the manufacturing process, forests and trees are destroyed and then made into the paper towels we see in toilets. Secondly, due to paper towels are made of organic material, the used paper towels can only be thrown into the paper basket and can not be recycled, so the vast majority of paper towels are not recycled. Therefore when sent to landfill harmful greenhouse gases such as methane are released in the decomposition of this material.

Moreover, due to the way of these paper towels are designed, they do not break down when wet in the mulching process and instead retain their original structure. Therefore a bigger problem is posed by paper towel disposal when considering their environmental sustainability. The paper towels used for disposal usually adopt incinerate, burial those two methods, thus  do leave a significant carbon footprint, cause pollution for environment.

Compared to the paper towel, CO2 emissions are much less in terms of transporting the product as. Once installed, nothing is required in terms of replace and supplement, just need to provide some power to supply hand dryer. A standard AIKE hand dryer will use around 1.25KW/H above 25 degrees and usually last for around 10 years, making it more environmentally sustainable. 

Research shows that a hand dryer is producing nearly a third of the CO2 that paper towels create. Drying hands using hand dryers can save up to 68% of paper towels, eliminate the need to consume large amounts of wood and reduce the production of up to 70% of carbon dioxide. In addition, there is absolutely no rubbish disposal associated with the usage of the electric hand dryers, saving landfill space and reducing amounts of harmful greenhouses gases emitted into the atmosphere. Studies also show that during the productive life span of the average hand dryer, around 24 less trees are cut down than would be were paper towels being used in the place of this one hand dryer.

In The Factor of Cleanliness:

Paper towels cannot prevent bacteria completely, and more susceptible to bacterial infection in the air, wet bathroom, paper box warm environment is also suitable for rapid propagation of bacteria, likely to cause secondary pollution of the hands, not healthy.

Due to the absence of a filter in common hand dryers, resulting to some bacteria along with the wind to the hands, but AIKE hand dryer has solved this problem. The type of AK2903 unique quadruple clean filtration technology, built-in HEPA efficient filter to capture up to 99.9% from the air of bacteria and viruses, to ensure that the hands to reach are the most clean air and will not cause secondly pollution of the hands.

In The Factor of Economic Cost:

In general, people dry hands need to consume 1-2 papers a time. In the place of large flow of people, each toilet supply of paper up to 1-2 volumes daily. If long-term use, the cost is too expensive and not economical. According to market research the cost for using a common hand dryer averages out to about $180 per year, using paper towels averages out to about $900 per year (without factoring in the extra cost of trash bags and maintenance), using AIKE hand dryers averages out to about $70 per year, which means using a hand dryer is more economical than paper towels. Furthermore, paper towels will require constant replenishment throughout their use, are not recycled and it is very wasteful. If paper towels can not be supplemented in time, people will not be able to dry their hands.

Overall, for the sake of short-term eco-friendliness, we encourage the development of hand dryers by investing in them rather than using paper towels. With the continuous improvement of health efficiency and people's environmental awareness, the development of hand dryers has become an inevitable trend, and constant technological advances are key in providing long term environmental sustainability.