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Compared to paper towel, Dyson hand dryers blow 1300x as many viral germs (2016)
- Zekio 9y agoI've always wondered why they aren't equipped with UV light to kill bacteria
- koolba 9y agoCancer. Or more likely, lawsuits about cancer.
- manmal 9y agoWhy, the light would be inside the dryer of course. Also, UV-A radiation does not damage DNA.
- anfractuosity 9y agoI'm sure I've seen hand dryers with UV lights before
- kurthr 9y agoYes, those and ionizer/ozonator equipped dryers are moderately common in Asia. I still wouldn't use one, but I guess once I'm in the room it doesn't matter.
- dna_polymerase 9y agoI love the update. Dyson (of course) just threw 4 studies at them, that were conducted under unrealistic conditions, just like they accused the researcher of. Just like any other capitalistic company, instead of admitting that their product adds no value to anything and trying to come up with something else, they go full anti-science.
- mashgin 9y ago> "instead of admitting that their product adds no value to anything": I actually think that their 'airblade' (pictured in the article) is a very innovative product. When I first used it like ~10 years ago, I remember telling myself "Wow! Finally someone figured out how to make a useful hand dryer". The old style hand-dryers just took too long to dry hands, bit too long for my patience.
- g09980 9y agoHave you ever tried their variation with the hand-dryer built into the sink faucet? My experience: whatever fluids that were in the sink (soap scum/mine or other people's dirty water) flying into my face after being hit with Dyson-powered wind, me immediately jumping a foot back. Made me wonder how did they ever test this product before release. This contraption: https://www.dyson.com/hand-dryers/dyson-airblade-tap-overview.html https://www.dyson.com/hand-dryers/dyson-airblade-tap-overvie...
- remus 9y agoI wonder if it's related to the sink over which it's installed? The taps have always worked well in my experience.
- tomxor 9y agoYes, I used one once... and never again, just try to locate the water sensor without accidentally triggering the explode the fucking sink all over your face bomb. I think dyson is so obsessed with trying to make use of fast moving air that they can't see it's a bad idea in an environment with bacteria laden water sitting on surfaces.
- MisterTea 9y ago>I think dyson is so obsessed with trying to make money by selling frivolous luxury items that they can't see it's a bad idea in an environment with bacteria laden water sitting on surfaces. FTFY.
- sd-fsd-fs-fd- 9y agoPaul Foot rant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnh6anCwpUo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnh6anCwpUo They're too loud and they don't work. Paper towels are quiet and they work (or drying your hands on your jeans) However, the real reason these irritating dryers are popular is virtue-signalling: they're a way of announcing to everyone that you washed your hands
- YeGoblynQueenne 9y ago>> However, the real reason these irritating dryers are popular is virtue-signalling: they're a way of announcing to everyone that you washed your hands I don't see how that works. In most offices I've worked, the toilets were situated far from the desks, where nobody could hear the hand driers or see who was coming out of the can after the hand drier had gone off. Also, I seriously doubt that strangers in the public loos look up at me and admire my determination not to spread my germs around. Public loos tend to be in places were people have very different things in mind: catch their train, finish their beer, etc.
- maxerickson 9y agoDoors that kick open are a bigger deal than whatever is there for hand drying.
- lifeisstillgood 9y agoAgreed. I tried ages ago to come up with a sort of footpump that would force open the hydraulic closer on most doors, just to avoid the "touch the exit door with my just washed hands, collecting two days worth of other men's urine" - but the pressure / force needed to open a door is huge
- slantaclaus 9y agoI suppose an air compressor is out of the question?
- RainaRelanah 9y agoAll you need is metal lip at the bottom of the door that you can catch your shoe on to pull open the door. All of our bathroom doors at work have these on the inside. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/63/a3/a4/63a3a43a07cfaff22f0daf5f09ae996c--door-pulls-door-handles.jpg https://i.pinimg.com/736x/63/a3/a4/63a3a43a07cfaff22f0daf5f0...
- 88e282102ae2e5b 9y agoI just keep the paper towel I used to dry my hands to cover the door handle as I open it, and only then throw it away.
- uf 9y agoI usually just grab another paper towel or toilet paper to open the door. I also carry a small bottle of hand disinfection with me especially in the winter. I use it after e.g. grabbing handle bars or seats on the train. Comes in handy as I not always remember to not touch my face (eyes especially when I'm tired).
- tedmiston 9y ago
- sgt101 9y agoDid I miss a step in the method? - slather hands in virus ? - dry with one of three methods Shouldn't step 2 be "wash carefully with warm water and soap"?
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- dctoedt 9y ago> Shouldn't step 2 be "wash carefully with warm water and soap"? In theory, yes. In practice, lots of people in public restrooms just wet their hands under the faucet, without washing them, and then go immediately to the dryer. Cf. the Assume a Can-Opener fallacy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assume_a_can_opener https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assume_a_can_opener
- YeGoblynQueenne 9y agoNot everyone does that and the point of the study was to figure out what happens if people with dirty hands use towels, dyson blades and other hand driers.
- mncharity 9y ago> Not everyone does that I sat outside an ICU once. At a not-first-rate US hospital. The handle-pull door was plastered with signs, variously saying "use hand sanitizer before opening door". It was right next to the door. It worked. There wasn't an alternative one inside. That it wasn't used by the traffic back and forth to the adjacent bathroom, seemed odd. The nurse who also flushed (hand lever), without associated sink noise, was a bit boggling. The error induced mortality which occurred shortly thereafter, did not entirely surprise.
- chatmasta 9y agoAt first I read the title as "hair dryer" and thought the article was about an Internet connected hair dryer that messages your friends to let them know you're drying your hair.
- M8thril 9y agoYou call it bacteria. I say the blessings of Nurgle.
- YeGoblynQueenne 9y agoAh, for that there's the Dyson Bolter®
- wyager 9y agoThey also don’t actually work outside of a few models, they are always slow to use, they are extremely loud, and when restaurants only have air dryers and not paper towels, you can’t clean anything besides your hands (e.g. your shirt or your face). Air dryers suck.
- arkades 9y agoDysons were briefly popular in hospitals, as a cost-saving measure. Turns out permanently installing a safe harbor for bacteria in the form of a device that is constantly hot and moist, and then blowing that crap onto people’s hands... Dysons were worse. It was so damn easy to accidentally touch the edge of one while pulling your hand out. Time to wash your hands -all over again-. It’s been a while since I saw a hospital with air blow dryers, Dyson or otherwise. At least in the areas where physicians clean their hands.
- paulcarey 9y agoA few years ago, I recall being impressed at the clealiness of the toilets in Edinburgh train station. An attendant was diligently wiping each urinal with a cloth, and also used the same cloth to wipe the Dyson hand dryer. I’m sure it’s not a common practice, but I’ve avoided them ever since.
- bunderbunder 9y agoThe Dyson hand dryers are really awful. This adds a dimension to it, but the one that bothers me more is that their design makes them excessively awkward, if not impossible, for many people to use at all. https://www.disabilityaccessconsultants.com.au/dyson-hand-driers-disabled-accessible-toilets/ https://www.disabilityaccessconsultants.com.au/dyson-hand-dr...
- lathiat 9y agoHey have a revised model that is basically like any normal hand dryer. Probably better.
- bunderbunder 9y agoIt's a huge improvement over their old one, but still awkward to use if your shoulders are near or below the height of the dryer. Its vents are also angled to try and rudely blast kids in the face.
- hungerstrike 9y agoSo, if I don't touch anything in the bathroom at all and I unzip my pants and take out my penis without touching it and pee and then put everything back without touching it - I'm spreading more germs than someone who touches everything in the room? I doubt it.
- YeGoblynQueenne 9y agoThe other thing the Dyson blade does is that it pushes the water up your wrist and then your arms, as you go after it trying to dry it out.
- retube 9y agoDyson has always part amazed, part horrified me. he's become inordinantly wealthy creating products which are almost universally more expensive but less performant (however you care to measure) yet somehow has convinced gazillions of people his premium priced products are better. edit: I am currently in a large NHS hospital and every desk has one of those £300 fanless fans on them. what the fuck?
- dingaling 9y agoPremium-priced despite production having been offshored to Malaysia. Got to widen those margins to buy a country estate ( £17 million ) and a Gulfstream G650 ( £45 million ).
- MisterTea 9y agoThe air blades are really gross hand dryers to use. The first time I saw one was in a bar/restaurant or pool hall, forget which, but I gave it a shot and accidently touched the edge of the dryer which was wet. I stopped, washed my hands again, and dried it with those cheap chemical smelling brown paper towels which leave your hands feeling like there is a film of leftover hand towel chemicals. That was more preferable to the disgusting air blade. Never used an air blade again. And to top it off, they are always wet and covered in dried drippings of lord knows what. The best hand dryers are those high velocity designs where you put your hand under the blast and dry them in seconds.
- leejo 9y agoIf you think the airblades are bad then wait until you try out the airblade + tap combined: https://www.dyson.com/hand-dryers/dyson-airblade-tap-overview.html https://www.dyson.com/hand-dryers/dyson-airblade-tap-overvie... # I've only seen (and used) them at a service station in Gruyère. They're one of the most ridiculous non-solutions to a non-problem I've seen - you end up setting the dryer off when washing your hands (if washing your hands properly) and blow water everywhere. Even if you don't set them off you still end up blowing the excess water all over yourself as the sink acts as a nice surface for it all to bounce off.
- slededit 9y agoWith a proper sink they are pretty convenient actually. And unlike their wall units I don't risk touching the unit accidentally.
- thunfischbrot 9y agoSeen them at three airports so far. All were splashing water as observed from others using them. I had been warned by a friend beforehand and avoided the fan function.
- tedmiston 9y agoThe Dyson Airblade V model fixed the "hands getting pushed against the walls while drying" problem. It looks like it's been out since 2013... I wonder the article didn't mention it. https://www.dyson.com/hand-dryers/dyson-airblade-v-overview.html https://www.dyson.com/hand-dryers/dyson-airblade-v-overview....