A Guide to Hand Dryer Noise

Today's hand dryers are much faster, effective and energy efficient than ever before.

There is though one cruel trade off to high speed hand dryers: the level of noise.

The faster the hand dryer, the louder it is!

Noise, an important criterium to choose a hand dryer

In many venues, such as bars, popular restaurants, sports arenas and others, hand dryer noise level emmited from a restroom is not a factor (Many people love the Xlerator because "it's like a jet taking off," and it is a very effective hand dryer). In other locations where the restroom is adjacent to a classroom, an office or quiet restaurant, the noise level is a major factor.

However, the manufacturers are working on this issue and the latest generation of hand dryers is becoming quieter, without giving up performance, which we feel is very important. New models with reduced noise output are being manufactured by just about every brand. Thus, the latest version of the Dyson's Airblade V compact wall hand dryer, the HU02 is 35% quieter with an index of 79 dB.

In particular, the English company Airdri has put low sounds levels as a key consideration in the design of their hand dryer and raised the bar in the manufacture of quieter hand dryers. Each model of their fast-dry range bears the Quiet Mark, awarded by the UK Noise Abatement Society.

Environments in which the hand dryers will be active should also be considered. In the end, the level of noise of a hand dryer will be in the range of 50–90 decibels, which is only a bit higher than normal noises you will be exposed to, like the ones of conversations.

So for example if you own a very popular restaurant with music background, the hand dryer’s noise won’t be an issue, and you will much prefer having a bit noisy, but fancy efficient hand dryer than a quiet slow basic one !

Don’t forget as well that the level of noise can depend on the acoustic of your restroom.

Example of quiet hand dryers

If hand dryer noise level is an important concern for you, go for the Fast Dry HK-1800PA, its noise rating is only 55dB. The downside? It is slower than other hand dryers, 30 to 35 second dry time, and less durable. But on the other hand, it is also an inexpensive hand dryer.

If you don’t want to compromise on performance, you can still find some high speed models where manufacturers have improved noise level.

The latest Dyson Airblade V HU02, a slim and compact wall hand dryer, features technological improvements to reduce noise from 35% to 79 dB. It has the label Quiet Mark.

The Airblade db AB14 from Dyson has been acoustically re-engineered to reduce noise and is 50% quieter than the earlier model. Although it is still 81 db.

The Stell'Air hand dryer from the French manufacturer JVD has a noise level of 75 dB, this is a very good quieter model that combines speed and energy efficiency.

All the fast hand dryers from Airdri, the Quazar, Quest, Quartz and Quad have a noise level between 70 and 72 dB, they are also stylish and have a low power consumption.

If noise is less of a concern, go with one of the high speed hand dryers. Your customers will love them, and they are energy efficient and inexpensive to operate.

Here is what you want to think about : your balance between performance and noise.

If you don’t know which hand dryer would be the most appropriate for you, do contact us on +44 20 7193 5104 or catchall@bavada.com.

We will be happy to help you.