Hand Dryers for Restaurants and Bars

Cleaner, more hygienic bar and restaurant washrooms

If the washroom feels dirty or unkempt, this will undoubtedly pass over to your patrons’ dining experience. The paper towel industry has worked hard to convince everyone that hand dryers are less hygienic than paper towels, when in reality they are anything but. Hand dryers, just like paper towels, are surrounded by the air in washrooms and so ‘spread’ bacteria in much the same way. What really matters in terms of germ transmission is how thoroughly the hands are dried. Damp hands are the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. So, regardless of whether you use paper towels or hand dryers, the most important thing is that they work properly.

Having said that, modern hand dryers are largely touch-free, which means less cross-contamination. In fact, many now have HEPA filters and ionisers which further improve hygiene. Hand dryers are approved by governments throughout the world and leading authorities like WHO and CDC.

What makes a good hand dryer in a bar or restaurant?

Bars and restaurants are one of the most difficult places to find a suitable hand dryer. They must be powerful and effective – the worst thing for hygiene is damp hands. So, at the very least they must dry hands thoroughly. Ideally, they should do this quickly to keep people moving and stopping the bathroom from getting too congested. They should also be quiet – for hand dryers ‘quiet’ is about 70db – which is around the noise level of a normal office. By keeping it quiet the customers in the bar or restaurant won’t be disturbed. And, finally, it needs to look good. Ideally a hand dryer should blend in with the existing décor, and would accentuate it rather than detract from it. We have a number of ranges, such as the Bobrick Fino Collection, and the Bobrick TrimlineSeries which emphasise design as much as they do functionality.