Why Are Hand Dryers So Loud? Here’s The Answer!

why are hand dryers so loud

Hand dryers have the technology to force airflow from motors to dry your hands. But, Young children cannot bear the sound from these and in fact, the Canadian Paediatric Society confirmed that hand dryer sounds are dangerous to toddlers.

Why are hand dryers so loud? Old and new hand dryers both use the technology of hand dryer motors and fans. Once the motion is detected by the sensors, the motor forces airflow from narrow bezels along with the heat to scrape water from the skin’s surface. The noise of hand dryers may surpass 100dB which is dangerous to the children but there are some quieter hand dryers as well.

Be it traditional dryers are new hand dryers, the motors and air pressure would be common to dry the water on the skin within a few seconds. But the problem is the less time it takes to dry your hand, the more it makes noise.

The study’s author Keegan measured the output decibels of the hand dryers, and most common hand dryers are so loud she has tested.

Why are hand dryers making so much noise?

Hand dryers have motors, blades, and fans. Let’s dive into why hand dryers make so much noise and how they are measured by the experts.

When a teen researcher Nora Keegan measured the distance of the hand dryer from the floor and she calculated the dB output from the dyer. 70% of the dryers she tested produced over 104 dB. This is more than the recommended gadgets and toys that can make sounds.

So why do dryers make so much sound even after they claimed to sound less to blow out the air? The hand dryer first has to take the air from the surroundings. Once motion sensors detect the motion, it sends an electrical signal via hand dryer to the motor. Hand motor gets the power from the supply. And then the heat with air touches your hands.

Now, it’s important to protect the children’s hearing ability, while some hand dryers produce over 85 dB, most common hand dryers tested over 100 dB. According to reports, many hand dryers are operated at much louder than their manufacturers claimed in the user manual.

And yes, it does affect your hearing ability. If any child is exposed to this sound level for 15 days, it could damage his/her hearing.

Who needs a quiet hand dryer?

Loud hand dryers are always like pain in the toe, the faster hand dryer becomes drying at hands, the louder it becomes. Especially, the children from school and toddlers living might get serious effects if these sounds hit them daily.

There are some quality hand dryers with minimal sound or to the level of sounds that a child can bear. Sensitive areas like schools, libraries, and offices need these quieter hand dryers.

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Best and quietest hand dryers you can buy

Hand dryers output may vary in different areas but as per the average measurement of dB that child and toddler can hear, we list out these hand dryers that give sounds less than 100 dB level.

In no particular order, here are some quietest hand dryers compared with all other commercial hand dryers. The simple technique to find the quietest hand dryer is to find power and drying speed. If the power is too high and the drying speed is too fast, the sound will be louder.

VALENS Hand Dryer

VALENS Hand Dryer, Bathroom Hand Dryer Commercial and Household, Stainless Steel Cover 1400W(Brushed)

To be fair enough, more than for individual homes, this could be a better option for offices or school environments. This powerful and efficient hand dryer has a capacity of 1500 watts and blows air at 230 mph.

The speed is quite good but the speed always involves sound according to the motors. so, let’s know how much noise it will produce during drying your hands.

The output noise measured at a proper distance from the ground is 72 dB which the user manual says but if the hand dryers are fixed near to the ground level (of course, for kids) the sound can go up to 80 to 85dB. For a normal hand dryer, this might be a good option in their price range.

For offices and school bathrooms, I found this on Amazon for an affordable price and you will get two pieces of it. The cable length is also expected to be good and the minimal design will make it adjustable everywhere.

Air temperature104 °F
Power1500 Watts, 120V/60HZ
Max air speed222 mph
WaterproofRated IP23
Drying time10-12 sec

WBHome Ultra-Thin hand dryer

The WBHome hand dryer is thin for a single user to use in bathrooms. Even though it says the ultra-thin in name, it is not as thin as you expect. Compared to other hand dryers, this is better in the price range.

All new hand dryers are known to save energy, and this hand dryer from WBHome is also good at saving energy. It has the feature to turn off automatically after 60 seconds of non-usage. It operates at a normal power voltage level.

Even though they claim that mounting holes are 200mm, users said they got 180mm. It’s better to measure yourself before installing screws.

Noise output72 dB
Air temperature95 °F to 145 °F
PowerAC 110 V 50/60Hz (Rated power: 950W)
Drying time10-15 sec

Awoco Commercial Hand Dryer (AWO-AK2803B)

Awoco hand dryer is leading in auto shut off-time (45 seconds) compared to the other hand dryers in a similar price range. This Awoco hand dryer is decent at out of the price range and you can save $10 if you choose the combo option.

The minimum temperature this blow out on hands is 68F which is pretty normal at the price to protect children’s skin. The internal structure is designed pretty well to produce low noise levels of 70 dB at 40 inches from the ground.

This durable hand dryer has the filter inside the motor to kill 99% of the gems and bacteria in the air. Awoco commercial hand dryers have three different models standard, compact, and round.

Noise output70 dB
Air temperature68-104 °F
Power1350W- 1450W, 12A
Drying time7 to 15 sec

Valens Hand dryer with HEPA filter

This automatic hand dryer uses an advanced sensor to detect hands to start drying. It also has the HEPA filter that separates dust and bacteria. This is one of the most powerful power blowing air systems at 1800 watts.

This high-speed dryer hand can dry hands in 8 seconds as the company says. It would be great for busy showrooms and shopping malls but you have to measure the correct output. This hand dryer makes 72 dB at most and it is pretty quiet even though the power is higher than other commercial hand dryers.

And also, the hand dryer is designed as a short circuit resistor which is very helpful for kids. The brush motor rotates at 22,000 rpm to generate faster heat and airflow. This model also doesn’t have any heating settings like others.

When I searched for those dryers where we can adjust drying speed, Valens from Amazon came to my mind. You can slow down the drying speed that can reduce the overall noise output.

Noise output72 dB
Air temperature104 °F (224 mph air blowing)
Power1800 Watts, 110V/60HZ
Drying time8 to 15 sec
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Factors to consider when buying a hand dryer

Choosing a hand dryer for your office or home purposes is a task that involves a lot of factors including sound, drying time, and cost. If you are aware of the news that louder hand dryers can affect child hearing ability, you must take the sound output as a primary parameter.

Noise: Quiet hand dryers use less power for motors and fans but the drying will be longer than the other commercial hand dryers. All these listed hand dryers claimed to produce the low noise output but if you are still not sure about it, you can blindly go for the hand dryers that take less power and more drying time.

Speed: Drying speed could be the reason why people choose high-end power dryers that make louder sounds. You can also choose those hand dryers that take even 30 seconds for complete drying.

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