Hand dryers have been around longer than you might think--in fact, they've been around for 100 years!

The earliest model was patented in 1921 by three men for the Airdry Corporation: R.B. Hibbard, D.J. Watrous, and J.G. Bassett. It was a floor unit that kind of resembled an inverted blow dryer, like people use to dry their hair. People would operate it using a floor pedal, but later models featured a push button that the user would need to push with their hands to get hot air to blast out of it.

Today, most hand dryers are touchless, meaning that they use a motion sensor to know when to start blowing air. These touchless models are the hand dryers of the future for a variety of reasons, especially considering the recent global pandemic that brought the importance of personal hygiene to the mind of every single person worldwide. Because we're all so much more aware of hygiene than ever before, we know the importance of touchless hand dryers.

After all, we touch thousands of surfaces every single day, and it's easy to spread that bacteria without even thinking about it. Thoroughly washing and drying our hands is the only way to stop the spread of germs, but is there a point in washing our hands if we're going to push a button in a public restroom to dry them? Doesn't it seem to defeat the purpose?

Like we said before, touchless hand dryers have a motion sensor that allows people to dry their hands simply by placing them in front of the sensor. If you're worried about the rumors that say hand dryers spread more germs than paper towels, though, don't be: MANY touchless hand dryers have implemented a HEPA filter into their designs. HEPA filters purify the air coming out of the hand dryer as it dries your hands, so you're not just getting a blast of air full of bacteria buildup.

With our hygiene and the health of everyone around us at the forefront of our minds, touchless hand dryers are the only way to move forward.