Getting this right saves a school real money. Paper towels do not just cost money to buy and empty, they block drains, and the call-out to clear one costs more than the towels ever did.
Getting it wrong is expensive in a different way. A dryer that fails in year three of a five year warranty is a purchase made twice.
Age range changes the answer more than anything else. Most modern dryers are loud, because reaching that speed means spinning the motor very fast, and a loud dryer in an infant school washroom will simply stop being used. Older pupils will not care. Secondary and university washrooms take the harder wear, so build quality matters more there than volume does.
Built to survive a school
Warranty is the most honest guide to how a dryer will hold up, because the manufacturer is the one carrying the risk.
- Dryflow Infinity carries a 10 year warranty, the longest here, with a HEPA filter and 72dB.
- Dryflow Turboforce at 7 years, a straightforward high-speed unit for corridors and secondary washrooms.
- Diamond Dryers at 7 years and only 300W, the lowest running cost on the page.
For infants and early years
Noise is the deciding factor with younger children, and a dryer loud enough to startle them gets avoided altogether. The Mitsubishi Jet Towel Smart is the quietest here at 58dB. The full low-noise range is on our quiet hand dryers page.
