What qualities make a hand dryer “best in class” for a C-store? While the answer to this question may vary between owners and visitors, most will agree that three of the most critical aspects are hygiene, cost efficiency and building compliance. Excel Dryer’s signature products—the XLERATOR^® Hand Dryer, the XLERATOReco^® Hand Dryer, the ThinAir^® Hand Dryer and the XLERATORsync^®—embody key qualities that demonstrate superiority in these  aspects (among others), over both paper towels and other hand dryers on the market today.

1) Hygiene

When it comes to hand drying solutions in public spaces, especially high-traffic areas like C-Stores, hygiene is the primary focus. Sanitization was an important topic before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the past 18 months have launched it to the forefront of everyone’s minds.

At the same time, misinformation has been put forth regarding the efficacy of hand dryers vs. paper towels with regard to their ability to help prevent the spread of illness. In the midst of the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated the hand washing and drying language on their website, to make their stance clear. Showing their support for multiple drying methods, the CDC now states, “there is currently not enough scientific evidence to determine if using a clean towel or an air hand dryer to dry your hands is more effective at reducing germs on your hands. Both are effective ways to dry your hands.”

Excel Dryer has once again proven their line of hand dryers is best in class with consideration to COVID-19. In 2020, the company contracted LMS Technologies, a leading air media and filter testing company, to conduct viral filtration efficiency testing on the XLERATOR Hand Dryer. This testing challenged the dryer’s HEPA Filtration System with approximately 380 million viruses. In response, the system removed 99.999% of viruses from the airstream. In addition to that best-in-class filtration, Excel’s products promote hygiene through:

• automatic sensors which provide a completely touchless drying solution
• elimination of potentially germ-laden paper towels building up in trash cans or clogging toilets

2) Cost Efficiency and Energy Efficiency

Which option provides best-in-class efficiency? In terms of both dollars and the environment, paper towels are surprisingly costly for a product frequently touted as “recycled”—as evidenced by their wasteful life cycle. It begins when the paper is harvested from trees, transported on trucks and put through a pulping process. The towels are then used in a restroom and delivered to a landfill; even paper towels made from recycled materials head to this destination after one use.

Conversely, hand dryers only require a small amount of electricity for each use, which can last about 8–14 seconds* depending on the XLERATOR product. High-speed, energy-efficient dryers will also only operate when the sensor is activated so no energy is wasted, making them vastly superior to older push-button models which generally run on timers, wasting energy by continuing to operate after hands have been dried.

What does this all add up to? Best-in-class cost efficiency and energy efficiency: high-speed hand dryers can provide a 95% cost savings over paper towels, completely eliminating the labor, maintenance and waste associated with the paper option. Studies have also shown that Excel Dryer’s XLERATOR can reduce a facility’s hand drying carbon footprint by up to 75% when compared to traditional hand dryers and paper towels (including 100% recycled paper towels).

3) ADA Compliance

Compliance is necessary for all restrooms in the modern age. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was first enacted in the 1990s to prevent discrimination and ensure all Americans have equal access to public spaces and facilities. The act revolutionized the way architects designed buildings to new criteria. Compliance for hand dryers requires:

• The device is motion activated and doesn’t protrude more than four inches from the wall.
• All buttons and touch-free sensors on the device fall between 38 and 48 inches off the floor.

Excel Dryer can help any installation to adhere to these guidelines through innovative solutions, including their ADA-compliant recess kit for hand dryers and XChanger^® kit for retrofitting paper towel dispensers to the XLERATOR.

A Look at the Best-in-Class Products

• XLERATOR Hand Dryer: the original high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryer that dries hands in just 8 seconds*, uses 80% less energy than conventional dryers and provides a 95% cost savings vs. paper towels

• XLERATOReco Hand Dryer: has a 10-second* dry time while using only 500 watts, making it an exceptionally environmentally friendly hand dryer

• ThinAir Hand Dryer: has a 14-second* dry time while using 950 watts when heated and 300 watts when not heated; fully ADA compliant, without the need for a kit

• XLERATORsync: sink-mounted hand dryer and component of the D|13 Sink System (distributed exclusively through D|13 Group in the United States), which allows users to wash, rinse and dry hands all in one place in a completely touchless and ADA-compliant solution

To learn more about how Excel Dryer’s products can improve your C-Store’s hygiene and cost efficiency while guaranteeing compliance, please visit exceldryer.com.

*Dry time and energy use testing performed by SGS International on standard XLERATOR/XLERATOReco Hand Dryers with 0.8″ nozzle/standard Thin Air Hand Dryer to 0.25g or less of residual moisture, pursuant to the UL Environment Global Product Category Rules (PCR) for Hand Dryers.

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