The real cost of paper towels in your commercial washroom — and what to do about it
Here's a number that surprises most facilities managers the first time they see it: a single commercial washroom running on paper towels costs an average of $2,190 per year just in consumables. Add in janitorial labour for restocking and emptying waste bins, the cost of dealing with drain clogs and plumbing calls, and the waste disposal fees that come with high-volume towel use — and the real number is often closer to $3,000 to $4,000 annually, per washroom.
For a building with four washrooms, that's a quiet $12,000 a year disappearing into the garbage.
We've been supplying commercial hardware to facilities across Canada for over 30 years — for clients like Loblaws, Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart, and dozens of mid-size commercial builds in between. In that time, the hand-drying question comes up on almost every washroom spec. And the answer has changed considerably. Here's what you actually need to know before you make the call.
What a typical commercial washroom spends on hand drying
The $2,190 paper towel figure is a reasonable baseline for a medium-traffic commercial washroom — think an office building with 50 to 75 people using the facilities through the day. But traffic volume changes the math fast.
| Traffic level | Daily uses | Estimated annual paper towel cost |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Under 50 | $800 – $1,200 |
| Medium | 50 – 200 | $1,800 – $2,500 |
| High | 200+ | $3,500 – $6,000+ |
High-traffic environments include restaurants, gyms, multi-residential lobbies, and schools — anywhere footfall is heavy and consistent through the day.
Those numbers don't include the indirect costs. Paper towel dispensers need restocking, sometimes multiple times a day in high-traffic environments. Waste bins need emptying. Wet towels dropped on the floor mean slip hazards and extra cleaning time. And in high-use washrooms, paper towels in the drain are a near-constant plumbing issue.
Warm-air hand dryers are cheaper to run than paper towels — around $140 per year in electricity — but they have their own problem: they're slow. With a dry time of 22 to 43 seconds, most users give up partway through and wipe their hands on their clothes. Damp hands transfer up to 1,000 times more bacteria than dry ones, which means the washroom is still a hygiene liability even with a dryer installed.
Hand dryer vs. paper towels: the honest comparison
Let's lay it out plainly, because the numbers are compelling enough on their own.
Upfront cost: A quality commercial hand dryer like the Dyson Airblade V runs $1,180 CAD. Paper towel dispensers are essentially free or low-cost — but that's where the savings end.
Annual running cost: The Dyson Airblade V costs approximately $40 per year to run in electricity. Paper towels cost $2,190. That gap closes the purchase price in under a year for a medium-traffic washroom, and in a matter of months for a high-traffic one.
Over five years, the cost of paper towels in a single medium-traffic washroom runs roughly $10,000 to $12,000. The total cost of a Dyson Airblade V over the same period — purchase plus electricity — is around $1,380. The difference is not marginal; it's the kind of number that gets a facilities budget request approved quickly.
Recommended Commercial Hand Dryer
Hygiene: This is where the conversation has shifted in the last decade. The older concern — that hand dryers spread more bacteria than paper towels — applied specifically to warm-air dryers, which blow unfiltered ambient washroom air onto wet hands. High-speed HEPA-filtered dryers like the Dyson Airblade V work differently: air is drawn through a HEPA filter that captures 99.97% of bacteria-sized particles before it ever reaches your hands. The Dyson Airblade V is the only commercial hand dryer certified to the NSF International Protocol P335, the hygiene benchmark for the industry. It's also independently verified by the Carbon Trust.
Environmental impact: Paper towels generate significant waste and carry a high production carbon footprint — from logging and processing to bleaching, packaging, and transportation. A Carbon Trust lifecycle analysis found that drying hands with a Dyson Airblade produces up to 83% less CO₂ per use than paper towels. For buildings pursuing LEED certification or sustainability reporting requirements, that difference is material.
Maintenance: Paper towel systems require constant restocking and regular servicing of dispensers. A hand dryer, once installed, needs nothing more than an occasional HEPA filter replacement. The Dyson Airblade V's backplate mounting system means the unit can be removed and reinstalled for filter changes or servicing without an electrician on-site.
How to choose the right hand dryer for your building
Not every dryer suits every application. Here's how to match the spec to the space.
Traffic volume is the starting point. For washrooms with heavy daily use — restaurants, gyms, arenas, transit facilities, multi-residential lobbies — you want a dryer rated for high-cycle environments with a proven motor lifespan. The Dyson Airblade V is engineered for exactly this.
Voltage availability matters before you specify. The Airblade V comes in Low Voltage (suitable for standard 120V circuits already present in most commercial washrooms) and High Voltage (208–240V, typically used in new builds or washrooms where electrical upgrades are being made). Specifying the wrong voltage on a tender is a costly mistake — confirm with your electrical contractor before ordering.
Wall depth and ADA compliance are critical in retrofit situations. The Dyson Airblade V protrudes only 10 cm from the wall — slim enough to meet ADA and Canadian barrier-free design requirements without any wall recessing. That's a significant advantage in older buildings where wall depth is limited.
Noise sensitivity varies by application. A corporate office or medical clinic has different tolerance for dryer noise than a sports facility. The Airblade V is 30% quieter than its predecessor, making it suitable for environments where noise matters.
Finish compatibility is often overlooked but matters in designed spaces. The Airblade V is available in Sprayed Nickel and White — both finishes that read as premium and hold up in high-contact commercial environments.
What makes the Dyson Airblade V the benchmark
We specify a lot of commercial hardware. The Dyson Airblade V earns its place on a washroom spec for three practical reasons.
First, the dry time. At 12 seconds, it actually dries hands — which means it gets used properly, which means the hygiene benefit is real rather than theoretical. Users don't give up and wipe their hands on their trousers.
Second, the certification stack. NSF P335 certified, Carbon Trust verified, ADA compliant, HEPA filtered as standard. For commercial projects where specifications go through an approval process — healthcare, food service, institutional builds — having those certifications in the cut sheet saves time.
Third, the 5-year warranty on parts and labour. For a facilities manager, that's a meaningful reduction in maintenance uncertainty over the lifecycle of the building.
The Airblade V is available through JSL Hardware in both Low Voltage and High Voltage configurations, in Sprayed Nickel and White finishes.
Explore Dyson Commercial Hand Dryers at JSL Hardware
The full washroom picture
A hand dryer doesn't exist in isolation. It's one component of a washroom spec that also includes paper towel dispensers (useful as a transition measure or backup), soap and sanitization dispensers, grab bars and accessible fixtures, signage, and waste disposal.
JSL Hardware supplies all of these. We carry Frost commercial washroom accessories — paper towel dispensers, soap dispensers, grab bars, barrier-free mirrors — alongside Dyson hand dryers, commercial signage, and waste and recycling solutions. For facilities managers and contractors speccing a full washroom fit-out, working with a single supplier who understands how these components fit together saves time on the project and reduces the back-and-forth of dealing with multiple vendors.
Getting a quote for your project
If you're speccing hand dryers for a multi-washroom commercial project, we provide project-specific pricing for multi-unit orders. We can also assist with product specifications for tenders and bids, and connect you with installation contacts if needed.
Contact our commercial team through the JSL Hardware trade page or reach out directly — we're used to working on tight timelines and can turn around specs and pricing quickly.
The math on paper towels is hard to argue with. If you haven't looked at it recently, it's worth five minutes of your time.
Final Thoughts
For many commercial facilities, paper towels are one of those recurring costs that quietly drain thousands of dollars every year without much scrutiny.
But once you compare the operational cost, maintenance requirements, hygiene performance, and environmental impact side by side, the long-term value of a high-speed HEPA-filtered hand dryer becomes difficult to ignore.
Whether you're renovating a commercial washroom, managing a multi-unit facility, or planning a new build, choosing the right drying solution can reduce operational costs while improving the overall user experience.
Contact our team for bulk pricing, project quotes, and specification support.
Need help deciding between styles or finishes? Laurie, JSL Hardware’s in-house designer (and the author of this blog), offers both online and in-home design consultations to support you in making the right selections.
Laurie Orsino
JSL Hardware In-House Designer
JSL Hardware — Supplying Canada's construction and contract hardware industry with precision, reliability, and expertise.