Before I go any further, I have to tell you my finger has hovered over this post for a few days deciding whether or not to delete this as I don’t want to offend anyone. I finally decided to trust you won’t be offended, please know my son was in the U.S. Army, and I have nothing but respect for those who have served. Nothing I say here should be taken as my being critical of their efforts to create a career for themselves now in the civilian world, I am simply questioning the use of this product by those who don’t need it as it relates to the environmental challenges we are all facing.
My daughter-in-law introduced me to Pinterest, great place to get ideas, worst time waster I think I’ve ever found for me. I happened to spot something that has me shaking my head. When it comes to wasted energy this has to take the cake, not to mention I need a place to spend all my extra money.
As you all know I do my best to keep my energy usage as low as possible, so imagine my surprise when I saw this.
First let me say that the company that installs this is 100% owned and operated by U.S. Military Veterans and from that perspective I not only applaud their ability to create their own jobs in a down economy but to have a product which could benefit so many who are now physically challenged from combat injuries.
Having said that, it is marketed in a completely different way. I unfortunately see more sales of this item to people who want the latest and best item to come out on the market to show off. Read on and tell me what you think.
The future has arrived….Do you know what this is? It’s a professionally installed body drier. Now in the comfort of your nice warm shower you can have a machine that at a push of a button will blow hot air evenly over your body to dry you off.
Don’t worry about washing towels, or stepping out of the shower and getting cold while you dry off. Oh and what about where to hang that damp towel after you dry off. No problem, you no longer need a towel.
No I’m not making this up. You can pick your very own design to match your bathroom here. Of course you have to contact the company for a price quote, it’s not listed anywhere on the page, must be pretty expensive. When you click on the frequently asked questions, you are greeted by a page that tells you due to proprietary information you need to contact the company to learn more. So no where can I learn how much electrical usage, cost or any thing else from the website to share with you.
Of course I should be ashamed of talking sarcastically as I’m sure there are many people who can now feel a sense of independence from this product, but who do you think are going to be this company’s biggest clients, the disabled or the wealthy physically able?
Life In A Minimalist Farmhouse 
I applaud your courage to post this! It speaks to me on many levels. I identify with so much of what you write.
I love your blog!
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Thank you Terri, this was the first time I was ever nervous about hitting the publish button.
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Hell I would have posted it. Now it’s great for the disabled. Really. But like you I have a feeling it will be the rich and lazy who actually buy it. For one thing. I also applaude the vets you designed and made it. Bravo! But in reality, if they don’t post any prices do we really think other vets can afford it, especially the vets who could really have a need for it? We all know the answer to that one. Unless of course the company gives vets a deep discount. Any chance of that?
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There is a note on the bottom of the page that vets and seniors can receive a discount. Not sure what that discount is, also looked to see if any insurances would cover payment, but there was nothing there.
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Hmmmm… well, I can see how this might be useful for people with certain disabilities. But what I don’t get is why anyone without said disabilities would want one! To me, wrapping myself in a thick, luxurious towel is one of my favorite parts about bathing!
But… back when I still had cable TV I used to occasionally stumble upon a show called “Living with Ed” which was essentially the environmental adventures of Ed Begley Jr.(some actor.) Anyhow, I recall one episode where he installed a hand drier (the kind that blows hot air on your hands to dry them like they have in public rest rooms) because it was somehow more environmentally friendly than using towels. I can’t quite remember the rational behind it all – guess he somehow figured it used less resources than washing the towels when you figure in the water and the detergent? It may have been because they got all of their electricity from solar power… Anyhow, it would be interesting to see a comparison. Here’s the episode synopsis, although it doesn’t really say how it’s greener: http://livingwithed.net/eguide.asp?CID=18&xepisode=Season%202
I still wouldn’t want one even if it did turn out to be more “eco friendly”… sounds like a good way to dry out your skin to me!
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I missed that episode of Living With Ed, he’s quite the character. Could it be the water savings for him being in California? You know I keep playing this through my head, with my disability, standing and turning around in the shower to have that dry me off would be harder than getting a towel. If you have to use a shower chair to shower, then how would you turn around to get dry, it would be more work. But if you have say a missing arm, then this would be a much better solution.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for giving people more independence in their daily routines, heck I have to think about adapting my life for those things, but this I can only see helping a small number of disabled, unless you have one on either side of the person so they don’t have to move?
I called this post The future has arrived, because the first thing that popped in my head was a series of books by J.D. Roth called the In Death series, this takes place close to 50 years in the future or something, and they have these drying tubes rather than towels. No I like my fluffy towel, and if you are getting out of the shower all nice and clean, the towel if hung to air dry doesn’t have to be washed daily.
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Washed daily?!? My gosh, are there actually people out there who wash their towels every day? That sound like it’s verging on Howard Hughes territory if you ask me.
I agree that there are very few cases where this would actually be helpful. CatMan has to shower seated with his foot it a bucket of cold water to keep the hot water from aggravating the injured nerve in his ankle. So turning around would certainly not work for him…
And I’m still chuckling because where you said “unless you have one on either side of the person…” my dyslexic brain read that as “unless you have a one sided person…” Oh my…
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Yes, I know several people who wash their towels every day. One use and it goes into the wash. We grew up using the same towel all week (yes, each person had their own) and then Saturday laundry was done so Sunday we got a fresh towel. It amazes me how many loads of laundry some families do each day. I do 1 sometimes 2 loads a week that’s it.
Okay this would work even better with a one sided person 😉 I love it!!
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Hmmm… I guess if they were in it to make money (and Im guessing thats what they are doing since they dont list the price) then its aimed at the rich and brainless rather than the clever enough but not rich enough person who may have a disability that would find this useful. If it were seriously aimed at the disabled person market, it would have a price and there would be feedback from people saying how useful it was in their case! Good on you for posting it. Less to do with soldiers and more to do with selling a product in a “questionable” way methinx! – Kara xx
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Thanks Kara, those were my thoughts as well. But I know how touchy people are about negative treatment of our military men and women that I almost didn’t post this. The marketing is definitely about how nice it is to be totally dry by warm air, that takes only minutes, and will dry you from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet, and how you no long need to be cold stepping out of the shower.
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Sadly I think you’re right about the end user. Though possibly with govt. funding it would be useful for some? Like you, I’d hate to think this would become the latest (look what I’ve got) must have gadget! And being able bodied I’m not sure hoe people with disabilities would feel, but I can’t help feeling that we should be helping each other. If someone has a disability that restricts them from drying themselves couldn’t another human give them a hand?
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Linda, you have some great thoughts. We do have plenty of people around here who do just that. They are hired, and paid for by organizations to help the disabled, they will do you shopping, some cleaning, shower you, dress you, even do your laundry if it means you can stay in your home and live on your own rather than ending up in a nursing home. On the other hand, having someone have to wipe your butt, shower you, dress you is something you just have to learn to cope with, for many it’s hard to accept those types of help so anything that allows you to do more for yourself is a good thing. One example came from a good friend, when he went off to college he wanted to be able to get mostly dressed himself. His parents found this claw thing (like you see today for reaching items high up over your head), but it was designed to hold on to a sock to slip it over a foot without bending over. He was thrilled, he could not only use this for his sock, but his pants as well, and just needed help getting the pants above his thighs and fastened. He still needed help, but that one little thing he could do for himself kept his spirits up.
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the rich are neither necessarily brainless or lazy–I am just assuming this because I am not rich
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Okay, is that the impression I gave? What I was trying to say is that rather than look at whether they really need this or want it, it would be the latest toy to show off to be better than their neighbors. Trust me this does happen, at least around here.
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you did not leave that impression at all — but a few of your other commenters did – I regret leaving you with that impression–and some people do try to get bigger and better toys to show off–you are right–we are still friends aren’t we?
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Of course we are friends! I almost asked you if you thought you were lazy since you only mentioned you weren’t rich. The one thing we should always remember are that there are two kinds of rich. The ones that need to show off their wealth and those that are happy not showing if off.
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If I ever get rich I will not show off, just share–hmm lazy is kind of up in the air!
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Trust me I know you aren’t lazy. Yes, if I were ever rich I would share as well.
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no doubt in my mind you would
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😉
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From a green point of view, I wonder what uses more power, a body drier or an extra towel in the wash. Also, I see towels are better because they scrap away the crud that you and the water miss, a body drier would just encrust that. I am not a fan of electronic gadgetry, and I see many of the items that people use today are totally unnecessary and a waste of resources that we will rue in the future.
Sorry to be such a wet blanket, but do enjoy your posts, as you do mine.
AV
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You are not a wet blanket. Those are great questions and I tried to find the answer, but there was nothing to see a comparison. I like using a towel, but I’m sure there were plenty of things the older generation held on to for a while as they didn’t want change either, my grandfather sticking with a party line for his phone until nearly 1980 is one.
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I must admit that my age has not caught up with the times, I like retro. I still prefer a towel, there is something soothing about that great soft towel after a shower, or coming in from the rain, it welcomes you.
AV
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Is that my main problem, I’m getting too old to accept changes? And yes, a fluffy towel is wonderful coming in from the rain!
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sounds like something that belongs on unclutterer’s unitasker Wednesday!
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Joanna, I don’t know what that is. Want to tell me more about this?
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My first thoughts echo a couple above. Until I had more data, I wouldn’t dismiss it entirely until I understood the whole picture. There could be more energy used to wash the towels than is used with this device. Also, if you were totally dry when you came out of the shower, you could keep the bathroom at a much lower temperature and still be comfortable. I have read too many studies that show what seems to be the greener way on first glance is not necessarily so when the big picture is considered, so I am always cautious about things until I really understand them. However, with all of that being said, it looks like another silly device and this was a good post that gave sparked a good discussion.
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Thanks, Live and Learn, you had quite a few interesting thoughts there. As for the bathroom temperature, I don’t change the temperature, but I have a small bathroom and just keep the door closed, even though I take a navy shower, it still warms up the room plenty to be comfortable getting out. I so wish I could have found any information on the energy usage, but with absolutely zero information on the energy costs, which you would think would be a selling point if it saved energy, I can only assume it is not a greener option, at this time.
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While you are right about who will probably end up being the end users of this product but I can see several uses for this:
1) It would reduce the amount of laundry in hospitals and nursing homes.
2) It would reduce the amount of bacteria spread around in any environment because no one would have to handle towels from folks who may be sick (wishing I had one now cause my Katie is ill).
3) It would help the disabled, elderly and ill to dry off completely and safely.
If it runs long enough it could also dry the hair of those who need it, which would be a great benefit in the winter months.
However, your argument about the comfiness of a towel is great if you have a dryer. Mine are a bit crisp because I happen to lack that appliance 🙂
This sounds like a wonderful invention. One day it may become standard in modern bathrooms. Until then hopefully enough people can afford it to keep the vets employed and prevent it from fading away until the hospitals and nursing homes discover it at least.. 🙂
Good for you to stand up and share this! Thanks!
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I hadn’t thought much about your points on the nursing homes. Although, I would point out that for an individual in a nursing home, many have lost most of their mobility, so unless you had a chair on wheels or some sort of a seat that you could spin, this would not be helpful I mention this from my point of view, I am still able to walk some, but for showers since I fall easily I need a chair, it would be nearly impossible from my sitting position to be able to use this to dry off and anything with wheels would be dangerous for me to try to get on or off of. Back to my point, there would have to be adaptations to the showers before this would be safely used in a nursing home.
I definitely want to see our vets creating their own jobs, and do something they love, just wish they had more information freely available.
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In most nursing homes they have special chairs the residents sit in while they are bathed. It wouldn’t take much to place those chairs in front of the dryer, or mount a couple of dryers so cover the resident from several angles. Having worked in a nursing home it would be so much easier to put the resident in front of a dryer than to towel them off — especially the males who like to, ehem, “flirt” with the female workers. The aides could be washing another patient while the first one dried, just keeping an eye on him so that he doesn’t try to come out of the chair if he has dementia.
After my father’s leg was crushed he was forced to shower in a chair. An item like this would have helped him immensely, as well as others who may have suffered from strokes, etc. It could help the elderly remain independent that much longer — yay!
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I agree very much that situations like your father’s would be perfect for this dryer, and if you could adapt the chairs in the nursing homes so they locked for safety then it might work. I do know what you mean about the men flirting with the attendants, it’s sad but not something I would want to deal with regularly
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I think that this product can make you skin very dry special for people who suffer from eczema .
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That could be. I have very dry skin in the winter, hadn’t thought about it, but it would probably do a number on my skin as well.
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All the same, it’s an interesting product! I can imagine a lot of people would really like it.
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I’m sure a lot of people do.
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This device is good in certain situations… military and the disabled … but for the rest of humanity anyone that invests in this is a lazy idiot.
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That was my thought, but you put it so much better than I did:-)
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