Hung out to dry

Dyson’s new Airblade hand dryer is hygienic, energy efficient and, more surprisingly, actually works.

You know the drill. You wash your hands, head over to the dryer and five mind-numbing minutes later you give up and wipe them on your trousers. The Dyson Digital Motor, however, produces an air stream flowing at 400 mph. This unheated air is channelled through a 0.3 mm gap. A sheet of air acts like an invisible windscreen wiper to remove moisture from hands, leaving them dry in just 10 seconds.

The Dyson uses 83% less energy than other dryers, but retails at a whopping £549.