Set the timer to 50 seconds

Online timer for 50 seconds

At a shopping-centre hand dryer, you can start a fifty-second countdown on your phone, put it back in your pocket, and concentrate on moving your hands through the airflow. The screen does not need your attention while the timer runs, which is useful when both hands are wet and you are carrying shopping bags.

Busy washrooms can have dryers that stop before your hands are done, so consecutive countdowns help separate each burst of airflow. One run can cover the first drying cycle, then another can begin if the machine cuts out or your hands still feel damp. Each restart stays distinct, even when several people are waiting nearby.

Wet hands and a public washroom make a phone more practical than a laptop for this short interval. A phone fits in a dry pocket, stays close enough to hear, and can run while you move between the dryer and your bags. A laptop left elsewhere in the shopping centre is harder to hear and awkward to check for such a brief task.