Your bathroom is one of the most important places when it comes to daily usage. It is where you start and end your day, where you go when you need solitude, and where you come up with your best business ideas! To put it into numbers, an average person spends about one and a half years of their life in the bathroom.
Why then heating a cold bathroom is such a neglected topic? Here are some top tips and tricks on how to heat a cold bathroom.
How To Heat a Cold Bathroom?
Keeping your bathroom warm and cozy in the winter can help make your morning routine less of a struggle. Say goodbye to cold tiles and chilly drafts when you step into your bathroom with these simple tricks:
1. Install a Heated Floor System
Radiant floor heating systems consist of electrically heated coils or water-heated tubing patterned under your bathroom floor to keep it heated. This system provides even heat distribution and is quite inexpensive to install and run. Radiant floor heating is, in some instances, more energy-efficient than other heating systems. They also help dry floors up faster, so your bathroom floor is less slippery.
2. Get a Heated Towel Rack
Another ingenious solution on how to heat a cold bathroom is to add heated towel racks. If you’re someone who loves long warm showers but hates wrapping in a cold towel after, these are perfect for you!
Heated towel racks can be either electric or hydronic.
The electric types need you to plug them into the wall, and you’re good to go. The hydronic ones connect to your hot water system and don’t need additional electricity to operate. In addition to warming up your towels, these racks also act as a secondary heating source for your bathroom.
3. Invest in Infrared Heat Lamps
Heat lamps are an inexpensive upgrade that can quickly heat a cold bathroom and speed up drying time. While the parts are easy and affordable to acquire, there might be some installation costs that you’ll need to consider. For instance, it wouldn’t be safe to plug a heat lamp into a regular light fixture because it could blow fuses or cause a short circuit. Instead, you’ll need to hire an electrician to run a powerline from your bathroom to the main electrical panel.
In addition, most heat lamps come with a timer option so you can turn them on before you step in, and it will automatically shut off after your specified time.
4. Add Rugs and Carpets
The icy cold bathroom floor can be a nightmare to step on in the morning! The best way to avoid that altogether is to put something between yourself and that floor, such as a carpet or rug. While wall-to-wall carpeting will look chicer, it is harder to maintain. Instead, opt for strategically placed rugs covering the spots you’re more likely to stand or walk in. Pick thick and plush rugs that can retain heat better while giving a more homely feeling.
5. Weatherstrip Bathroom Door and Windows
No matter what trick you look up on how to heat a cold bathroom, they will all fail if your bathroom does not have weatherstripping. The smallest cracks or gaps around your door or windows can let the cold air get in and the warm air leak out. You can check for drafty windows by either tracing around the glass and window frame with your hand or holding up a small tissue around the window perimeter. You should pay extra attention to window edges and the place where window sections overlap. Use caulk to seal any small cracks or crevices and add weatherstripping everywhere else. Remember to replace any flattened or worn-out weatherstripping.
6. Incorporate Warm Décor and Plants
Some plants (like rubber plant, English ivy, peace lily) add moisture to the air, increasing humidity and making any space appear warmer. In addition to plants, other cozy elements such as wooden finishes, jute laundry baskets, yellow lighting, and other similar elements can make any space feel warmer. You can also add a splash of color by switching up your start white walls with paint in warmer tones.
While white and other light-colored bathroom décor are mainstream, these colors tend to make the bathroom appear colder, which is something you don’t want. So instead, opt for colors like red, yellow, orange, or pink to warm your space up.
7. Let Sunlight into Your Bathroom
If all else fails, resort to the basics! You can never go wrong with a little bit of extra sunshine in the winter (unless your windows aren’t adequately sealed). If your bathroom has a big enough window and gets a fair amount of sun, let some of that warmth from the sun into your bathroom to increase the temperature.
The bright rays from the sun will also feel great on your skin while you’re going through your early morning routine. If privacy is a concern, you can add a translucent film to the lower half of your window.
8. Use Space Heaters Wisely
If you’re still not satisfied and looking up ideas on how to heat a cold bathroom, you might be tempted to consider space heaters. Space heaters are a nifty solution to many heating problems and are ideal for small spaces such as bathrooms. However, not every space heater is suitable for use in wet areas. It’s important to look for safety features such as tip-over protection, automatic shut-off, ALCI plug safety, and other elements that can minimize the risk of electrocution and short circuits.
While all the tips mentioned above help you have an amazing and toasty morning routine, it is equally important that you focus on maintaining the perfect winter temperature throughout your home, so your perfectly warm mornings aren’t ruined. It is best that from time to time, you test your thermostat, keep HVAC air filters clean, conduct regular HVAC maintenance, upgrade insulation to avoid cold and hot spots inside your home.
Final Thoughts
Knowing how to heat a cold bathroom in the winter can save you many dreadful mornings. With a properly heated bathroom, you no longer have to spend extra hours in bed mentally preparing yourself to step into the frigid cold. There are several ways you can raise the temperature in your bathroom, such as by investing in underfloor heating, getting an infrared heat lamp, installing a heated towel rack, throwing in a few rugs, growing some houseplants, and so on.
While space heaters are also an option, you should be cautious when picking or installing any electronic device in a moist area. Electronics and water don’t mix very well, so opt for a space heater that is safe for bathroom spaces.
