Cold spaces in your home are never pleasant, but the bathroom has to be the worst of all. After all, this is where you’re most likely to be wet, exposed, and left to feel that cold in your very bones. If it gets too chilly here during the winter, you might find yourself avoiding the space, or running in and out so quickly that you don’t get to appreciate your beautiful bathroom for the vast majority of the year.
That’s a real shame, and it’s a surprisingly common problem, especially with downstairs bathrooms that are more likely to face the full brunt of the seasons. In extreme cases, these arctic temperatures could even pose a real health risk, not to mention that they increase the prevalence of damp and mould.
With that in mind, bringing warmth to your bathroom is a key priority. But, how can you manage it?
# 1 – Insulate the Space
If you live in an old property with an add-on downstairs bathroom, insulation might be lacking. So, our first advice is to simply insulate the space however you can.
Full insulation, which could include insulated plasterboard, wool batts, or spray foam, is the best option, but it can also be a pretty extreme job in an existing space. So, you might also want to focus on easier fixes, like double-glazed windows, stud and joist insulation, and draught reduction. Pay particular attention to exterior walls, as a lack of insulation here can cause temperatures to drop by at least a few degrees!
# 2 – Get Smart About Heating
Heating is an obvious and non-negotiable way to warm a cold bathroom, but what form should it take? Ideally, you want to heat this space as efficiently as possible, which means getting smart about your options.
Even with your radiators, you may want to avoid common choices like stainless steel designs that lose their heat quickly, and instead focus on alternatives like cast iron radiators, which look great and are better for heat retention. It’s also worth thinking about additional heating measures like underfloor heating as this can make a huge temperature difference in even a bathroom with hard flooring.
# 3 – Create the Impression of Warmth
The appearance of your bathroom can also do a surprising amount of warming legwork. While it might not actually make a huge temperature difference, using warm colours can be an especially great way to make the space feel more welcoming.
Equally, certain decor additions can be great for creating the impression of warmth, such as fluffy towels on the rack, rugs or bath mats, and even just shelving filled with plants, ornaments, or other pleasant, ultimately warming additions. Simply make sure that you’re airing or drying these things regularly to ensure that mould doesn’t make them as unappealing as that cold bathroom in the first place!
An arctic bathroom is never a pleasant place to be. Implement these pointers if you’re tired of freezing half to death each time you hop in the shower!