How to pick the right infrared heater for your bathroom
Getting the wattage wrong on a bathroom heater is a pain. You either end up shivering in a cold spot or throwing money away on an electric bill that makes no sense. The trick is to look at how big your room is and exactly where you’re going to be standing when you turn it on. Matching the power to the room If you’re dealing with a tiny powder room—something under 4 square meters—you don’t need a powerhouse. A 400W to 600W lamp usually does the trick. But for those big master bathrooms (think 8 to 12 square meters), you’ll want to jump up to 800W or even 1200W. Here’s the thing: if you go too low, the heater just runs and runs, trying to hit a temperature it can’t reach. That’s a great way to burn out your filament way sooner than it should. It’s all about where you stand Remember, infrared isn’t like a space heater that warms up the air. It’s more like sunlight; it warms whatever it actually hits. That means placement is everything. If you want that instant “hug” of heat the second you step out of the shower, go with shorter-wave infrared. Just be careful not to overkill it. Putting a 1200W lamp in a tiny 3-square-meter closet is asking for trouble. You risk melting the gaskets or tripping your breakers because the fixture just can’t breathe. Finding the sweet spot Higher wattage means you warm up faster. That’s the big draw. But pushing too much power through a small quartz tube puts a lot of stress on the seals. If you want to be smart about your energy, try a “zoned” setup. Put a low-wattage lamp in the room for a general glow, and then a high-wattage one right where you dry off. It’s way better than turning your entire bathroom into a sauna just to get your skin dry.