How to Pick the Right Infrared Lamp for Your Bathroom
Here is a common mistake: people think that when it comes to heat lamps, bigger is always better. It isn’t. If you just grab the highest wattage on the shelf, you’re probably just wasting electricity or, worse, cooking your own light fixtures. It’s all about the balance between the size of your room and how much heat you actually need.
Sizing it right
If you’ve got a tiny powder room—something under 4m²—you really don’t need a powerhouse. A 400W to 600W shortwave lamp does the trick. It hits you instantly, which is exactly what you want when you step out of the shower. For those larger bathrooms (think 8m² to 12m²), you’ve got two choices. You can go up to 800W or 1200W, but honestly? I’d suggest using two smaller lamps instead. It gets rid of those annoying cold spots and spreads the warmth around better. Just don’t cram a 1500W lamp into a closet-sized bathroom. You’ll burn out the bulb faster and it’ll feel like a sauna in there.
The “Waterproof” Catch
Since these go in bathrooms, they’re sealed up tight to keep water out. That’s great for safety, but it means the heat gets trapped around the base of the lamp. You’ll want to make sure your wiring and sockets are up to the task. High-wattage lamps pull a lot of current, and you don’t want your insulation degrading over time because the wires are running too hot. Also, we stick with shortwave infrared for a reason. It warms you, not the air. This is a huge deal in a bathroom because the second your ventilation fan kicks in, it sucks the warm air right out of the room. Shortwave heat doesn’t care about the breeze—you still feel the glow.
A few pro tips
Higher wattage gets you warm faster, but it can be hard on the lamp. If you’re flicking it on and off all day, those filaments take a beating from the constant thermal shock. If you want your lamps to actually last, try using a dimmer or a timer. It softens the blow of that initial power surge. Bottom line? Look at your floor plan. Get what you need, and leave the overkill for someone else.