The long-awaited winter season has finally arrived, and we are yet again blessed with a few months of cool air and rain—and if you’re extra lucky, you might even be living in a region where it snows, giving you a break from the year-round classic Australian heat! Surely, you have already made all the necessary preparations: warm food and beverages to enjoy, a list of new shows to binge on Netflix, and perhaps even a winter wardrobe to ward off the excessive cold.
Wait, don’t you seem to be forgetting something?
And brr! That’s odd, it’s 9 AM and you’re almost late to work, but the tiling is so cold you can barely make it across the bathroom. What’s more is that after that enjoyable warm shower, it’s so chilly—to the extent that you’re seemingly just hanging on to your towel for dear life!
That must be it. You may have prepared everything else, but not the bathroom. It’s not too late, though! As always, we’ve got you covered. Here is a list of tips on WARMING UP THE BATHROOM FOR WINTER!
1. Get a bath rug or two.
What did the bath rug say to the floor?
“Don’t worry, man. I got you covered.”
First things first: upon entering the bathroom, you definitely would not want to be greeted by a shooting sense of chills from your feet up to your spine. This is where bath rugs would come in handy. Aside from being able to complement your bathroom’s colour scheme and overall vibes, they also add a layer of warmth of comfort on the floor in front of the sink, around the toilet or tub, or even outside the door. Bath rugs come in a variety of sizes, colours, and materials to choose from, so it won’t be hard for you to get a new one in case you’re planning to have a bathroom makeover!
However, it’s very important to keep in mind that bath rugs are different from bath mats. The latter refers to the one that is typically stepped on after taking a bath to absorb water and likewise prevent you from slipping with its non-skid features. While you can technically opt to put a bath rug outside the tub and shower, remember that these don’t often have backing to prevent accidents. Thus, if you’re living with young kids or elderly people, we wouldn’t recommend you to use a bath rug as a substitute for bath mats.
PRO TIP: Some popular materials used for bath rugs are cotton, wool, microfiber, and nylon. Each has its own pros and cons, but in general, they are all durable and absorbent.
2. Take it up a notch with underfloor heating.
As the name suggests, underfloor heating is a relatively straightforward and energy-efficient way of keeping your toes warm and cosy on chilly winter days. It equally distributes warmth all throughout the whole bathroom from the floor up, thus, ensuring that there are no cold spots. Underfloor heating takes no effort to run and doesn’t even require maintenance at all. Moreover, it works regardless of what material your floor is made of—may it be tile, wood, vinyl, or even carpet.
While the installation cost may be expensive and quite impractical considering that cold months in Australia don’t last for long anyway, it’s also a great option if you’ve got the budget and think that bath rugs aren’t enough.
If not underfloor heating, another option that people go for are radiators. This, however, comes with a lot of disadvantages, including poor air quality and lower oxygen levels due to its high temperature, along with an inconsistent heating pattern—sometimes, it’s too hot, and other times, the heat isn’t enough. Thus, if you’re dead set on using an electrical means of heating up your bathroom, underfloor heating is probably the best and safest option that you can get.
PRO TIP: Are you planning to give an existing bathroom a total makeover or maybe planning to build one from scratch? This would be the perfect time to consider getting underfloor bathroom heating as you’ll save a significant amount on labour costs if the flooring will be removed and replaced anyway.
3. Install a heated toilet seat.
What did one toilet say to the other? Wow, you look a little flushed today.
Well, say goodbye to cold and flushed, and say hello to comfort and convenience when you install a heated toilet seat! Do so, and we guarantee that you’ll be thinking of us with gratitude during midnight trips to the bathroom. Heated toilet seats are an extravagant but essential addition to the bathroom, considering that we spend a substantial amount of time sitting on the toilet. This provides both warmth and a sense of luxury and depending on the brand that you’ll be getting, it may come with settings that would allow you to adjust the temperature based on your preference, along with other cool features.
PRO TIP: If you have the extra cash, you may consider buying a bidet in addition to the heated seat. It's becoming increasingly popular in Australia these days, and for good reason: it's more sanitary than using toilet paper.
4. Check if the windows are thoroughly sealed.
Without a doubt, no matter how much you invest in getting electrical heaters for your bathroom, all your efforts will be in vain if drafts of cold air constantly creep in anyway.
This is especially true if you’ve got windows in your bathroom, so if that’s the case, make sure that they are all sealed. If there is, indeed, a gap, you can easily fix this by installing new glazing and applying new caulking. Otherwise, you can also choose to seal the gaps with the use of self-adhesive foam weather stripping. Either of the two methods will ensure that your windows will be airtight for the new season.
PRO TIP: To check for gaps, close the windows and try tracing the frame to feel whether there is a gap that serves as an entry point. Another method is by holding a lit candle by the window seams during a windy day. If the flame bends, it indicates that outside air is coming through the window.
5. Spice up your wall colour.
What is dark grey but smells like bright yellow paint? Dark grey paint, of course.
Our final (are you relieved?) corny joke aside, another way to warm up your bathroom is by painting it with a darker colour. While most modern bathrooms are painted in different shades of white or cream, you don’t necessarily have to conform to the trend. Besides, black, grey, and everything in between make for stunning wall colours too, especially if you complement them with fixtures that likewise retain heat, such as copper, brass, and limestone. Aside from their aesthetic value, darker paint colours play a crucial role in retaining heat in comparison to their lighter counterparts. This is due to the fact that darker colours absorb more of the sun's energy.
PRO TIP: Before you get too excited about painting your walls black, though, take note that dark colours might make your bathroom appear to be smaller than it actually is.
Have you tried any of these winter-warmer tips before? If so, what worked for you? If not, what are you looking forward to trying? Call us at +61403089798 if you ever need help on anything bathroom related. Our team of bathroom professionals are ready to get in touch with you!
