Five simple ways to make your bathroom warmer in winter

Marble and granite are some of the more popular choices for use in bathrooms – thanks to their water resistance, anti-bacterial properties and ease of cleaning. It means that walls or floors need little upkeep and won’t have to be replaced for decades.

One minor issue is that it can be cold to the touch in winter. Seeing as the alternative (carpeting) is simply off the cards for most householders, attention must instead turn to other ways of warming up a bathroom.

Bathmat

Certainly the cheapest and easiest option, buying a bathmat can transform the look of a bathroom, whilst also adding some much-needed warmth underfoot. Not only will bathmats feel a little more comfortable to walk upon, they will also provide grip for those having just stepped out of the shower, where walking on treated stone would not.

In addition to all this, rugs and bathmats are easy to change, meaning that any time a bathroom is spruced up, it can be changed at little cost to keep everything tied in to the new aesthetic.

Towel Rail

Radiators are somewhat surplus to requirement in bathrooms, seeing as they are not rooms in which someone will want to spend hours on end (unless of course they are in the bath, in which case they are immersed in warm water anyway). Despite this, leaving them entirely unheated can make it somewhat frosty in the middle of winter and even take the edge off other rooms nearby.

Enter the heated towel rail, which adds a little warmth to the bathroom, whilst also heating or drying towels ready to combat the notoriously-cold first step out of the shower.

Think about your bath

As is well known, some materials retain heat better than others. This is also true of baths, with more traditional materials such as copper, brass and limestone being among the best. Not only would this help ensure the bathwater doesn’t cool down too quickly, it could also act as a secondary heater, keeping warm – and therefore making the entire room warmer – long after the water has been drained.

Let there be light

Not the easiest of steps, but more natural light will also mean more warmth, even in winter (provided the windows are sufficiently insulated). Therefore, considering ways of letting in more light can help provide a way of heating the bathroom that – after the initial cost outlay – will be entirely free.

Larger windows should do the trick, or skylights for those blessed with bathrooms on the top floor. Then, not only will the bathroom look much brighter, it should also be quite a few degrees warmer as well.

Use warm colours

Whilst not a measure that will physically warm up a bathroom, choosing a warm colour palette can have more of an impact than people think. Therefore, shun the traditional blues, greys and greens, instead looking at yellows, browns, oranges and golds. These will make a bathroom more light and sunny, whilst tricking the mind into believing it’s also added warmth.

Of course, some of the above tricks are easier than others, but adding just one (or even a selection) of them could help keep even the chilliest of bathrooms a bit warmer in winter.