How to Pick the Right IR Power for Your Bathroom Mirror
Ever step out of a hot shower and realize you’re basically staring at a wall of white fog? It’s annoying. It happens because the mirror is too cold for the steamy air, and the moisture just clings to the glass. To fix this, we use short-wave infrared (IR) lamps. The trick here isn’t to turn your bathroom into a sauna—it’s just about keeping the glass warm enough that the fog never stands a chance. Getting the wattage right You can’t just grab any lamp and hope for the best. A tiny powder room and a massive master bath are two totally different beasts. If you’re dealing with a small space (under 5m²), you don’t need much. A low-wattage lamp, maybe 50W to 150W, does the trick. There isn’t enough steam to fight, so a light touch is all you need. But in those big bathrooms (10m² and up)? That’s a lot of steam. You’ll want something with more kick. If you go too low on the power in a big room, you’ll end up with a clear center and those frustrating foggy patches around the edges. Placement and the “Too Much of a Good Thing” Problem Here’s the thing: IR radiation doesn’t waste time heating the air. It goes straight for the glass. Because of that, where you put the lamp is everything. You want a nice, even glow—no cold spots. But be careful. Don’t just crank the wattage to the max. If you overdo it, you can actually melt the mirror adhesive or, worse, crack the glass because it’s expanding too fast. You’re looking for a steady, gentle warmth, not a heat blast. A few real-world warnings Sure, a high-wattage lamp clears the fog faster. But it also pulls more power. If your house has older wiring or you’re running three different heaters at once, you might trip a breaker. It’s a pain. If you’re adding this to an old bathroom, definitely double-check your junction box before you install a high-power lamp. Just a quick check now saves a lot of swearing later.