Recently, as part of the monthly educational series at House to Home Solutions, Debby Stehr, Owner and Principal of Stehr Enterprises, facilitated our “Heated Towels and Toasty Toes” workshop. She gave an informative and educational presentation on Amba heated towel racks. Though considered a luxury here in the United States, heated towel racks are considered an essential bathroom fixture in many European countries, according to Stehr.
As participants learned, the benefits of heated towel racks go well beyond luxury and comfort. Here are the top five benefits Stehr highlighted for us.
Luxury and Comfort
Bathing routines that finish with a warm, cozy towel or bathrobe have obvious appeal to the senses, much like a warm embrace. Yet there is hidden comfort that simply comes from having a heated towel rack in the bathroom: it provides radiant heat to the whole room, improving overall comfort. Utilizing a towel rack to dry wet towels means leaving behind the days of damp and smelly towels.
Health and Wellness
Health and wellness have become an essential consideration in interior design, and heated towel racks are a clear “win” for health and wellness. Research shows a whopping 94% reduction in bacterial growth on towels in three days—and a 99% reduction in seven days—when heated towel racks are utilized. Heated towel racks also reduce humidity and eliminate moisture in the bathroom, inhibiting unhealthy mold, mildew, and bacterial growth (and their foul smells).
Cost Savings and Green Benefits
According to a survey of 3,000 households, the average household of four people does one load of towel laundry per week, and each person uses two towels. A heated towel rack reduces the need to wash towels as frequently. There are obvious electricity savings to using a heated towel rack, which costs about $4 per month, versus a washer and dryer, which averages around $16 monthly. Where 20 gallons of water per laundry load is assumed, the ability to shift to bi-weekly laundering with towel rack use saves approximately 520 gallons of water yearly, contributing significantly to more sustainable living. Additional financial savings is realized on less use of laundry detergent and a longer lifespan on towels that are not subjected to frequent wear and tear from a washer and dryer.
Heated Towel Rack Applications Beyond the Bathroom
Heated towel racks have numerous benefits when used outside the bathroom. In the laundry room, they can help maintain an organized atmosphere for gently drying delicates. Mud and wet rooms benefit from a heated towel rack system to dry coats, scarves, mittens, bathing suits, pool/beach towels, wetsuits, and life jackets. They can also be tremendous additions to pool houses, basements, garages, home gyms, nurseries, boats, and RVs. Outside of residential use, commercial applications include hotels, assisted living facilities, spas, gyms, and more.
Useful, Stylish, and Economical
Heated towel racks come in a wide variety of styles and finishes that can either blend with the existing aesthetic or create a utilitarian statement piece. Stehr noted that heated towel rails come in various lengths that can be creatively configured horizontally and/or vertically on a wall. The US list price for a heated towel rack is $310, making them an affordable luxury.
Let us know if you’re “towel-rack curious” and in the greater Rockville, Maryland area! We’d be happy to share what we know about these versatile design elements and discuss how a heated towel rack may be the perfect fit for your next renovation.
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