Heated Towel Ladders

A ladder rail gives you far more drying capacity than a bar, which is why it is the default choice in a family bathroom. Multiple towels can hang without overlapping, and towels that hang clear of each other actually dry rather than staying damp in the middle.

Configurations run from four bars up to eight. Choose based on how many towels need drying at once, not on the size of the wall. Four bars suits a couple or a single bathroom user. Six is the sensible default for a family. Eight makes sense in a busy household or where the bathroom doubles as the place wet gear ends up.

More bars also means more heat into the room, which matters beyond towels. In a New Zealand bathroom the persistent problem is humidity: condensation on the walls, and mould appearing around the shower and in the ceiling corners. A ladder running continuously lifts the room temperature enough to shift that balance. Running cost is low, typically comparable to leaving a couple of light bulbs on, so leave it on rather than switching it for an hour after a shower.

Most units require a hardwired connection, so plan the electrical point before tiling if you can. Retrofitting to a finished tiled wall means surface conduit or lifting tiles.

Mount it where towels will hang clear of the wall rather than pressed against it, since airflow around the towel is what does the drying. Available in chrome, matt black and brushed finishes.