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Mirror lighting for your bathroom

A high-quality mirror lighting is indispensable for an optimal morning routine in the bathroom: Because activities such as shaving, putting on make-up or plucking eyebrows need good mirror lighting. Not only does sufficient brightness matter, but also the positioning of the luminaire on the mirror. And the light colour is also decisive for perfect illumination of the bathroom mirror or mirror cabinet.



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The most important things at a glance:


  • for adequate light quality, look for a CRI value of at least 80-89 RA.
  • install mirror luminaires in the bathroom above the mirror or on both sides of the mirror to avoid shadows
  • the light colour cool white (3,300 to 5,300 K) is ideal for shaving or applying make-up
  • 300-400 lux in front of the mirror luminaire is ideal
  • the mirror luminaire should be splash-proof (IP44)
  • when changing lamps for mirror luminaires in the bathroom, make sure they have an identical base and suitable IP and lumen ratings

 

Downlights in the bathroom are good basic lighting, but they are not a sufficient light source for special visual tasks such as shaving or applying make-up. This is because you are usually in the way of the downlight’s light and it casts shadows on your face. A good mirror luminaire in the bathroom is therefore particularly important for daily morning routines. Make sure that the luminaire on the mirror is glare-free and has a colour rendering of at least 80 RA.

 

Where should I attach the light on the mirror?


An even, glare-free light is important for bathroom mirror and mirror cabinet lighting. You can achieve this with a luminaire mounted above the mirror or with two lamps on the sides. Here, it is advisable to adjust the lighting to the width or height of the mirror. For best results, adjust the position of the mirror light according to your height: one light above the mirror is ideally about 10 cm above your hairline. If you use two lamps on the side, it looks particularly good if the centre of the lamps is at the same height as your eyes.

 

Which light colour is suitable for my mirror lighting in the bathroom?

 

A light colour between 3,300 and 5,300 Kelvin, i.e. a cool white colour temperature, is ideally suited for morning shaving, make-up application and eyebrow plucking. If you want to enjoy a relaxed light when brushing your teeth in the evening, a warm white light colour with a lower Kelvin value and more red components in the light is recommended instead. Dimmable lamps are therefore particularly suitable for combining both requirements.

 



How bright should the mirror lighting in my bathroom be?

 

The brightness of a lamp is measured in the unit for luminous flux, lumens (lm), while watts only say something about energy consumption. How many lumens your bathroom mirror luminaire needs depends entirely on your bathroom. Is it a daylight bathroom with light-coloured tiles? Then the lamp does not need to be as bright as if it is a bathroom without windows and with dark tiles. In this case, the room itself absorbs more light and therefore needs to be illuminated more strongly. Individual illuminance is measured in lux and indicates how bright the light is in a particular room situation. For putting on make-up in front of a mirror luminaire in the bathroom, 300-400 lux is a good guide value.


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What protection class is valid for my mirror lighting in the bathroom?

 

Since there is a high level of humidity in the bathroom, a certain protection class (IP) is also recommended. The IP values are different for different areas in the bathroom. As a rule, mirror luminaires and cabinets are mounted above the washbasin and therefore need a protection class of IP44. This means they are splash-proof.

 

How do I install a mirror lighting in my bathroom?

 

There are different types of mirror luminaires, which also require different installations. Models that clip onto a bathroom mirror or are attached with suction cups are easy to install yourself. Other mirror lights need to be fastened with screws. Since bathrooms are considered wet rooms, special regulations must be observed here when installing mirror luminaires. It is therefore best to leave the installation to a competent person.

 

How do I change the lamps in my mirror lighting with LED?

 

When changing to LED, you need to consider a few important criteria. First of all, you need an LED lamp with an identical base, regardless of whether you want to replace a tube or a GU10 LED. In addition, the products must replace the wattage of the old lamp. You will find this information in the product properties of the LED alternatives. Please note that wattage only says something about the power consumption of a light source and not about its brightness. Here, the unit lumen is decisive. And of course, the IP44 protection class also applies to LEDs.

 

Are you unsure about the choice of light source for your mirror lighting or mirror cabinet in the bathroom? Our customer service will be happy to help you! If you would like to learn more about bathroom lighting in general, we recommend our blog Which lights should I choose for the bathroom?

We recommend:

 

GU10 LED bulbs

LED spotlights IP44

T5 LED tubes in cool white

LED tubes