Most people love hot showers but don’t like discovering their bathroom is all steamed up when they step out of the shower. Steam causes fogged-up mirrors and creates a humid environment, turning bathrooms into the ideal breeding ground for mould and mildew if they are not ventilated quickly enough. Any residual dampness on walls and ceilings will create extra cleaning duties so it is no wonder that people want solutions to avoid steamed up bathrooms and will invest in paying for these to solve this problem.

There have been a number of add-ons that have been introduced into the market to counter the effects of a steamy bathroom such as shower domes and demister pads for mirrors and they all have their pros and cons.

The use of demister pads means that mirrors need to be mechanically fastened to the walls to conform to the New Zealand Standards for Glazing in Buildings Human Impact Safety Requirements and this presents a problem as a lot of homeowners prefer the low profile effect the direct bonding of mirrors provides.

Shower domes are a great idea in principle, but require additional cleaning as dirt and insects collect on the top of these transparent surfaces.

Ultimately neither of these should be needed if the design of the shower has been thought out before the installation.

A shower that is full-height (not necessarily to the ceiling but close to it), has a door to close the shower off, and an extractor fan, will avoid the need for the likes of the shower dome and demister pads as the steam will get caught at its source in the shower cubicle and will then be removed by the fan.

These taller showers also keep the warmth in the shower enclosure more efficiently — ideal for the colder months, and provide a contemporary style.

The use of short-height showers seems to be from days gone by when shower choices were limited. Full-height showers are now readily available and cost little extra to have installed, so it makes a lot of sense to specify these as a standard item in modern home designs.

This option is well worth investigating and is an intelligent choice for overcoming the issue of steam in bathrooms.