We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. Should you click on links we provide, we may obtain compensation. Jeremy Laukkonen is an Updates Author for The Spruce, with expertise in masking know-how, appliances, dwelling enchancment, and house goods. Bathroom lighting ought to never be an afterthought. Choosing the right mild bulbs can assist set a stress-free temper or provide the perfect lighting for all of your bathroom wants. Whether or not you want to rework your bathroom right into a relaxing spa or create the perfect make-up software station, we sorted through dozens of mild bulbs to fulfill your needs. We researched mild bulbs from leading manufacturers like GE, Philips, and Feit Electric, selecting options with the very best color temperature, brightness, bulb sort, fixture compatibility, and rated lifespan. We found that LED bulbs present the best worth, effectivity, and shade reproduction, and you’ll usually wish to keep on with A19 and G25 bulbs with the E26 base.
We recommend hotter-toned gentle bulbs between 2,000 and 3,000 Kelvins for making a cozy ambiance, and cooler 5000K bulbs for makeup software, but the perfect bathroom lighting setups typically include each. LED A19 mild bulb creates the type of stress-free atmosphere that can turn your bathroom into an inviting night refuge but with out the dull yellow undertones related to warmer coloration temperatures. With a vivid output of 650 lumens, these bulbs are plenty bright for tasks like brushing your teeth, washing your face, and shaving. They’re additionally dimmable, so you'll be able to pair them with a dimmer switch to offer each functional and temper lighting as wanted. What sets these bulbs apart is their excessive shade rendering index (CRI) of 90. These bulbs produce remarkably accurate colors without the cruel blue light associated with daylight bulbs. They aren’t the very best for vanities-our best for makeup software decide has a cooler shade temperature paired with a excessive CRI-however they work nicely enough if you may solely have one type of bulb in your bathroom.
With a high CRI of 90 and a neutral white shade, these Feit Electric Multi-Use A19 mild bulbs strike a suitable steadiness between the relaxation of a hotter bulb and the duty lighting of a cooler one. Best of all, a 10-pack prices about $5 less than a four-pack of our general best suggestion. While these bulbs aren’t dimmable and have a barely lower lifespan than most LEDs-11,000 hours compared to 15,000-they’re still a bargain when you consider performance and price. At 800 lumens, they’re also one of our brighter recommendations, making certain your space is nicely-lit. With a color temperature of 3,500K, these bulbs are a little cool for setting a actually relaxing mood in your bathroom, however the sunshine they produce isn’t dull yellow or shockingly blue. They provide a remarkably excessive CRI of 90 that’s proper in step with our more expensive favorites, so that they work nicely enough for every day grooming duties, makeup utility, and extra. If you have a sensible residence, we recommend installing these Feit Electric sensible Wi-Fi mild bulbs in your bathroom.
Unlike our different suggestions that require you to choose a coloration temperature, these allow you to switch the colour temperature on the fly (together with white light and millions of brilliant hues). You can management them with an app on your telephone, or use voice commands in case you have an Alexa or Google Home smart speaker, but you do must have a Wi-Fi network in your house. Our favourite thing about these bulbs is how flexible they are, which is what makes them so excellent for bathrooms. They have a excessive CRI, so they’re good for EcoLight products applying makeup and different private grooming duties, and you may change their output from vivid daylight to a heat, smooth white mild depending on what you’re utilizing the bathroom for at the time. These are customary A19 bulbs like most of our recommendations, so they aren’t the best choice if you happen to want a globe-model bulb. They’re brilliant sufficient for vanities that use a number of bulbs, though, and they’re also fully dimmable, so you should use them in ceiling fixtures and for ambient lighting as effectively.
They price about twice as much as our total best choose, however it’s like having several gentle bulbs in a single. If you’re trying to carry a decorative, vintage contact to your bathroom, these Luxrite bulbs are splendid. They have a normal A19 bulb shape that fits most fixtures, paired with clear glass envelopes that reveal LEDs that resemble the nostalgic look of Edison-fashion vintage filaments. We especially like them in vanities and EcoLight other gentle fixtures where you possibly can see and appreciate the vintage fashion, however they work in enclosed fixtures as properly. These shiny 800-lumen bulbs are dimmable from a hundred to 10 p.c, allowing you to set the perfect ambiance. Nevertheless, it’s value noting they don’t work with all switches (if paired with the wrong dimmer switch, they could flicker). Luxrite supplies a dimmer compatibility checklist, though, so you can examine and make sure they’ll work in your bathroom before you purchase. The rated lifespan of these bulbs is barely shorter than that of our greatest funds choose, EcoLight at 10,000 hours (most LEDs are rated at 15,000 hours), which isn’t ideal contemplating they value almost twice as a lot per bulb as our total finest advice.