In a cold home, dry off inside the shower before you step out

You get out of the shower into a cold bathroom and your skin goes tight and goosebumps rise. Part of that chill is the water still on you. Water leaving your skin by evaporation takes heat with it, and in a cold home there is a lot of cold air to dry you.

In a cold home, dry off inside the shower, with your towel hanging within arm’s reach, before you open the door.

Many people say the same thing: towel off while you are still in the warm, enclosed space, so you are not wet when you step out and the cold air has nothing to evaporate. One person explained why: the chill comes from being wet, not from the shower having been hot. The NHS and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) both list wet clothes, or being chilled by water, as ways to get cold enough to be at risk of hypothermia. Those lines are about wet clothes, rain, sweat and cold water, not a shower, but they point the same way: wet skin loses heat.

How people do it

One person says to put the towel on a rack you can reach from the shower, which keeps the time you spend in cold air short. One person suggests a large beach towel, or towels washed without fabric softener; one person says softener makes towels less absorbent and leaves them feeling slimy and cold. One person dries off a little at a time while still under the stream. Some people suggest a bathrobe or another warm garment ready to put on as soon as you are dry. Some people say to keep the door shut while you do it, to hold the heat in; what that costs is covered under Warming the room, below. None of this needs anything beyond a towel and a hook. A shower floor is slippery when it is wet, and drying off in there means standing on it for longer, sometimes on one foot. The NHS, on preventing falls, says to use a non-slip mat in the bath or shower and to consider grab rails in the bathroom, and that a fall is more likely if you are older or have mobility problems. One person warns that a big change in temperature can make some people faint. If you are unsteady, dry your legs and feet after you have stepped out onto a mat, or sit down to do it; one person mentions a stool.

Hot finish or cold finish

People split on how to end the shower. Many people say ending with cooler or cold water makes the step into cold air less of a shock, and some people say it leaves them more awake. Some people say a cold finish is unpleasant, even painful or frightening. One person says it leaves them feeling cold. One person likes the water at its hottest right up to the end, because a warm bathroom makes the exit more comfortable. One person says someone with a low body weight, or poor circulation, may not be able to warm up afterwards. One person says to start with slightly cooler water, not freezing water, if you try a cold finish.

This page did not find an authority that says a cold finish keeps you warmer, so it does not recommend one. The choice is yours. If you have a heart condition, the British Heart Foundation (BHF), a UK charity, says in a page about cold water swimming that “just entering very cold water can lead to a ‘cold shock’, which can cause a faster heart rate, higher blood pressure, and shortness of breath”, and that if you have a heart condition “there are risks you should consider and discuss with your doctor or nurse specialist”. That page is about swimming, not a shower, and this page found no authority on cold showers and the heart, but the caution points the same way: ask your doctor first. One person says cold shock releases adrenaline, which can be harmful if you have a condition where your heart should not race. One person says cold water may trigger asthma attacks; this page found no authority on that and carries it as one person’s warning. In the US, the same question goes to your doctor or a cardiologist.

One person says shower valves can be so imprecise that changing the temperature gradually is hard, because a small turn gives a big swing. That is worth knowing before you try a cold finish: a sudden swing is a different thing from a slow one.

Warming the room

Some people suggest running a plug-in heater in the bathroom before the shower. One person warns that unattended heaters in damp rooms are a fire and shock hazard, and one person says cheap timers can be a fire risk with a high-power heater.

The authorities side with the warning. The US CPSC said in 1990, after three deaths, that “electric heaters should not be used in bathrooms”, because most have no protection against electrocution if they come into contact with water. In 2011 the CPSC put it as a caution: “Exert special caution when using an electric heater in the bathroom”, and “Never place the heater near the tub or sink where it could fall into the water.” Electrical Safety First, a UK charity, says an electric shock can be more severe in a bathroom because wet skin reduces the body’s resistance, that sockets are not allowed in bathrooms (apart from shaver-supply units) unless they can be fitted at least 2.5 metres from the edge of a bath or shower tray, and that you should not use extension leads to power appliances in a bathroom. This page does not carry the heater idea, and it does not say how to use one more safely. Electrical Safety First also says most bathroom electrical work must comply with Part P of the Building Regulations in England and Wales, and to use a registered electrician. The rules can differ across the UK nations and US states, and this page did not check them. In the US, a licensed electrician can say what applies to your bathroom. One person mentioned a heat lamp fitted with its own switch; that is a fixed fitting, so the same advice about a registered electrician applies.

Some people say to shut the door and switch the bathroom fan off to keep the heat in. Trapped heat is also trapped moisture. The US Environmental Protection Agency says to use a bathroom fan that vents outdoors, or open a window if conditions allow, during and after a shower, to exhaust the moisture outdoors, and that poorly ventilated bathrooms can encourage mould. In England, GOV.UK’s guidance on damp and mould, written for landlords, asks whether bathrooms have ventilation that is fully operational. So the trade is warmth now against damp later. If you rent and the fan does not work, that is a question for your landlord. In England, Shelter and Citizens Advice give housing advice; in the US, LawHelp lists legal aid by state. This page did not check Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland: Shelter Cymru, Shelter Scotland and Housing Rights are the places to ask.

When it is more than a chill

If you feel cold for a long time at home, even after you are dry and dressed, that is a heating problem, not a shower problem. The NHS lists living in a cold house among the causes of hypothermia, and says “older people living alone are particularly at risk”. The CDC lists “older adults with inadequate food, clothing, or heating” and “babies sleeping in cold bedrooms” among those at risk.

The NHS says hypothermia is “a dangerous drop in body temperature below 35C” and “a medical emergency that needs to be treated in hospital”. Its symptoms are: shivering; pale, cold and dry skin (skin and lips may turn blue or grey); slurred speech; slow breathing; tiredness or confusion. In a baby, it lists: cold to touch; floppy; unusually quiet and sleepy, and may refuse to feed. It says: “Go to A&E or call 999 if: you think you or your child have hypothermia”, and not to drive yourself. For while you wait for help, it says to “move the person indoors or somewhere sheltered as quickly as possible”, “remove any wet clothing, wrap them in a blanket, sleeping bag or dry towel, making sure their head is covered”, and to stay with them. It says to “keep them awake by talking to them until help arrives”. It says not to: “do not use a hot bath, hot water bottle or heat lamp to warm them up”, “do not rub their arms, legs, feet or hands”, and “do not give them alcohol to drink”.

In the US, the CDC lists shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness as signs in adults, and says: “If a person’s temperature is below 95 degrees get medical attention immediately.” In babies, it lists bright red, cold skin and very low energy. It says a person with severe hypothermia may be unconscious and may not seem to have a pulse or to be breathing, and that in that case to handle the person gently and get emergency assistance immediately. It says to perform CPR even if the person appears dead, to keep warming the person while doing it, and to continue until they respond or medical help arrives. Call 911 in the US or 999 in the UK; elsewhere, call your local emergency number. If you are cold at home and it is not an emergency, NHS 111 in England and Wales, or NHS 24 on 111 in Scotland, can say what to do next; in Northern Ireland, contact your GP or the GP out-of-hours service. Age UK has an advice line for older people in England; Age Cymru, Age Scotland and Age NI cover the other nations. In the US, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is a federal program that helps some households with energy bills; its money is set by Congress each year and can change, so ask your state office what is open now. 211 can point to local help.

Who this page is not for

This page is for the chill that comes right after the shower. If you are cold in your home all day, drying off will not fix that, and the part on hypothermia, just above, is the place to start; there are pages here about warming the bed and about what keeps you warm outside. If you want a cold finish for a health reason, such as sore muscles or your hair, this page does not weigh that: some people say cold water helps both, and this page found no authority for either. If you have a heart condition or very poor circulation, ask a doctor before you try a cold finish.

The advice is a towel within reach and a minute inside the shower before the door opens.