What Is the Difference Between a Fog-Free or Fog-Resistant Mirror for a Bathroom?

Advantages

• Even when you run a bathroom fan or leave a window open, you can easily steam up the mirror when you take a hot shower or bath. That may not be a problem if you aren't on a tight schedule, but when you have to head out to work, a steamed-up mirror is inconvenient. Men might want to shave and women might want to apply makeup. Putting contact lenses in also is significantly easier with a fog-free mirror.

Electrical Mirrors

• Some anti-fog mirrors work by having a thin heating pad installed behind the mirror, or several pads for a large mirror. You can buy this type of heating pad to install on most types of mirrors, but not for a mirror that is attached to the wall by an adhesive rather than by screws. The pad runs on electricity and should be wired to the bathroom light switch. Other electrically powered mirrors work on wires installed at the back of the mirror that heat up when you turn on the light switch.

Battery-Powered and Water-Powered Models

• If you don't want to have rewiring done in your bathroom, you can buy an anti-fog mirror that works on battery power. You use the mirror's own switch to turn on the heat source. An even simpler option is a mirror that has a reservoir in back that you can fill with warm water.

Considerations

• Some anti-fog mirrors aren't just mirrors. Different models come with radios, CD players, digital clocks and lights. Some have a place to hang your razor. You may want to read reviews online before deciding to buy based on price; a cheaper model may not work as well as one that costs a bit more. In addition, the radio may only pick up the closest stations.