Lasko Portable Space Heater Review: Your Ultimate Guide to a Warm Bathroom Oasis

Space heaters are indispensable tools for supplemental heating, offering a versatile range of options from ceramic and infrared models to electric fireplaces and plug-in baseboard heaters. Their designs cater to diverse applications, depending on the specific area you want to warm and the type of heat you prefer. Among the myriad choices, a portable space heater stands out for its unmatched convenience, allowing you to effortlessly move it to wherever warmth is most needed in your home.

While many space heaters come with usage restrictions, particularly concerning damp environments, the Lasko Portable Space Heater breaks the mold. Uniquely approved for bathroom use, this innovative device promises to transform a notoriously cold bathroom into a cozy, spa-like sanctuary. Intrigued by such a bold claim, I embarked on a mission to put this compact heater to the test and determine if it truly lives up to its remarkable reputation.

What Makes the Lasko Portable Space Heater a Must-Have?

At its core, the Lasko space heater is a powerful 1,500-watt electric ceramic convection unit. Its design makes it an ideal choice for effectively warming up typically chilly bathrooms or other small, personal spaces. Don’t let its modest size fool you; this heater is a true powerhouse, engineered to deliver instant warmth. Equipped with a surprisingly robust internal fan, it efficiently circulates warm air, ensuring consistent and rapid heating throughout the room.

Beyond its impressive heating capability, this energy-efficient space heater is meticulously built with both safety and user convenience in mind. Operating the unit is incredibly straightforward, featuring a single, oversized three-inch push button located on the top. This intuitive control allows you to effortlessly toggle between high heat, low heat, or a one-hour high heat setting. When you’re ready to power it down, a simple press of the same button does the trick. The large print and clearly visible indicator lights further enhance its user-friendliness, making it accessible for individuals of nearly any age or ability.

Why is the Lasko Heater Approved for Bathroom Use?

One of the Lasko Portable Space Heater’s most compelling features is its explicit approval for use in bathrooms – a critical safety distinction. This unique capability is attributed to an advanced safety component integrated into its plug: an Appliance Leakage Current Interrupter (ALCI). As licensed electrician Ally Childress explains, this feature is pivotal for ensuring safe operation in potentially damp environments.

“These devices, also found on hair dryers, monitor the electrical current coming and going to the appliance. If it detects an abnormality, the ALCI immediately shuts the heater off to prevent electrical shock.”

This integrated ALCI safety plug acts as an essential safeguard against electrical hazards, giving users peace of mind in a bathroom setting. It continuously monitors the current flow, and at the slightest detection of an imbalance or leakage, it swiftly trips, cutting off power to prevent potential shocks. This critical safety mechanism elevates the Lasko heater above many standard space heaters, making it a reliable and secure option for your personal care routines.

Elegant Design Meets Robust Functionality

For those who prioritize aesthetics alongside performance, the Lasko Portable Space Heater excels as a good-looking tabletop space heater. Its soft lines and minimalist, knob-free design allow it to seamlessly blend into any decor, rivaling even the sleekest modern devices. The heating mechanism is elegantly concealed behind a fine wire mesh, further enhancing its sophisticated profile. Despite its compact and sleek appearance, this eight-inch-high portable space heater feels remarkably solid and stable, weighing in at less than four pounds.

With an incredibly tiny footprint of just 6-1/4 inches by 6-1/4 inches, it occupies minimal counter or desk space, making it a perfect fit for any small area without clutter. Its thoughtful design ensures it’s not just a functional appliance, but also an attractive addition to your home.

We Tried It: Lasko Portable Space Heater

Designed for bathroom use, this portable space heater warms your space with one simple button.

Image Credit: VIA MERCHANT

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Key Features of the Lasko Portable Space Heater

I was particularly impressed by the comprehensive safety features meticulously built into this Lasko portable heater. Among them are the convenient one-hour auto-off setting, designed to prevent continuous, unattended operation, and the indispensable built-in overheat protection, which automatically shuts the unit down if it reaches an unsafe temperature.

As previously mentioned, a standout feature is the two-pronged integrated Appliance Leakage Current Interrupter (ALCI) safety plug. This innovative plug functions much like a miniature circuit breaker, constantly monitoring for power imbalances and instantly cutting off electricity to prevent shocks. Similar to the safety plugs found on hair dryers, it includes both a test and reset button, ensuring its functionality can be verified. This critical safety component is precisely what allows this unit to be safely approved for bathroom use, offering invaluable peace of mind. Furthermore, the lengthy six-foot power cord provides exceptional flexibility, allowing you to position the heater exactly where you need it without being restricted by outlet proximity.

The Lasko heater also boasts a cool-touch exterior, ensuring the surface remains safe to touch even during prolonged use. A thoughtful courtesy power light located on the front of the unit provides a clear visual indicator that the heater is plugged into a power source and ready for action. For optimized performance and energy management, the heater offers two distinct power settings: a high setting that draws 1,500 watts for rapid heating, and a low setting at 750 watts for more sustained warmth or smaller temperature boosts.

Our Hands-On Testing Experience

My personal bathroom, a 10-foot by 6-foot space entirely encased in tile, is notoriously cold. Even when my house thermostat is comfortably set at 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the bathroom always retains an unwelcome chill. From the moment outdoor temperatures began their seasonal drop, the Lasko portable space heater became an essential part of my routine before stepping into my otherwise stone-cold shower.

Before each use, I always perform a quick safety check, ensuring that no flammable items such as nail polish remover, hair spray, or tissues are left on the counter. This small precaution is crucial, as I certainly wouldn’t want to interrupt a relaxing shower with the sound of firetrucks. Once the Lasko unit is switched on, the transformation begins almost instantly, and the room quickly fills with comforting warmth.

Measuring the Warmth and Sound

To quantify just how effectively this heater could warm my bathroom, I conducted a timed experiment using an old thermometer. I placed the thermometer behind the heater to get a baseline reading. Within a mere 10 minutes on the high heat setting, my 60-square-foot bathroom experienced a significant temperature increase of 8 degrees Fahrenheit. Continuing the test, after 30 minutes, the overall temperature of the bathroom had impressively risen by a total of 12 degrees Fahrenheit. This rapid and substantial heating capability confirmed its efficiency for small, cold spaces.

The heater’s internal fan circulates heat throughout the entire space with a remarkably quiet operation. While it is slightly louder than my bathroom exhaust fan, it is by no means annoyingly loud or disruptive. To get a precise measurement, I used the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) app on my phone, which registered the noise level at 58.1 decibels (dB). For context, this falls within the range of normal conversation or background music, making it suitable for most household environments. For comparison, the ambient sound level in my bathroom before turning on the heater was a quiet 30 dB. It’s worth noting that while generally quiet, I might reconsider having this particular space heater on my desktop if I were frequently taking phone calls, just to ensure absolute clarity. (As a safety reminder, sustained decibel levels above 85 can cause hearing damage.)

I rarely found myself needing to run the Lasko portable heater for the full hour, as it truly heats like a beast on its high setting. Typically, I would either switch it off or reduce it to the low setting once I was out of the tub and the room had reached my desired comfort level. Interestingly, I observed that the fan speed and the accompanying noise level remain consistent on both the high and low heat settings.

This space heater literally became a permanent fixture in my bathroom throughout the entire winter. I relied on it daily for every shower and absolutely loved the consistent warmth it provided. And though I dutifully stowed it away in the closet once the warmer weather arrived, I fully anticipate it will be reclaiming its rightful place on the counter once again as the colder months approach.

Pros of the Lasko Portable Space Heater

• Safe for Bathroom Use: Equipped with an ALCI safety plug, making it one of the few portable heaters approved for damp environments.
• Instant Heat: Delivers rapid warmth, quickly transforming cold spaces into comfortable ones.
• Easy-to-Use Three-Heat Settings: Simple, intuitive single-button control for high, low, or one-hour high heat.
• One-Hour Shutoff Setting: Enhances safety by automatically turning off after an hour, preventing prolonged unattended operation.
• Overheat Shutoff Protection: A vital safety mechanism that automatically powers down the unit if it detects overheating.
• Quiet Operation: The fan operates at a decibel level comparable to normal conversation, ensuring a peaceful environment.
• Internal Fan: Efficiently circulates warm air throughout the room for even heating.
• Compact and Lightweight: Its small footprint and low weight make it easy to place, move, and store.
• Three-Year Limited Warranty: Provides assurance of quality and customer support.

Cons of the Lasko Portable Space Heater

• Not Meant for Large Spaces: Optimized for small to medium rooms; performance may diminish in expansive areas.
• No Tip-Over Automatic Shutoff: Lacks a sensor that would automatically turn off the unit if accidentally knocked over.
• Fan Can’t Be Controlled Separately: Fan speed and noise level are consistent across both high and low heat settings.

Why You Can Trust Our Review

At Family Handyman, our unwavering commitment is to produce high-quality content, meticulously crafted by experienced writers and thoroughly vetted in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. For this in-depth review, I personally tested the Lasko portable space heater within my own home, subjecting it to real-life usage scenarios to rigorously assess its performance and durability. As a seasoned product tester with years of experience evaluating everything from garden tools like pruners to power equipment like leaf blowers, I approach each review with a critical eye and practical insight. Furthermore, we relied on the invaluable expertise of licensed electrician, Ally Childress, to clarify and confirm the technical safety aspects of the heater.

Our ultimate goal is to consistently provide you with relevant, accurate, and actionable information, empowering you to make informed and smart purchasing decisions for your home. This piece was updated by Caitlyn Fitzpatrick, an accomplished editor and writer since 2014, with extensive experience in commerce journalism dating back to 2017.

Frequently Asked Questions About Space Heaters

Do Lasko heaters use a lot of electricity?

The short answer is generally no, especially when used as intended. Most space heaters, including this efficient Lasko model, operate at 1,500 watts. If you run a space heater for approximately eight hours a day, the cost could be around $2 per day, though this can fluctuate based on your specific local electricity rates. For a more detailed breakdown, Family Handyman offers an insightful guide on how much electricity a space heater uses. It’s crucial to remember that most electric space heaters are not designed to be the primary heat source for large spaces. Instead, they excel at warming up a chilly room or specific zone, allowing you to maintain a lower thermostat setting for the entire house and potentially save on overall heating costs.

Is it okay to leave the Lasko heater on all night?

No, Lasko, like all reputable manufacturers, strongly advises against leaving any space heater on unattended for any length of time, including overnight. Operating a space heater without supervision, especially while you are sleeping, significantly increases the risk of fire. Always ensure the heater is turned off and unplugged when you leave the room or go to bed. Safety should always be your top priority when using supplemental heating devices.

Are portable heaters safe to use indoors?

Yes, when used correctly and responsibly, portable heaters are safe for indoor use. The golden rule for safe operation is to always maintain a clear distance of at least 3 feet (approximately 1 meter) between the heater and any combustible materials on all sides. This includes furniture, curtains, bedding, papers, and personal care products. Always refer to the specific specifications and user manuals provided by the manufacturer for precise safety guidelines and recommended clearances. Furthermore, always invest in a portable heater from a reputable brand like Lasko, and verify that the product has met standardized product safety certifications. Look for listings from recognized testing laboratories such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Edison Testing Laboratories (ETL), or any other Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) to ensure it meets rigorous safety standards.

How long can you run a Lasko space heater?

A portable space heater, including the Lasko model, should not be considered or used as your home’s main source of heat. Instead, view it as a supplemental heating device, intended for intermittent use to boost warmth in specific areas. It’s not designed for continuous, 24/7 operation. The one-hour auto-shutoff feature on the Lasko heater is a testament to this philosophy, encouraging mindful usage. As always, and this point cannot be stressed enough: never leave a space heater in use unattended, regardless of its features or brand.

What Other Reviewers Had to Say About the Lasko Bathroom Heater

My enthusiasm for this Lasko bathroom heater is far from unique. A staggering number of over 4,560 Amazon customers have bestowed a perfect five-star rating upon this unit, frequently lauding it as “perfect,” “powerful,” and an absolute “game-changer.” These glowing testimonials underscore the widespread satisfaction experienced by users.

“Let me just say that this little guy warms up my walk-in freezer, excuse me, bathroom in about 5 minutes. After 10 minutes, it’s like a sauna in there,” shares delighted five-star reviewer S. Bergman. “Once or twice, I forgot to turn it off, so it’s great that it has a one-hour auto setting that will turn off on its own. I can now take a shower and complete my ablutions without risking frostbite. I highly recommend this space heater for small rooms.” This review perfectly encapsulates the rapid heating capability and the peace of mind offered by the automatic shutoff.

Another five-star reviewer, Courtney Larson, recounts, “We have an old wall heater that stopped working years ago and have used a variety of heaters to warm the space to varying success. This heater not only heats the room fantastically but is easy to turn on and off. The ease of the button on the top makes turning this on and off wonderful for those of us with joint/muscle issues. I completely recommend this heater for small bathrooms and those who have trouble with knobs and smaller buttons.” This highlights the heater’s excellent performance and its accessible design, catering to a wider user base.

Roger Sharp, yet another satisfied five-star reviewer, notes, “We are in assisted living, and wheelchair access provides space under the sink for this heater. We placed ours on a 1-foot plastic step stool (from Amazon). Alternatively, it will fit nicely on a counter close to the electrical outlet. Takes the chill from the bath area, and the automatic one-hour turnoff is another good feature.” This testimonial emphasizes the heater’s compact size, versatility in placement, and the valuable safety feature of the one-hour timer, proving its utility in diverse living situations.

Final Verdict: The Lasko Portable Space Heater Delivers

The Lasko portable space heater has undeniably been a game-changer for my perpetually chilly bathroom. I am thoroughly impressed by how quickly it warms up the space, transforming it from cold to comfortable in mere minutes. Its compact design is a significant advantage, allowing it to fit seamlessly into my bathroom without taking up valuable real estate.

Given its instant and powerful heat output, I’ve even found myself using it as a quick hand warmer after spending time outdoors, effectively taking the chill off my hands and fingers. When not in use, this little unit is incredibly easy to stow away in a cabinet, further emphasizing its thoughtful design that prioritizes both functionality and convenience.

A feature I particularly adore is the simple, large-button control. Gone are the days of fiddling with tiny knobs, hunting for misplaced remotes, or straining to read small print. With the Lasko, it’s as straightforward as plug it in, hit the button, and enjoy instant heat. This user-friendly interface makes it a joy to operate every time.

Because this compact space heater occupies so little room, I comfortably leave it on my counter throughout the colder months. My routine is simple and luxurious: I turn it on, close the bathroom door, and just five minutes later, I walk into a wonderfully warm, spa-like bathroom. I absolutely love the Lasko Portable Space Heater and wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone seeking to add a touch of warmth and comfort to their small, cold spaces, especially bathrooms.

Where to Buy the Lasko Portable Space Heater

We Tried It: Lasko Portable Space Heater

Designed for bathroom use, this portable space heater warms your space with one simple button.

Image Credit: VIA MERCHANT

• Shop on Amazon
• Shop on Walmart
• Shop on Ace Hardware
• Shop on Sylvane

You can easily pick up this cozy and highly functional Lasko portable space heater for a budget-friendly price at a variety of retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, Ace Hardware, and Sylvane. For what amounts to mere pennies a day in electricity costs, you can luxuriate in a warm shower and effectively banish the chill of winter from your bathroom, creating a truly comfortable and inviting space.