3 Do It Yourself Bathroom Safety Tips For Your Home or Business
The bathroom is one of the most accident-prone areas in the house. It is very important to exhaust all means to keep it safe. This is all the more important if you have children, elderly or handicapped members in the household. But how can you keep your bathroom safe through DIY means? Here are some useful tips to help keep yourself and your loved ones safe when using the bathroom:
1. Make Sure to Childproof the Bathroom
Among features to check to ensure child safety are as follows:
– The electrical outlets: make sure that you install ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) that help prevent shock; most new electrical items for the bathroom already have these so if you still don’t, ask someone from your home improvement store how to get one.
- – Electrical items: keep them away from water sources, always unplug when not in use
- – Water temperature: make sure to set your hot water to a constant temperature to ensure they don’t scald you
- – Childproof latches: put latches on the toilets and in the trash bins to ensure the safety of your young child
- – Cleaning products and medicines: make sure to put these in an area not accessible to small children
2. Install Safety Bars
Install safety grab bars in areas where slips most frequently occur – the toilet and the shower or tub. Installing one should be pretty easy. They usually come with instructions when you buy them from the home improvement store. Here are some useful instructions for installation:
– Mount bar either diagonally or parallel to the floor, ideally 36 inches from the tub.
– Mark the areas where the holes have to be drilled to keep the grab handle in place.
– Drill through the tile by starting off with a 1/8 bit, then slowly enlarging the hole with a 1/4 then finally a 5/32 to drill into the stud.
– Anchor the bar into the tub, and screw it with 2-inch wood screws.
3. Apply Non-Slip Solutions in the Bathroom
Tubs, showers and your tired floors are almost always slippery when wet. While it is always ideal to invest in tubs like walkin bathtubs where there are non-slip surfaces in place, you can, for the meantime, simply buy slip-proof bath mats for your existing tub or shower. You may also consider putting some non-slip appliques in these areas to decrease the risk of slips and falls. Furthermore, rubberized bath rugs can provide great protection against slips. Make sure to put a few if you have elderly members in the home; throw away those standard throw tugs as they could nastily lead to a fall as the elders shuffle their feet when they walk.
The most important thing to consider in the bathroom is to prioritize functionality and safety much more than aesthetics and form. Never neglect the safety of your family; be sure to always be vigilant about keeping them protected at all times. Open your eyes to each and every possibility of danger and act against it.
