10 Tips For A Safer Bathroom

You’re probably not thinking about the potential dangers of your bathroom when taking your morning shower or brushing your teeth.

In fact, bathroom safety may not ever cross your mind, as these spaces are part of our daily routines. However, the health and injury risks of this often-used area can loom where you least expect.

Here are some tips to make your bathroom a safer place for you and your family:

1. Eiminate bathroom rugs. Those decorative throw rugs are fall hazards. Avoid putting ornamental floor covers on your bathroom tile to decrease the opportunity for slipping, tripping and other injuries.
2. Get a non-slip mat for your bathtub. Non-slip tubs are designed with grooved features to assist with fall prevention. If you don’t have a non-slip tub, consider a non-slip mat or coating for your bathtub or standalone shower to add traction to these slick surfaces.
3. Invest in railing or a seat for your bathtub or shower. Adding a rail or seat to a bathtub or freestanding shower will help decrease the risk of bathroom falls, especially for those who live with the elderly or have family members with disabilities. It can also create a more comfortable bathing experience.
4. Keep a well-lit bathroom space. A big injury risk comes with those midnight ventures to the bathroom. Wandering through the dark while half-asleep is a dangerous combination Having extra lighting, such as night light plug-ins in your bathroom or in the surrounding hallways, can help prevent falls and injury.
5. Clean your bathroom regularly. Germs are the invisible hazards that are always present in your bathroom. To aid in countering bathroom bacteria, have a regimen for keeping all aspects of your bathroom clean. This includes the places you might not always think about that can host bathroom germs, such as shower heads, faucets and wall tiling. Nowadays, you can even invest in a self-cleaning toilet to do the dirty work for you!
6. Make toiletries and other bathroom items easily accessible. Ever stood on your tip-toes to reach a bottle of shampoo from the top shelf of your linen closet? You can set yourself up for a fall. Place shampoo, soap dispensers and other commonly used items in areas that are within reach for everyone who uses them. View these bathroom designs by our customers for ideas on how to arrange your bathroom in a way that’s practical and decorative.
7. Keep dangerous items out of reach of children. Hazards for inquisitive children are aplenty in a bathroom — ranging from sharp objects (razors, scissors and tweezers) to poisoning dangers (prescription medications and ointments). Store these items in taller cabinets or drawers to lower the risk of them falling into curious hands.
8. Securely store cleaning products. While bathroom cleanliness is important, harsh chemicals, such as bathroom cleaning products, can pose a hazard to children and even adults in the event of accidental misuse. Ideally, store these items outside of the confined bathroom area. Keep these products low to the ground in a secured cabinet in an effort to help prevent spills.
9. Unplug electric appliances. Water and electricity can be a lethal combination, and both are used in our bathrooms on a daily basis. Ensure that electric razors, hairdryers and other appliances are unplugged from grounded outlets — especially those near sinks — when they are not in use.
10. Keep slippery floors and surfaces dry. Be cautious of the dangers that come with wet floors, especially when you can’t always tell that a floor is wet. Hang towels near bathing areas and place racks for hand towels within arm’s reach of the sink to minimize spread of water. Buying weighted shower curtains can also keep floors dry by helping contain water to your bathtub.

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