How Can Small Bathroom Changes Make Daily Routines More Comfortable?
You likely spend a significant amount of time in your bathroom, so don’t have to endure her less than comfortable and safe spaces. Although most fixes you can do in a bathroom are relatively small, the gain in comfort and safety for people with disabilities as well as any adult, can be significant.
Grab bars solve more than balance issues
Grab bars are a fantastic upgrade for any bathroom. Typically associated with the elderly or people with disabilities, they are also extremely useful for anyone, regardless of age. Additional grab bars in the shower will always be a welcome amenity as anything extra you can hold onto while getting in and out of the shower, especially when it’s wet and slippery, will make you happier.
Grab bars for the shower don’t have to be installed willy nilly all over the place. There are a few specific locations where you can put them that will be far more useful. Install one vertical grab bar next to the shower door at about shoulder height. Install one horizontal grab bar on the back wall of the shower for those moments when you are standing there covered in soap. Make sure to select grab bars with a sufficient weight rating for your needs and make sure they are properly installed into wall studs and not just hanging off the surface of the plasterboard.
Seating transforms shower comfort and safety
No more standing for long periods of time whilst having a shower – tired and slippery floors can be hazardous. Our shower stools allow you to sit comfortably to wash, to shave or simply to enjoy the shower whilst seated on the stool.
Make sure you select a shower stool from our range which has non-slip feet and has been designed with drainage holes to prevent water accumulating on the floor. You must also ensure that the shower stool is the correct height for your use. This means that your feet will be flat on the floor, but your knees will be at a comfortable angle. Many shower stools come complete with adjustable heights and are available for different users to set the stool to the most comfortable height for them. There are corner shower stools ideal for small spaces, and straight shower stools that have more flexibility in their positioning. For some, having a place to sit while they’re showering turns a quick and busy activity into a more relaxing experience.
See also: Entryway Storage Cabinet Ideas
Lighting adjustments
Bathrooms can often have harsh or poor lighting, the addition of some strategically placed lights can make a huge difference to the functionality and feel of the room.
First, include a task light to illuminate the area while you are applying your makeup or shaving. An LED strip under a medicine cabinet or a side light can really illuminate and brighten up the area. For overall cabin lighting, swap out the harsh overhead light for several recessed lights or a combination of overhead and wall mounted lights with a dimmer switch. This way, you have complete control to keep the lights as bright as you need for applying your makeup in the morning, but then you can slowly dim them as the night goes on to create a softer and calmer ambiance to help you relax.
Storage solutions reduce daily friction
When last did you think about the impact of poor storage at home? Sure, it’s not a huge issue, but most niggles in life can be quashed with small changes to your organisational habits.
Whenever possible, use wall-mounted storage units. In-floor shelves built into the wall make it easy to access toiletry items on a shelf while keeping the floor clear. Over-toilet storage is another clever solution to make use of dead space above the toilet but you must check that you have sufficient height and that the unit won’t interfere with the toilet cistern.
Getting organised with your things means first putting things you need every day, next the things you need from time to time and finally the things you only need from time to time stored away. Items you use every day like make up or toiletries can be stored in convenient places around your bathroom like in a drawer or on a shelf. Storage units that you don’t need to access all the time can be placed in harder to reach places like on top of a cupboard or in the very back of your bathroom cabinet.
Anti-slip surfaces prevent accidents
Bathroom slips and falls are commonly thought of as being caused by slippery floors. But falls in the bathroom can happen for many reasons, and the solutions need not come at the expense of bathroom aesthetics.
I personally prefer to use textured strips under-tile for good traction on the shower floor rather than a traditional style bath mat. However, there’s a great range of bath mats on the market with good quality suction grips that look fabulous, feel soft under your feet and can be washed and rehung. They are an easy solution to creating a non-slip area in front of your shower that can be easily removed and replaced as needed. Remember where you need to add anti-slip strips between different floor materials (such as between tile and bathroom rug) and make sure there is no noticeable change in height when the floors are damp as this can create a significant trip hazard.
Temperature control prevents scalding and shock
Anti-scald or thermostatic mixing valves are used to prevent unpleasant temperature fluctuations and to remove the risk of falls or scalding. Commonly fitted at the point of use, they are also designed to compensate for variations in pressure elsewhere in the property ensuring a constant temperature is always achieved. This does not however, mean that you will always get a suitable temperature just before stepping into the shower and careful selection is essential.
Making changes systematically
First we made the kayak safe then we made it comfortable. We could have added many more comfort features, but we wanted to give you a basic platform that you can enhance over time as funds and time permit. Many of the upgrades we could have added can be incorporated individually.
We made no special efforts to add to the frenzy of the place. Our idea was to allow that you be there.
