The bathroom doesn’t get as much credit as the kitchen—the room often called the heart of the home—but this workhorse of every house gets regular use and is heavily relied on by your family from morning showers to nighttime routines.
But this much-used bathroom is also, statistically, the most dangerous room in the house. Water, a step into the tub, and hard porcelain surfaces equal hazards all around the room that can turn a relaxing bath into a major accident. Here, we’ll break down some of the common dangers of the bathroom, how you can stay safe, and how The Tub Pros professionals can help you if you live in the greater Memphis metro-area, North Mississippi, and Jonesboro and Little Rock, Arkansas metro areas.
The Bathtub and Shower
An invigorating shower or a relaxing bath can be a great beginning or ending to the day—but the bathtub and shower can hide major safety hazards. These are areas with a lot of potential for slip-and-fall accidents—water and hard surfaces can be a big risk. The step over the tub and onto the floor can be a dangerous one resulting in tripping and falling, and tangled shower floor mats both inside or outside the shower area can also end with injuries.
Luckily, grab bars can provide help getting out of bathtub and shower areas, and a textured tub surface can provide traction that helps prevent slips that result from wet surfaces. And this isn’t just when you’re considering people who are elderly—bathing solutions like grab bars can help protect kids, too.
The Toilet
The toilet poses two distinct types of dangers. The first is for those with limited mobility—standing and sitting in a room that’s often small and full of hard, sometimes wet surfaces, can make a routine activity into a real danger. Luckily, this can be helped with grab bars, a raised toilet seat, or a toilet rail that offers something sturdy to hold onto.
But the germs that surround toilets can also be less-than-pleasant…flushing a toilet with the lid open can send germs and bacteria flying around the room. To keep safe, keep toilet lids shut when you flush, and don’t keep objects like toothbrushes too close to the toilet itself, to prevent contamination and the spread of germs. Change both hand and bath towels regularly and make sure your family washes their hands frequently.
Mold and Mildew
Humidity in bathrooms is often high, and that means that there’s a good chance of mold and mildew growing on the shower curtain, tiles, or ceiling. While mildew isn’t often dangerous, mold can be, and both can provoke allergies or allergy-like symptoms. While in many cases these are mild, they can make asthma symptoms worse, and might result in troubles breathing.
Luckily, cleaning mold can be a simple task. Use DIY or store bought cleaners to kill and wipe away the mold. Make sure to wear a mask while cleaning and keep the space well ventilated while using household chemical cleaners. To keep the bathroom mold-free, use a bathroom fan when showering or bathing to keep the humidity down, and make sure the shower curtain isn’t always pushed to one side—the liner won’t dry properly.
Clogged Pipes
Hair, soap scum, and bits of debris can easily build up in the shower drain. Drain pipes are built to take a lot of wear and tear, but an accumulation of material can partly or even completely block the pipe. In the best case scenario, this can lead to slow drainage, leaving you standing in a few inches of water—in the worst case, the increased pressure on the pipe can cause cracks or damage in the plumbing that will cause expensive repairs down the road.
And even that slow-drain can have dangerous consequences—the standing water can become greasy with shampoo and conditioners that make a slip-and-fall accident more likely. If someone does fall, it can also pose a real hazard—it’s possible to drown, or to inhale a dangerous amount of liquid, in even a few inches of water. These incidents increase with younger age children.
So if you can, clear the drain before it gets too bad, and try to steer clear of harsh chemicals. If you can’t get it clear, it might be time to call in a plumber, who has the experience to get the job done completely, and to check for damage to the drain itself or the pipes.
The Dark (and too much light)
A late-night trip to the bathroom seems like it should only be a minor annoyance that disrupts sleep, but poor lighting plus wet tile can result in injuries. Even worse, a late night injury that doesn’t wake other members of the household runs the risk of someone being hurt and stuck on the floor for hours without being noticed, which is dreadful and can be more dangerous than the fall itself.
On the contrary, glaring bright light can also be dangerous—as you age, it can be harder to adjust to glare. With lighting, go for a middle-ground—during the day, let in as much natural light as possible and consider plugging in a nightlight. A discreet night light plugged into the hallway near the bathroom or in the bathroom itself will help prevent anyone making a night time pit stop into a catastrophe.
How can The Tub Pros help me?
At The Tub Pros, our team is proud to be the best bathtub refinishers in the greater Mid-South. We’re here to get your home beautiful and functional again—so whether you’re looking to reglaze tile to eliminate ugly mold stains, to install grab bars to promote safety, or repair a cracked tub or countertop, we’re here to help with high-quality, reliable services and a written warranty.
We specialize in bathtub reglazing, or refinishing, which can update the look and feel of a room by changing the color of the fixture without the expense and hassle of replacement. If you’re wondering what colors are trending for bathrooms, check out some of our before and after photos. And if you’re wondering how long does bathtub reglazing last, the great news is that with proper care, a new surface can last as long as the tub itself.
So when you’re wondering where I can find bathtub reglazing near me, turn to The Tub Pros. Give us a call at (901) 871-8827 or use our online tool to get started on your project today. Visit our free online value-added article library for extra resource information.
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