Handicap Shower Safety - 10 Money Saving Keys to Fall Proof Your Shower Area

Is your bathroom full of potential life threatening hazards? Consider the hard surfaces (toilet, bathtub, counter, towel racks) that can deliver swift blows on the way down from a fall. Or, the loose throw rugs that make that room so cozy…and so deadly when feet get tangled in them. Falls account for nearly 6,000 deaths each year and 5.1 million injuries. It takes a split second, a misjudged step, a few drops of water on the floor, or many other combination’s to set in motion this potentially life altering event.

Showers and the elderly or disabled can mean squeaky clean or surely injured if care is not taken to ensure safety. One fall can cause a downward spiral for quality of life and independence. To avoid becoming one of nearly 5.1 million who are injured in falls, take action on the following 10 safety tips. Everyone will benefit.

Safety Tip One

Water tends to stick around for a while even in dangerous places. You MUST have a bath mat outside your shower. Safety grid or rubber brush mats provide secure traction on wet surfaces, are stiffer than the pretty throw rug and safer with walker use.

Safety Tip Two

Glass can be just as deadly as water. Many bathtubs have sliding glass doors. Remove these (and the frame which can catch fragile toes) and replace them with a shower curtain rod and shower curtain. There are several reasons for this, most importantly, the danger of cuts, bleeding and potential death from falling into that glass.

Safety Tip Three

When balance and strength are an issue, a tub transfer bench eliminates stepping in and out and allows easy access from the seated position at all times. This will not work with glass doors or in a shower-only stall. Tub transfer benches are NOT shower or tub chairs, which fit entirely inside the tub or shower.

Safety Tip Four

Today’s economy is pressing money saving measures from every angle. Medical equipment does not have to be the exception. Your most basic shower bench or bathtub chair will be the cheapest. Prices climb, though, when you add a back, arm holds and other accessories. (Remember Medicare considers the entire set up a luxury — exception being a 3-in-one bedside commode.) Skip the entire cost by using a plastic patio chair! You likely have one, with a back and arms too!

Safety Tip Five

No matter what type of bench or chair you use, ALWAYS use a no-slip mat as well. This mat MUST contain each leg of your chair or bench (inside the tub) especially if you are using a plastic patio chair. Sitting height is not adjustable on a patio chair tending towards more pressure against the slippery floor to try and stand. Use caution and grab bars.

Safety Tip Six

Diagonal Grab Bar placement should be avoided. Rule of thumb follows that for pulling up from a seated position place the bar horizontally. For stepping in and out assistance place the bar vertically. Diagonal placements can allow frail hands to slip downward on the very aid that was designed to help. Smart placement is the key.

Safety Tip Seven

Built-in shower seats look good in a picture but can become a water slide in reality. Simply place a folded towel on this surface to provide more traction. Yes, the towel gets wet and yes, it pads a frail bottom and yes, your loved ones will thank you for that.

Safety Tip Eight

Suction Cup grab bars are great! BUT… if you need moderate assistance to get in and out of the tub, stick with an installed grab bar. Suction cup bars are not fail proof and can pull the tile off a wall given the proper load. However, no tools are necessary to set up, they are completely portable and boast flexible position changing as needed.

Safety Tip Nine

Do not trust your safety to the shower curtain rod, the towel rack or the washcloth rack in the shower. These were designed to hold a wet towel at the most… and every one needing grab bar assistance weighs more than a wet towel. Keep in mind, though, that when building or modifying for safety, installed grab bars make nice towel racks and can then double in purpose.

Safety Tip Ten

Consider the health giving effects of a shower, even sitting on a bench. Water of various temperatures on the body can be calming, soothing and healing far more than we realize. Your safety is number one. Protect your health as well. Be persistent in gaining the strength, balance and mobility needed to enjoy this health giving aspect of life.

More than 70% of all falls in a home happen in the bathroom making it one of the most feared rooms of the house. However, the necessity of the bathroom remains. Move forward with caution and confidence with these 10 Safety tips.

By Marcia Oliver

Replace,Refinish or Remodel Your Bathroom Vanities, Which is Preferrrablee

Do you have some bath room vanities you would like to fix up or just make them look a little bit nicer? Should you refinish your old bathroom vanities or just go buy new ones. If you are interested in remodeling your bathroom vanities how would you start? Many people are do it yourselfers who may want to employ some of the methods and techniques they have picked up from home improvement magazines or from watching HGTV. I know my wife and I are looking for a new house and she, unlike most women would rather find a fixer upper so that she can play around with remodeling and redecorating.

Those are the most common questions most home owners have when they want to remodel or consider remodeling their bathrooms. Some people would decide that a brand new bathroom make over isn’t right without a new centerpiece. Most people consider the bathroom vanity the center piece of a bathroom. Many people consider remodel the bathroom vanity saves some time and money. If you are on a budget when you decide to remodel your bathroom it is a good idea that you just remodel you original vanity to save money. There are many easy and low costing things you can do to your bathroom to make it brand new.

First step into remodeling your bathroom is to figure out the problem in the bathroom. Is it the mirror, or the hinges, or the shelves inside? Remodeling a bathroom vanity can be fairly easy it just takes time and can save a person some money. There will be a few tools that might be needed in remodeling your bathroom vanity they are very specific tools. The problem will be very specific and the individual will be very glad on remodeling there bathroom vanity that they are remodeling. If the individual vanity is in a shape that there is no way to remodel it, well the only other option to do is to replace the whole vanity. This will vary from person to person and what kind of shape their vanity is in.

One thing to remember is that bathroom vanities are similar to kitchen cabinets in that one can leave the basic structure in place and just replace the fronts. This is a very cost effective way to improve the look of the vanities while keeping costs down at the same time so don’t neglect this important suggestion that could save you hundreds.

By Greqq Hall

How to Clean Your Sauna Room

You finally own the one item you have always wanted: a home sauna room. These units are no longer just for day spas and expensive fitness centers in downtown Los Angeles. The rest of Europe and North America have finally caught on to what the Finns have known for a long time, that saunas are a wonderful way to relax while you are at home! Using the sauna is a fantastic way to relax and release the stress that you accumulated during a week in the office. Steam rooms also offer you several health benefits!

One of the most notable aspects of the sauna is the high temperatures. It is normal for the temperature to be as high as 200 degrees Fahrenheit in certain types of steam rooms! As long as you spend a moderate amount of time in this room, your body can reap several benefits. In addition to better blood circulation and eased muscle and joint pain, your skin feels softer and healthier. The reason for this effect is that the high heat causes your body to sweat out all the foreign toxins it accumulated over the course of the week. Even though you are supposed to shower off before using this room, the amount of sweat that accumulates in the room does need to be cleaned. Here are some suggestions on how to clean your sauna room.

Cleaning supplies for saunas are easy to find in Finland but if you do not have access to these cleansing agents, then you need to find something that will be similar. Try to avoid cleaners that have toxic elements or something that might stain or damage wood surfaces. Instead, look something that is made from 100 percent natural ingredients. Something that might be used to clean wooden desks is a good possibility as long as you dilute it sufficiently. Since most people chose cedar wood for their saunas, talk to employees at a store that carries several different kinds of cleaning agents about what would be the best to use on cedar wood.

Once you have the cleaning solution, use it to scrub the benches with a hard brush; make sure to reach every corner of the steam room. Use a large amount of water as well. Once you have finished scrubbing it down, heat the sauna up to dry everything. Clean regularly to prevent the growth of fungus.

Retro-fit Hydro Massage Bathtub - Did You Know?

There’s an ugly side to whirlpool baths. Aside from getting your hair caught in a suction fitting, and possibly drowning; failure to follow proper maintenance procedures for a whirlpool bath’s circulation system can result in the growth and transmission of infectious bacteria.

Bath residue contains soapscum, dirt, body secretions, skin cells, and bath oils. With each use of a whirlpool bath, these organic materials combine with mineral deposits from water and form scale deposits. The warm, dark and humid environment of a whirlpool system provides ideal conditions for the growth of microorganisms that can cause many different ailments (eg. vaginal, kidney, bladder, skin, eye and lung infections, just to name a few). Scientific testing has proven that household products such as bleach, vinegar, baking soda, and automatic dishwasher detergent are ineffective for the purpose of cleaning bath residue and scale deposits from whirlpool bath circulation systems.

Flush your whirlpool after every use with a cleaning solution specifically formulated to remove bath residue, and have the circulation system professionally cleaned at least once a year.

A used whirlpool bath should be proffesionally cleaned before use, because there’s no inspection method available to ensure that the system was previously maintained.

Everyday Precautions

* Never leave small children unattended in a whirlpool bath.

* Don’t operate a whirlpool bath’s pump without the suction guard in place.

* Avoid prolonged immmersion in hot water, as hyperthermia (symptoms include cramping, exhaustion, faintness) can result from prolonged exposure to excessive heat.

* Aged persons, anyone under medical care and pregnant women should consult with their doctor before using a whirlpool bath.

* Persons using medications, or under the influence of alcohol, or having a communicable disease, should not use a whirlpool bath.

* Avoid the use of oily bath products. They contribute to the build-up of bath residue within the circulation system.

Hot Tub and Spa Water Chemistry 101

Because hot tubs and spas are not drained after each use, having an awareness of the basic ABCs of water chemistry is a must for ensuring both a pleasant and sanitary hot tubbing experience for everyone to enjoy.

Balancing the chemical properties of spa water so that it is neither too alkaline nor too acidic is one aspect of spa management. The other component to keeping the water healthy and free of harmful microorganisms is maintaining a suitable sanitizing system.

A - Always maintain your sanitizer

Because bacteria from our bodies, as well as airborne mold spores, algae, even viruses can be introduced into the spa water, an effective sanitizer system is required to control these organisms from multiplying. Fortunately, there are several EPA-registered spa purifier systems that meet stringent standards for effectiveness in hot tubs, including bromine, Nature2 and Cleanwater Blue®.

B - Be certain to shock treat

No matter which sanitizer system is chosen to control microorganisms in the spa water, periodically adding a shock treatment to oxidize and break-down dead organic material, as well as dirt, soap film, hair spray and perspiration is essential for clear, clean hot tub water. Shocking the water also allows the sanitizer to perform at peak efficiency. Although dichlor granular chlorine is a good shock to use at startup and to correct occasional water problems if they occur, a non-chlorine MPS shock is recommended for routine use.

C - Control your water balance

Water is balanced when the mineral components of spa water are in correct proportion to one another. Balanced water is neither too alkaline (high pH) which causes destructive scale buildup on equipment, nor too acidic (low pH) which can be corrosive to plumbing, spa pumps, seals and heaters. When water is properly balanced, it feels better to the skin, and also allows the sanitizer to work more effectively.

Total Alkalinity (TA) and pH

Measuring the alkaline material in the water (Total Alkalinity) is a way to gauge the water’s ability to resist changes in pH - the water’s buffering capacity. Too high TA is less a problem than too low. It is best to always adjust the TA first, then go ahead and check the pH level. By maintaining a proper TA, the pH will often automatically adjust to the desired level. Balance the water chemistry by adjusting TA and pH with compounds such as Alkalinity Increaser, pH Decrease and pH Increase.

Water Hardness

The amount of dissolved calcium in the spa water indicates its hardness level. Inadequate calcium hardness can result in water foaming problems and can sometimes promote equipment corrosion. A low hardness level is easy to remedy by adding Hardness Increaser. Increasing calcium levels is not recommended or necessary if using the Cleanwater Blue bactericide-algicide.