Home Improvement

Archive for April, 2011

If you happen to have someone who lives in your home who has a disability then the bathroom can be a very unforgiving area of the home for them to use, especially if whoever is disabled would like the freedom and responsibility of taking care of their own personal hygiene.

There are however a few ways that you can make the bathroom more accessible for them to use which can improve their use of the bathroom and in turn improve their quality of life.

One of the quickest, simplest and most effective things that you can do in a bathroom that might be used by someone with a disability is to install grab-bars. Grab bars are fixed into the wall with screws and plugs, you’ll need to make sure that the grab-bars are fixed and are very secure as they need to potentially hold the weight of a full adult and they shouldn’t become loose or become unstable when someone applies their weight to the bar/s, I have in the past seen grab-bars that are only attached to the wall with suction cups, yes these may be OK just for a short period of time or if someone will not be placing their full weight upon the bar but if someone will be relying heavily upon the grab-bar and it’s only held in place by suction cups it will not hold sufficiently.

Another benefit for a kitchen would be to have a raised toilet seat fitted, these are useful for people who may have limited mobility as it means that they don’t have to bend over far to be able to sit down and they don’t have to exert themselves to get back up again. Having well-fitted grab-bars near the toilet is beneficial for someone who may need a little extra help when getting up off the toilet and getting down onto the toilet.

It is a good idea where possible to have anti-slip tiles fitted in any showering areas or even where it might be possible for the floor to become wet. For someone with limited mobility it can be hard enough just moving around but having to move around a wet surface where there is the chance of their being in an accident is even worse.

Just these two alterations to the bathroom can make a huge impact upon someone’s life and they aren’t expensive to implement into the bathroom.

A bathroom gives a descent look and feel if all the required fixtures are located at their precise positions. A towel rail is one such important component that adds perfection and neatness to your bathroom. These can be either wall hung or floor standing. The floor standing towel rail is light weight, portable and practical. It keeps your towel well placed and within reach at times when needed. The rack (shelf) can be either at the top or at the bottom further allows you to place the dried out towels.

The wall hung rails accomplish the same purpose and are ideal for all bathroom standards. They help in keeping your bathroom prim and proper. Further the advanced heated towel rails accomplish two tasks as such they have become very popular amongst the people within a short period. The heat not only keeps your towel warm but also makes the ambience moderate. The rail dries down the towel quickly to offer you a warm gentle touch whenever you wrap it around after shower or bathe. You can also stack multiple towels on the rail to keep them ready for future use. Heated towel rails need to be fitted by a professional as it needs a direct power supply for power it’s working.

The looks and feel of these vary greatly and are available in diversity of designs from simple to intricate designs to alluring and funky geometric shapes, textures ranging from wood to metallic. The different designs incorporate different features and functionalities to serve multiple tasks. The wooden towel rails ask for care and attention. They easily get affected by the bugs or rot in case the water spills. Whilst the metallic ones are less prone to corrosion or dirt as they have a veneer of paint. They let you cherish the functionality and assure long term usage. They offer looks that will last for years to come. Being not bulky these are easy to install, clean and maintain.

The floor standing towel rail in chrome is the latest in fashion. These are beautifully designed and are available in single or multiple layers and with or without shelves. They can be placed against the wall near the bath so as to be within reach. The metallic rails are very popular and come in chrome, stainless steel or anthracite finish. They complement well with any bathroom design, classic or modern and any bathroom standard.