For many the bathroom is a place where we feel safe, protected, and private. However, the bathroom can be one area of the home full of danger. Unforgiving materials like ceramics and marble mix with water and it can be a recipe for disaster. It’s easy to stay safe in the bathroom, millions do it every day, however, it’s also easy to “slip up.” When considering home security, don’t just look to the home’s exterior. Sometimes the biggest dangers are lurking right under our noses. Try some of the following safety tips to boost home security in even the slickest of home bathrooms.
1. Bath Time. As kids grow up it can be hard to know when to give them their independence and privacy in the bathroom, and when it’s still necessary to keep a watchful eye. Unfortunately there is no one rule to follow, since ever child will be ready for unsupervised bathroom time at different ages and different stages of maturity. In order to best decide when your child is ready, be aware of the dangers. Besides slipping and falling, leading to an injury or drowning, small children are also at high-risk for burns by turning on the hot water tap. If a child is still very interested in “playing” in the tub, and not so much in “bathing,” it may be a good idea to continue supervised bath times.
2. Grabbers. While the aesthetic may be something we are more accustomed to seeing in the homes of senior citizens, grabbers in the tub are a great safety idea in every home. When falling in the tub or shower, there is little to nothing to grab onto, except the shower curtain. Not designed to support human weight the fall can only be made worse by having a shower curtain rod fall on top of one’s head. Today grabbers can be quite stylish as home security measures go, and are basically strategically placed hand rails that give you the chance to grab onto something and save yourself a long painful recovery process later.
3. Bath Mats. Not just for giving a bathroom style or a color-scheme, bath mats are important when entering and exiting the shower or tub. The floor is often wet at these times, as is the person’s foot, and contact between the two will almost certainly lead to a slip and fall. Make sure there is a more stable surface like a bath rag rug, or at the very least a towel, for the bather to step onto.
4. Electrical Outlets. Whether there are small children in the home or not, it’s a good idea to keep plugs in the outlets in bathrooms when they are not in use. In the event of a slip the last thing a person wants to grab onto is an outlet, especially when wet. An electric shock of this magnitude can lead to severe injury and death. Make sure outlets are protected by these simple home security devices. Additionally, try to eliminate any outlets unnecessarily close to the sink or tub, to prevent electrical gadgets from falling into the water, resulting in electrocution.
5. Medicine Cabinet. With the wealth of prescription medications available in pharmaceuticals today, it’s no longer safe to keep all of them next to the Tylenol in the bathroom cupboard. Protect family members by keeping the strong stuff out of their reach, and locked away whenever possible. This is not to accuse anyone of recreational use, but to be aware that when someone is sick, sleepy, or simply confused as to which medicine to take they may reach for the wrong product and end up even worse off. It’s a good idea to have a home security system in place should a family member have an emergency of this nature and need immediate attention.
