Why the bathroom deserves extra attention

We wear seatbelts, put helmets on for biking and skiing, and fence in pools. Yet many of us stop thinking about safety at the bathroom door.

The bathroom combines wet, slippery surfaces, loose rugs and hard corners with tasks that ask a lot of your balance: stepping over a tub wall, bending and reaching to adjust the water, and getting around without glasses or contacts. A CDC report credited bathroom accidents with more than 234,000 injuries in 2008. Nearly 80% of bathroom injuries are caused by falls, and about two-thirds happen in the tub or shower.

The good news: many of these injuries can be avoided with simple, affordable safety products that make bathing easier for people of any age.

Simple changes that make a real difference

1. Add grab bars in the tub or shower. This is the biggest safety hot spot in the room, so start here. Put bars where you step in and out and where you stand or sit to wash.
2. Add support at the toilet. A grab bar or a toilet safety rail makes sitting down and standing up steadier.
3. Deal with wet, slippery floors. Choose slip-resistant surfaces in the shower and keep floors dry.
4. Remove loose rugs or replace them with ones that stay put, so there is nothing to trip on.
5. Cut down on bending and reaching. A handheld shower and a shower chair or bench let you wash comfortably without stretching or standing the whole time.
6. Make controls easy to see and reach, especially if you take your glasses off to shower.

"I don't want my bathroom to look like a hospital"

This is the most common reason people give for skipping grab bars. Hospitals and care facilities have bars next to the toilet and shower, so that is what many people picture.

But a grab bar is not what makes a room look institutional. Today's bars come in finishes and shapes that look like any other bathroom hardware. And a well-placed set of grab bars could be the very thing that keeps you out of a hospital.

Grab bars don't have to be hard to install

EZ Able® offers several types of grab bars so you can match the bar to your wall and your needs:

• Traditionally mounted straight grab bars in a range of lengths
• L-shaped and wall-wrapping grab bars
• Fold-down grab bars
• Secure no-drill grab bars
• Suction cup-mounted grab bars for portability

Browse all of them in our bathroom safety collection.

Common questions

Where should I put the first grab bar in my bathroom?

In the tub or shower. About two-thirds of bathroom injuries happen there, so a bar where you step in and out does the most good.

Can I add grab bars without drilling?

Yes. We offer secure no-drill grab bars and suction cup-mounted grab bars for easy installation and portability.

Will grab bars make my bathroom look clinical?

They don't have to. Modern grab bars come in finishes and shapes that blend in with your other bathroom hardware.

Related help

• Stylish grab bars that don't look medical
• ADA grab bar and sink requirements
• Building a barrier-free bathroom
• Shop grab bars
• ADA grab bar guide: heights and placement