5 safety-forward bathroom organization ideas
It's the most dangerous room in the house—especially for seniors
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Reviewed / Tara Jacoby
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More than 80% of falls in the home occur in the bathroom according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), making this one of the top spaces of concern for aging in place specialists. With so many people remaining in their homes instead of opting for senior living facilities, bathroom safety is an especially important consideration.
With these expert bathroom organization ideas—some requiring minimal investment and time—it’s easy to enhance a home’s safety for the disabled and the aging in place. If you have a family member or loved one living independently in their senior years, these five tips help make a senior-friendly bathroom.
Install grab bars in and around the shower
Grabcessories has a 3-in-1 grab bar that helps with fall prevention.
Grab bars to hold onto for stability—especially in the shower and near the toilet—are also multi-purpose, says Lynda Shrager, a certified aging in place specialist (CAPS) and CEO of At Home for Life.
“Combination or ‘invisible’ grab bars are some of my favorite products since they negate the excuse to not use them at all,” she says. "Great Grabz, Grabcessories, and Invisia are three companies that produce beautiful, upscale, artistic-looking grab bars and also combination grab bar/towel rack, toilet paper holder, and shelf for soap.” For more options, read our testing of the best grab bars.
Bar soap holders and soap dispensers
The Duke Cannon Supply Co. Tactical Scrubber Soap-on-a-Rope Pouch can make a bar of soap much easier to hold.
Shrager also suggests a low-cost “hack” for a DIY bar soap holder: taking a lady’s stocking or pantyhose and cutting a leg off, then placing a bar of soap in the foot. Tying the “soap on a rope” to the towel bar or grab bar in the tub or shower means older adults can wash themselves through the stocking and never drop the soap, she says. (Duke Cannon is a soap manufacturer that makes a pouch on a rope to insert your bar of choice.)
For those who prefer liquid shower gel, refillable containers like this Simplehuman soap dispenser also prevent freestanding dispensers from falling and needing to be picked up from a slippery floor by those with mobility concerns.
Handheld shower heads and shower chairs
Delta Faucet 6-Spray SureDock Magnetic Shower Head comes in the chrome, matte black, and stainless.
Geoff Gross, CEO and founder of Medical Guardian, an on-the-go and at-home medical alert system, recommends adding handheld shower heads made for those with dexterity issues. “The shower then comes to you,” he says. “You can bathe independently while sitting in a shower chair.” This Delta shower head even docks with magnets to make snapping the showerhead back into place a cinch.
The DMI Tub Transfer Bench and Shower Chair not only has an adjustable height depending on the bathing facility, but a cutout to keep handheld showerheads untangled and within arm’s reach.
There are several great shower chairs on the market right now, so you might want to also check out our roundup of the best shower chairs.
Streamline bathroom drawers with storage bins
Makeup mirrors with lighting also enhance access and negate the need to reach over a sink.
Making sure all hygiene and hair products, makeup, and other necessities are easy to reach helps prevent unnecessary stretching, bending, and crouching for those with mobility issues.
Anne Lucas, founder of Ducks in a Row, a Greater Boston-based professional organizing and senior move management company, suggests iDesign products since they’re inexpensive, compact, and design-forward, she says.
“They are mostly clear bins that come in many sizes, which are perfect for pantry or linen closets. They’re perfect for organizing cosmetics, medications, and first aid supplies. They’re sturdy but not oversized so they don’t get weighed down and can be easily taken in and out of a closet or pantry.”
Makeup mirrors with lighting (either portable or installed), also enhance access without reaching over a sink for those with weaker eyes or backs.
Non-slip flooring
The COCOER Non Slip Bath-Mat is machine washable.
Since most senior falls occur in the bathroom, it’s important to add traction, says Shrager. “Peel-and-stick adhesive floor grips are easily placed by the shower, in the shower, by the toilet seat, or wherever someone needs increased traction,” she says. Some even glow in the dark for nighttime bathroom trips.
Both Shrager and Gross recommend specific bathmats when doing a bathroom remodel for seniors. “People are often reluctant to use bathmats because they heard you should remove all throw rugs to prevent falls, but in this case, I advise otherwise,” she says. “In the bathroom, I recommend a good-sized rubber-backed slip resistant rug in front of the tub or shower to step onto after bathing. This helps dry feet, and any water dripping off you is absorbed, rather than making the floor slippery.”
Her “safety dance” is “The Twist,” Shrager says. “I test if the rug is safe by stepping onto it with my feet about 12 inches apart, wiggling my hips, and trying to do the twist. If the rug moves under my feet, it is not safe.”
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