The bathroom is one of the few places in the home where electrical appliances and water have a great chance to meet—and a higher chance to cause electrical shock or death. If you have kids, the bathroom can be a room of hazards—electrical or otherwise—waiting to happen. But it doesn’t have to be. Try these tips to dampen the danger.
- Use a bathmat with a nonskid bottom on the floor and use a nonslip mat or decals on the floor of the tub.
- Keep medications and vitamins in their original containers to avoid confusion, and always choose child-resistant caps. Keep meds and cleaning supplies locked away if small children are around.
- Make a storage space under the counter and out of the way for hair dryers, curling irons and other electrical appliances that could be hazardous around water. Educate children on the dangers of mixing water and electricity.
- Use night-lights in the hallway and bathrooms for better visibility at night.
- If you have toddlers, use toilet seat locks to prevent drowning.
- Check the temperature of bathwater and stop filling the tub before putting children in. Tap water can instantly scald if you let it run too hot.
- Lower the temperature on your water heater to 120 degrees to guard against burns, but keep bathwater at 100 degrees or lower. And never leave young children unattended during bath time.