# What's the best way to make a bathroom floor less slippery? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 10, 2014, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-make-a-bathroom-floor-less-slippery/698060 "2014-09-10T12:23:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-make-a-bathroom-floor-less-slippery/698060/1 "2014-09-10T12:23:58Z")
My parents have a tiled bathroom floor, which gets slippery when wet. I worry one of them is going to fall and hurt themselves. What’s the best way to reduce that probability? I’d really prefer to not have to replace the floor, but will if necessary. P.S: Mods, if forum is incorrect, please shift. Thanks/Sorry/nm 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-make-a-bathroom-floor-less-slippery/698060/2 "2014-09-10T12:37:10Z")
Put down some[rugs](http://www.walmart.com/browse/bath/bath-rugs-mats/4044_539095_920259/). Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-make-a-bathroom-floor-less-slippery/698060/3 "2014-09-10T12:37:31Z")
I’d go with bath mats with rubber backing to hold them securely to the floor. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-make-a-bathroom-floor-less-slippery/698060/4 "2014-09-10T13:00:44Z")
**Moderator Action** Since answers to this question are most likely going to be opinions or personal experience, this is better suited to IMHO. Moving thread from General Questions to In My Humble Opinion. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-make-a-bathroom-floor-less-slippery/698060/5 "2014-09-10T13:09:11Z")
_Non-skid_ rubber mats with plenty of grab bars well mounted in the right places and a soft toilet seat that’s at the right height for the user. Removing glass doors is a good idea, as well. Throw rugs and area rugs cause the majority of slip and fall injuries in the home, so the mats have to be chosen carefully so they don’t do more harm than good. That’s the short version. The long version is here: [http://www.elderissues.com/library/index.cfm?fuseaction=article&art\_id=152&CFID=80510&CFTOKEN=29796888](http://www.elderissues.com/library/index.cfm?fuseaction=article&art_id=152&CFID=80510&CFTOKEN=29796888) I highly recommend reading it, although it’s in a hideous format, as it will give you lots of good tips for the whole house. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-make-a-bathroom-floor-less-slippery/698060/6 "2014-09-10T15:13:43Z")
Improve your aim. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-make-a-bathroom-floor-less-slippery/698060/7 "2014-09-10T16:03:45Z")
The floor should never get wet – the only source of wetness is on your feet when you come out of the shower, and a bathmat (or even just a towel on the floor) will combat that. If the floor is wet at any other time and place, the source of the water should be addressed. By the way, the shower curtain bar will not support enough weight to break a fall. If the bathroom users are at risk of falling when coming out of the shower, install some kind of a secure hand-hold for their safety. ---
**Author:** ![Timetrvlr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Timetrvlr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timetrvlr)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-make-a-bathroom-floor-less-slippery/698060/8 "2014-09-10T21:26:22Z")
I’m elderly and use a rubber-backed bath mat that is washed regularly. I also installed three heavy duty chrome grab bars in our ensuite bathroom. Make sure that the grab bars are strongly secured to wall studs so that they will hold at least 400 lbs. I doubt that your parents are that heavy but a fall and a sudden grab at a grab bar can be in excess of their body weight. A good suction-cupped bathtub mat is also a good idea ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-make-a-bathroom-floor-less-slippery/698060/9 "2014-09-10T21:51:01Z")
My sister and nephew are both extremely large and mobility-impaired. They have these [grab bars](http://www.amazon.com/Safe-er--Grip-shower-Handle-17-Inches/dp/B000S8O9ME/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1410385651&sr=8-5&keywords=grab+bars+for+bathroom) in their bathroom and they will handle their weight (400+ lbs in the case of my nephew). StG ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-make-a-bathroom-floor-less-slippery/698060/10 "2014-09-10T23:21:38Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > My sister and nephew are both extremely large and mobility-impaired. They have these [grab bars](http://www.amazon.com/Safe-er--Grip-shower-Handle-17-Inches/dp/B000S8O9ME/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1410385651&sr=8-5&keywords=grab+bars+for+bathroom) in their bathroom and they will handle their weight (400+ lbs in the case of my nephew). > > StG I was pleasantly surprised at how well these things work. I’m 230, and I can do a chin up on them with no slippage. My supply ordering guy once got these on special…only they were marketed as sex in the shower aids! :eek: I gave them to my patients, but I took them out of the package first. 😉