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Adorable decals and mats keeping you from slipping or the ultimate disaster for your tub?

 I will be the first to admit that I have seen those bathmats and slip resistant decals and thought, ‘Oh how cute and practical!’  Something that offers slip resistance in the bottom of a wet surface that most of us stand in every day sounds like a great idea.  No one wants their child to slip in the bath and it could be a complete disaster for a senior citizen to fall in the shower.  It wouldn’t do well for anyone to slip and fall in their bathroom.  It wouldn’t be bad for just you, it could also cause damage to your fixtures.  Hard tile to break your fall can become damaged or cracked.  Landing in your fiberglass or acrylic tub could easily put a nice big hole into your fixture and your budget.

So the question is, ‘How do we prevent this?’

What usually is done is we run out to buy a bathmat or find slip resistant decals to put into the bottom of the tub.  Both of these products have to be held in place, and there are three methods employed.  The first is by way of suction cups.  These types of bathmat are very functional because they hold firm into the bottom of the bathtub or shower and help prevent slip and falls.  Unfortunately, this type of bathmat wreaks havoc on the bottom of your tub.  When you pull the mat up off the bottom of the tub, it pulls and tears away at the finish.  This compromises the integrity of your bathtub or shower by exposing the base, which will lead to rust and eventually the decomposition of your tub.  I can hear you thinking already. ‘We’ll just leave it down!’  The fact is, if you were to leave something like this down indefinitely you’re likely to find yourself dealing with mold.  Water eventually builds up on the top of your mat and underneath leaving you with mold and mildew and germs.  It’s unsanitary, slimy and just plain gross.

There are bath mats and decals that are slip resistant by use of adhesives.  They are like stickers essentially, you stick them onto the bottom of your tub and you have a more permanent solution to the menace of slip and falls.  This definitely seems like the better option but after a number of uses you’re likely to notice something.  They get dirty.  Dirt and grime stick to these guys like nobody’s business and they are very hard to clean.  You’re going to have to spend a good deal of time bent over your bathtub or on your hands and knees in your shower scrubbing if you ever want them to look as nice as they once did.  Another issue is that the adhesives do not last forever.  Corners can peel up and then water collects under the decals and liners making mold.  So then you have to rip up these mats or stickers and you begin ripping away at the surface of your tub.

The third option of bath mat has no suction cups and it has no adhesives.  Instead it has a bumps or ridges on the bottom that are unlikely to damage your tub.  Perfect, here’s a solution we can live with.  This mat is not going to cause a great deal of harm to your tub, typically just some scratching and wear on the bottom because it moves under your feet.  But that is the bigger problem, basically you’ve invested in a sort of boogie board to stand on while you shower.  This mat can easily slip out from under you, taking you with it.  It’s hardly a safe option but it does keep the bottom of your tub relatively safe in comparison to the others.

Those are the three traditional options to prevent slip and falls.  They don’t work very well, compromise the foundation of your tub, and are just plain disgusting by way of collecting grime and mold literally underfoot.  Fortunately, Tubby’s Tub and Tile has a solution.  Our Safety Tread Traction Treatment is a ‘built-in’ slip-resistant surface.  It is more cost effective because you’re not pulling up the bottom of your tub, it’s easy to clean because it is sealed, there is no water getting underneath because it is just the bottom of the tub.

Give us a call today at (702)682-8827 and ask us about our Safety Tread Bottoms.  Mention this blog and receive a FREE safety tread traction treatment with a full refinish!