Top tips for Shower Seat maintenance

Cleaning is crucial

When installing fixtures in areas prone to high moisture such as a bathroom, proper cleaning before and after installation is incredibly important, to prevent the build-up on bacteria that can not only compromise the integrity of the fixture itself, but creates an unsanitary environment for the user.

One of the first steps in the installation process is to thoroughly clean the area where your Shower Seat will be installed. You can use an all-purpose bathroom cleaner or a shower specific cleaner for this, and make sure the area is wiped thoroughly to prevent any residue or excess moisture.

Cleaning the area can reduce the risk of the improper placement of drill holes, and any excess moisture or residue could cause tools to slip, resulting in damage to the shower itself.

Even after installation, regular cleaning of your Shower Seat is extremely important. Once a week, your Shower Seat should be cleaned with an appropriate cleaner to remove any bacteria or residue, particularly focusing on any harder to reach areas. This not only creates a sanitary environment for the user as previously mentioned, but regular cleaning of the seat also means it will maintain its integrity for much longer.

Check for stability

Many of those that require Shower Seats are considered to be more fragile and more prone to injury, therefore it is important that the fixtures that provide them with the support they need is as stable as possible. There is not only a risk to the user if a Shower Seat is unstable, but it can also result in the seat ripping out of the shower wall, causing costly damage and compromising the functionality of your shower altogether.

As well as ensuring the studs used during installation are of the best quality, stability checks must be performed both directly after installation and regularly thereafter. Once installation has been completed, place a heavy object on the seat to see if the seat holds up, then try testing it yourself, sitting on the seat and moving around as the user would naturally.

If you are questioning the stability of the seat, check for any missing studs or invest in more support brackets to ensure the safest installation possible.

The stability of a Shower Seat should be checked once a month, bearing in mind how it felt when it was first installed. Even though Shower Seats are made of materials that are designed to be placed in high moisture areas, water can still seep in to drill holes, making the seat unstable over time.

Know when to replace

As previously mentioned, Shower Seats are made of materials that are designed to withstand high moisture areas, but that does not mean that damage and wear and tear can’t occur over a significant period of time.

Aside from the obvious of the fixture coming apart from the shower wall, look out for thinned, discoloured, or warped parts, when you notice these occurring, it’s time to consider replacing either specific parts, or the entire seat.

Here at IronmongeryDirect, we stock a range of Shower Seats, from the basic to the luxury, as well as a number of Assisted Living essentials designed for both domestic and commercial settings.