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Last Updated: , Created: Wednesday, January 28th, 2004

Making slippery surfaces not slippery

One of the most common places for accidents to happen in the home is in the bathroom. You are not dressed to be protected, and there is both water and slippery surfaces. Bathtub mats and anti-slip decals do make life safer, but much more difficult to keep the tub clean.

 

SLIP PROOF ETCHING WITHOUT TUB DAMAGE IS POSSIBLE

Finally, here is a very light etching that is almost like a miracle. What is amazing is that you can barely tell that the surface has been etched and then it actually is less slippery when wet than when it's dry!

The tub cleans just as easily as before applying the solution. If you wipe your hand over the dry surface, you will not notice any difference at all. But, when you put water on the surface, suddenly your hand, or your foot, stops like it had running shoe traction. I always found that rather mystifying and amazing, but it really works. The photo shows me sliding a shoe down a tub with running water. The shoe stopped cold where it hit the area that I had etched.  What is actually happening is that the special solution does create microscopic grooves in the porcelin finish, much like the grooves in a car tire.  When you step on the wet surface, the water can escape via the groves and the foot makes contact with the tub itself -- no hydroplaning -- no slipping.

An added benefit is that when taking baths, smaller people can relax more with less worry about sliding under the water level.

The system called "Safe Solution"  is for porcelin steel tubs, but not for acrylic or painted tubs.  They do have special cleaners for Vinyl and fiberglass.

The netralised residue becomes biodegradeable and can be safely flushed down the bath tub drain. It does just slightly take the gloss off of the surface so apply it carefully to the bottom only, so you will not see a difference in gloss on the sides.  There is no problem cleaning the tub, although it is recommended that you do not use abrasive cleaners that could wear down those microscopic water grooves.  The treatment will last for several years.  Actually, I treated my tub/shower with the simple DIY kit in 2010 and it is still "stuck to the bottom" safe.

A commercial version is available for large floor areas.

 

SLIP PROOF SHOE SLIPOVERS

People who work on slippery tiles all the time, like janitors working with mops, will appreciate the add-on shoe soles from Jordan David. They are made of a rubber specifically designed not to slip on wet soapy tiles.


Keywords: Tiles, Sliding, Accident, Bathtub, Slippery, Security, Safety, Bathroom, Shower

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