I usually associate the Waterpik brand with cleaning your teeth, but they make a whole host of showerheads too. I guess the technology is a good match. This is the Aquascape Dual Spray Mode shower head - the AST233CC model.

The shower head comes in both chrome or brushed nickel to match your particular fixture and the double mode features a direct powerspray or a full body spray. If you’re not used to an extremely forceful spray, this may not be for you. I’ve heard it is very powerful compared to a normal showerhead. (They say 30% more spray force and 50% more coverage than a normal showerhead.)

Two things: I’ve heard that the water pressure regulator or limiter is removable so that you can get the full force of the water if you’d like. Second, this isn’t one of those handheld units where you can use the showerhead as a massager. It’s a wallmount unit, and probably better that it is because of the higher pressure water.

Since earlier posting about the Deep Water Bath Plug, I’ve been on the hunt for a companion drain clog screen for the tub.

The simple metal screen ones are easy enough to find, but I feel that they quickly fill up with gunk that is difficult to remove. Eventually it ends up blocking most of the water going down the drain so you’re standing in three inches of water while taking a shower.

The “Stop a Clog” Drain Protector from BedBathBeyond looks like an interesting alternative. Sold in sets of two, it is interesting in that it is partially made of rubber plastic and partially of metal. You actually use it like a suction cup to stick it down on the drain. It stops most hair and a lot of the other junk, but because the holes on the oustide are larger it lets enough water through so it doesn’t pool at your feet.

It’s treated with mold prevention (Bio Shield) and you can throw it in the laundry every so often.

I was originally attracted to the Brookstone Hands Free Soap Dispenser because of it’s sleek, techy design and look. This might have been more of an unneeded luxury just several years ago. But you know what, so many public restrooms and facilities now have hands free EVERYTHING - from faucets to soap dispensers to hand towel dispensers. And the idea in a public restroom is excellent because you just dont want to touch all that stuff if you can avoid it (I’d like them to institute doors that opened automatically so I don’t have to reach for the handle).

But at home, this might also be just the ticket, especially if you do a lot of outdoor work (mechanics and handymen), indoor cleaning, or you (or the kids) are just getting your hands dirty all the time. With this soap dispenser, you just activate it by moving your hand underneath it and out comes the soap. While I thought this would be great as a Bathroom accessory, it’ll probably be great in the kitchen too when handling raw meat.

It works on three double A batteries, I’m wondering how the life on those will be. I guess it would be awkward, and possibly bulky if a transformer is required, to have an extra plug on the back so that you could use wall power.

OK, so this is just a glorified toilet paper roll holder. But it might be a nice combo for those short on space. This is made by Classico and includes a double roll feature hanging underneath a wire magazine rack. Looks like the whole thing mounts against the wall. The double roll is kinda cool, reminds me a bit of restaurant bathrooms that have two roll holders.

Hm…if I were them I would’ve given it a spiffy name like the “Rack ‘n Roll”, hahaha…

You might think something as simple as a cuved shower bar isn’t anything to get excited about. True, it’s just a piece of metal. But after staying at a few hotels who incorporated this into the shower-tub, I began to get interested in it. Homeowners with tiny bathrooms will know what I’m talking about - haivng the extra space (30 percent more elbow room, or so they claim) can make a huge difference. It also helps to prevent leakage you get from glass sliding doors and from standard shower bars.

This wasn’t the first shower curved shower rod I’ve seen, but one of the most interesting because it’s made out of aircraft aluminum and looks sort of “unfinished” unlike some of the other fancy shower bars that are polished steel or something (I think you can also get it in chrome). It is also not “round” unlike most other ones.

Continue reading “ARC Shower Bar” …

Funny, we actually have the Polder Thermometer Probe but had no idea that they made other products like this Double Rack Towel Shelf. This chrome bar shelf has two racks for towels and one larger shelf on the top for other items. It screws right into the wall and the top shelf is about ten inches deep. It’s rather nice looking and not terribly expensive - I’ve also read that if needed, you could get two and interchange the shelves with one of the racks in order to increase the shelves.

If you’re like me and your bathroom has no ceiling fan (note to self: install a fan in our bathroom very soon), you’ve no doubt had problems with your shower curtain getting moldy or covered with mildew. In warmer areas, you might find you’ll go through shower curtains almost every couple of months, even if you crack a window while taking a shower. If so, you might be interested in getting these Croscill Fabric Shower Curtain Liners which are made of 100% polyester but are still water repellent. They’re weighted on the bottom as well and have metal grommets for strength at the top to prevent tearing of the fabric. I’m not so sure how water repellent it really is - we currently use a normal fabric curtain on the outside of the tub and a plastic one on the inside. But I’ve been thinking of changing the inner plastic curtain to something else for quite awhile now.

This is one of the more interesting ideas for bathroom magnifying mirrors that we’ve seen. There are quite a few mirrors out there that provide a magnifier that you can stick onto an existing mirror when you’re trying to get a closeup of that pimple to squish or hair to pull. However, this mirror contraption has BOTH a 5 times and a 10 times mirror available on a gooseneck that you can use.

Sold by Zadro, this is basically two six inch magnifying mirrors in one. You can use either mirror as a base and the 11.25 inch long gooseneck to get the right angle for the mirror. Or you can stick it on a smooth surface with a suction cup base that fits on either of the ends. This seems pretty handy to have around. I wonder a bit just how strong the suction will be when adjusting the gooseneck mirror - I suppose it also depends how much you move it, and how heavy the mirror end is.

Alrighty, I admit I’m a little skeptical about this bathmat. I’ve run into quite a few bath mats before that claimed to be truly absorbant. However, this bath mat claims to have microfibers that will really soak up excess water as you step out of the tub. We have problems with moisture in our bathroom because of the lack of an overhead fan, so I’d be inclined to try this out sometime soon. It’s about 17 x 31 inches in dimension and has a non-skid bottom. I’ve heard it’s rather thin which is the reason why it dries so quickly.

OK I know this might seem like a gimmick, and it’s probably featured on those “As Seen On TV” type commericals. Still, I think they’ve on the right track. So I wouldn’t count it out, especially for the elderly or disabled. The idea is a simple rubber grip handle that has strong suction cups that you can stick onto a bathtub wall for an instant handle.

Continue reading “Bath Tub Safety Grip” …