At the end of the day, you will need a bath
Besides cleaning up, a bathtub is where some people get to be alone with their thoughts. PHOTO/net
What you need to know:
People run from rain and sit in bathtubs full of water. Well, because it is not just a place to take a bath, some meditate in the tub, while for others, it is relieving.
Dr Paulette Kouffman Sherman, a phycologist once said that average person spends a year and a half of their entire life in the bathroom.
“66 percent of mothers hide out in the bathroom for quiet time. 47 percent of Americans contemplate their future in there,” she said.
A lot has been said about bathrooms or simply sitting in a bathtub, one famous writer even satirically noted that in a bathtub, he felt his sins wash away – which goes further to show that for many people out there, this is not just a place they go to fulfil a day’s activity of cleaning up, but it is probably therapy.
A bathtub can be a good addition onto your cleaning up process, well, besides cleaning up, it is a place some people get to be alone with their thoughts and just like hammocks, that remind people of sleeping in their mothers’ arms, it is thought that bathtubs remind people of those childhood baths in big basins.
But choosing a bathtub can be tricky. Knowing exactly what you want from your bathtub, however, can help your hassle in the market.
Bathroom space
According to Patrick Natukunda, a certified plumber, a bathroom space is one of the things one should consider before they venture out in search of a bathtub.
“You would not want to buy a bathtub and it leaves you no space around your bathroom,”Natukunda says.
She advises that one has to measure their bathroom therefore and know how big the bathtub should be. This will also help you determine how much space you have to work with.
Accessories
Bathtubs mainly come with their accessories. The screws, taps, mixers, showerheads among others. When not careful, you may take home an incomplete tub. Moving with a technician will therefore ensure you do not forget anything that will send you into a back and forth in pursuit of the rest of the accessories.
According to Isaac Ariong, an interior designer, if you buy a complete bathtub, it will remove the certainty of a clashing appeal in your bathroom with mismatched accessories.
Plumbing
According to Isaac Ariong, an interior designer, before hitting the stores for a bathtub, one must be sure of their plumbing system. This can be checked by a plumber who in turn tells you how the tub can be installed.
Natukunda says, plumbing is different. So the need to check the plumbing system is crucial in figuring out how the tub will be installed and where.
Cost
Bathtubs are made differently. Some are made of steel, fibre, glass, gel coat, composite, cast iron, cultured marble and wood, with the most common being acrylic.
Most bathtubs come in white and can be found in different ceramic ware shops in town.
According to Natukunda, complete bathtub prices range from Shs400, 000.
The installation however, depending on the condition of the bathroom or labour needed for installation can always differ. Natukunda says the installation may range between Shs100,000 and Shs200,000.
However, Ariog says, when you deal with same ceramic shops to buy both the equipment and labour services, you can have it easier. He says, these can levy at least 0.4 percent of the installation fee.
Otherwise
To know if the bathtub is comfortable, you may need to climb in and see how it feels before taking it home.
A small tub may not work well for you since you may be taller and thus will struggle for leg room. The same applies to being short, a bigger tub may be an overkill. Either way though, you may have to strike a balance especially if you are not the only person that will use the bathtub.
There is also a possibility that you may need the different options of cleaning up, such as having a bath or showering. Keeping that in mind will help you go for the very best including the size and depth of the tub.
Maintenance is entirely up to the owner. For a long-lasting tub, however, it should be cleaned after every use.
“Make sure that the new bathtub includes any important rails and grips. It’s also a good idea to choose a non-slick bottom for the tub to help prevent slipping and other accidents,” according to familyhandyman.com.
Cleaning
A tub that’s used regularly by four people in a one-bathroom home will need to be cleaned more often than a tub used infrequently by someone who lives alone. If you use the bathtub regularly, give it a cleaning once a week and a deep clean that has a lot of scrubbing power behind it once a month.
