PITTSBURGH, April 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — “I wanted to create a convenient way to enjoy music or watch videos on your smartphone or tablet while showering or bathing,” said an inventor, from Bronx, N.Y., “so I invented the TECH ARM. My design could enhance communication and relaxation in the bathroom.”
The patent-pending invention provides an effective way to view or utilize a mobile phone or tablet within a shower or bathtub. In doing so, it helps to prevent water-related damage. It also increases convenience and entertainment and it ensures that the electronic device is safe and accessible. The invention features a unique design that is easy to apply and use so it is ideal for households. Additionally, it is producible in design variations.
The original design was submitted to the Manhattan sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 19-MTN-3586, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp’s Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.
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Mike Tindall revealed on his rugby podcast that Zara Tindall ended up giving birth on a gym mat in their bathroom.
Lucas Philip Tindall was born on Sunday and is the 10th great-grandchild of Queen Elizabeth.
Mike said Zara “was a warrior as always” during the unconventional birth.
Zara Tindall, Princess Anne’s daughter and Queen Elizabeth granddaughter, welcomed a baby boy on Sunday.
Lucas Philip Tindall is Zara and husband, Mike Tindall’s third child; they also share Mia Grace and Lena Elizabeth.
“The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh are delighted with the news and look forward to meeting their 10th Great Grandchild when circumstances allow,” Buckingham Palace said following the happy news.
Mike, a former rugby player, shared the news on Wednesday on his podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby.
He also revealed just how quicky it all happened – and on a gym mat in their bathroom, no less!
According to People, Mike said Zara’s friend, Dolly Maude, was with them “and recognised that we wouldn’t have got to hospital in time”.
“So, it was run into the gym, get a mat, get into the bathroom, get a mat on the floor, towels down, ‘brace-brace-brace,'” Mike recalled.
Laughing, he said: “Fortunately, the midwife, who was going to meet us at the hospital wasn’t that far away, so she drove up, got there just as we’d assumed the pos-ish. And then the second midwife arrived just after the head had arrived.”
He said through it all Zara “was a warrior as always”. “She was back up. We went for a walk [on Monday] morning with him. All good.”
Gone are the days when your only option for refreshing dingy, dated, or plain-Jane bathroom tile was to rip it out and replace it. Today, commercial paints formulated for use on tile make it possible to restore the look of your tile floors, walls, and other bathroom surfaces—or lend them a new one altogether—with little more than a can! Simple as it sounds, painting bathroom tile shouldn’t start without first evaluating key project considerations and constraints. Below, we’ve outlined the six things to know before you even pick out a paint color.
Painting bathroom tile is much cheaper than retiling.
You’ve heard it before: Paint is an economical material. Unsurprisingly, then, it’s the most budget-friendly way to refresh bathroom tile that isn’t cracked, crumbling, or otherwise structurally compromised. Frugal do-it-yourselfers can spend as little as $100 to paint 100 square feet. Meanwhile, depending on the tile material, a DIY retiling can cost anywhere from $100 to $1,500 for a typical bathroom floor measuring 35 to 100 square feet. Retiling a tub surround or walls of a shower stall between 9 and 13 square feet, too? That’d be another $400 to $1,300, according to the online planning tool, CostHelper.com. Solid-colored tile in bargain materials like ceramic falls at the lower end of these price ranges, while patterned tile in premium materials like marble falls at the higher end—as much as 15 times the cost! Patterns in painted tile floors, on the other hand, would only cost you double or triple the expenses for materials (depending on how many colors) and time.
Photo: istockphoto.com
It affords endless looks.
Popular bathroom tile materials—ceramic, porcelain (a subset of ceramic tile), natural stone (marble, travertine, slate, granite, or limestone), and quarry tile—are sold in a number of solid colors or patterns. Still, those preset styles might not suit the design of your bathroom, go out of fashion after you’ve installed them, or, be simply too cost-prohibitive to install. With paint, you can lighten, darken, or apply a pattern of your own design to your tile to fit any bathroom aesthetic, from a retro checkerboard pattern to a cool and contemporary geometric design. And, should your style change in three years, you can easily repaint.
Keep in mind that brighter paint colors are a better option for space-limited bathrooms; darker paint absorbs light and can have the effect of making a small bath look more constricted.
RELATED: The Best Painted Floors on the Internet
It’s not practical to paint tile on all bathroom surfaces.
With the exception of glazed quarry tile (which doesn’t bond well with paint), you can apply paint to most popular types of tile: ceramic, porcelain, natural stone, or even un-glazed quarry tile. But your paint job will last the longest on tiled bathroom surfaces that receive low to moderate exposure to moisture—think bathroom floors (outside the immediate vicinity of the tub), walls, and backsplashes. Tiled countertops, tub surrounds, or shower surfaces, while paintable, aren’t as practical surfaces for this treatment
Your bathroom is the wettest room in your home. Steamy showers, flushing toilets, running sinks, and occasional drips add up to high humidity. And with major moisture comes potential problems: mold and mildew, a funky smell, peeling wallpaper, paint that chips and scratches easily, and even lifting or splitting of laminated plywood vanities. Luckily, proper bathroom ventilation can keep humidity and its resulting issues in check. Here are nine ways to prevent excessive moisture buildup in your bathroom.
Do choose the right bathroom fan.
If you don’t have a window in your bathroom, chances are good the building codes in your city require a bathroom vent fan. These fans pull moisture-laden air out of the room—as well as bathroom odors—and vent them outside. You’ll find several types to choose from, including simple box fans that install in the ceiling, combination bathroom fan/light fixtures, combination bathroom fan/light/heater fixtures, and wall-mount bathroom fans for situations where you must vent the fan through the wall without much ductwork. More often, bathroom fans vent out through a duct running up to the roof.
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Although most bathroom vent fans are quite simple, some have bells and whistles, such as motion sensors that switch the device on when you enter the bathroom and turn it off once you leave. Some units even have a heat exchange function, which uses the vented warm air to heat up incoming cooler air, thus preventing the fan from sucking out your home’s warmth during the winter months. You’ll also find fan/light fixtures with decorative globes and finishes that add a bit of style.
Don’t forget to measure your bathroom.
Typical building regulations call for a full air exchange—a measurement of the air movement out of a space divided by the square footage of that space—five times per hour, but most contractors and building experts feel that’s actually a bit low, and recommend you choose a fan that provides at least eight full air exchanges per hour. No need to bother with a calculator and mathematical equations, however; you’ll generally get close to that goal by choosing a bathroom fan with a cubic-feet-per-minute (CFM) capacity that’s the same as your bathroom’s square footage. For example, if your bathroom is 80 square feet, you need a vent fan with an 80 CFM capacity. Add an extra 100 CFM if your bathroom sports a jetted tub to compensate for the additional moisture tossed into the air by the water’s agitation.
Do make the right installation decision.
If you’re simply replacing an old bathroom fan with a newer unit, the project is within the realm of most handy DIYers, as you’ll be able to use the existing vents and electrical connections. If working with electricity is not within your comfort range, however, leave the job to a professional. And you’ll need a pro to install a fan in
A clean, well-planned, and stunning bathroom is every homeowner’s goal. But creating it can be a bit of a sticky wicket.
All that water, humidity, and artificial lighting, and those tight corners make the space a real challenge. Don’t make it worse by wasting money on materials that won’t withstand the task or will need replacing when they don’t work out. Dodge bad bathroom decisions by avoiding these five things:
#1 Wallpaper
Image: Iriana Shiyan/Shutterstock
In a high-steam area such as a bathroom, wallpaper may start to peel in a few years, according to some designers. In fact, steam is used to strip old wallpaper off walls.
Despite the many photos of stylish, wallpapered bathrooms in magazines, unless it’s a half-bath or guest bath that’s seldom used, skip it. Really want the unique look wallpaper provides? Try a solid vinyl wall covering instead. It won’t allow moisture to seep through.
#2 Laminate Flooring
Love the look and affordability of laminate flooring? Use it in another room. Water and laminate floors don’t mix. Even tiny amounts of water will seep between the planks, causing them to expand, peel, swell, and lift from the floor.
Even laminate manufacturers advise against installing in high moisture areas. The good news? There are plenty of other products out there that work extremely well in bathrooms. Take another look at linoleum. It’s eco-friendly, budget-friendly, and comes in a wide variety of looks.
#3 Slippery or Glossy Tile or Stone
Image: Iriana Shiyan/Shutterstock
Many ceramic, porcelain, and stone floors will become slippery in wet conditions. The more polished a tile, the more likely it will become slippery when wet.
Solution: Select your bathroom floor surface carefully, vetting each against slippery conditions. Look for tiles certified to meet slip-resistance standards specified by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
#4 Wall-to-Wall Carpet
Carpet, while soft and comfy, isn’t ideal flooring in a powder room. Not only is the ick factor apparent, especially around the toilet, but mold and mildew can build up, which can cause health issues. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention specifically advises against carpeting bathrooms to avoid mold exposure.
If you really want the cozy touch of carpet in the bathroom, fluffy bath mats add color and comfort — and can be regularly laundered.
#5 Yellow Paint
When selecting paint colors, remember that color will appear more intense on your bathroom walls than it would in most other rooms, especially if the bathroom relies heavily on artificial lighting.
“In that smaller space, where the mirror multiplies the impact of the
plumbing fixture or type of sink intended for washing the genitalia and anus of the human body
A modern bidet of the traditional type
A bidet ( or ) is a bowl or receptacle designed to be sat on for the purpose of washing the human genitalia, perineum, inner buttocks, and anus. The modern variety includes a plumbed-in water supply and a drainage opening and is thus a type of plumbing fixture subject to local hygiene regulations. The bidet is designed to promote personal hygiene and is used after defecation, and before and after sexual intercourse. In several European countries, a bidet is today required by law to be present in every bathroom containing a toilet bowl. It was originally located in the bedroom, near the chamber-pot and the marital bed, but in modern times is located near the toilet bowl in the bathroom. Fixtures that combine a toilet seat with a washing facility include the electronic bidet.
Opinions as to the necessity of the bidet vary widely over different nationalities and cultures. It is virtually nonexistent in cultures of British origin. To those world cultures which use it habitually, such as those of the Islamic world, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Europe, France, and some South American countries, it is considered an indispensable tool in maintaining good personal hygiene.
“Bidet” is a French loanword meaning “little horse” due to the straddling position adopted in its usage.
Applications[edit]
Bidets are primarily used to wash and clean the genitalia, perineum, inner buttocks, and anus. Some bidets have a vertical jet intended to give easy access for washing and rinsing the perineum and anal area. The traditional separate bidet is like a wash-basin which is filled with clean water, and may then used for many other purposes such as washing feet.[1][2]
Bidet shower[edit]
A bidet shower (also known as “bidet spray”, “bidet sprayer”, or “health faucet”) is a hand-held triggered nozzle, similar to that on a kitchen sink sprayer, that delivers a spray of water to assist in anal cleansing and cleaning the genitals after defecation and urination. In contrast to a bidet that is integrated with the toilet, a bidet shower has to be held by the hands, and cleaning does not take place automatically. Bidet showers are common in countries where water is considered essential for anal cleansing.
Drawbacks include the possibility of wetting a user’s clothing if used carelessly. In addition, a user must be reasonably mobile and flexible to use a hand-held bidet shower.
Conventional or standalone bidet[edit]
A 20th-century standalone bidet (foreground)
A bidet is a plumbing fixture that is installed as a separate unit in the bathroom besides toilet, shower and sink, which users have to straddle. Some bidets resemble a large hand basin, with taps and a stopper so they can be filled up; other designs have a nozzle that squirts a jet of water to aid in cleansing.
In my dream world, Joanna Gaines would walk into our home’s small bathroom and say, “I just think some Arabesque tile inlay wood flooring with a black matte terracotta backsplash above the sink would make such a difference in here.” In reality, my initial idea to replace the tub with a glass-door walk-in was dashed as soon as I saw the prospective cost. While we plan on slowly making improvements, like replacing the linoleum floor with tile and installing new lights and a vanity, we needed a quick—and inexpensive—interim fix. The tiny bathroom is our only bathroom and, when we first moved in, the highest compliment it could have received is, “it’s technically functional.” While I don’t need my bathroom to be an oasis, I also didn’t want to hate being in there. This isn’t my dream bathroom, but I’m so thrilled with how just a few cost-effective improvements and some elbow grease completely transformed the space into one I actually love getting ready in and will be excited to show off to future guests. Here’s what how we improved our bathroom for $135 (scroll to the end to see some “before” shots):
After
Hands down, the biggest change we made was painting the white walls (just see the “before” shot below). I knew I either wanted wallpaper or paint, but paint is far more budget-friendly. Once we got started painting, we kept going: We initially painted the top half of the walls… then painted the full walls… then found ourselves painting the ceiling which made the most dramatic and beautiful change using Benjamin Moore in ‘Evening Sky,’ with their Aura matte finish.
Before
2. Swap out the hooks and hardware.
When we moved in, all of the towel racks and hooks were silver. I swapped out the majority with black matte hooks and racks, to match our framed art (below), and installed a hook I bought years ago by the artist Kaye Blevgard.
3. Add framed art.
The bathroom is an unexpected place for nicer art, which is why it can make such an impact. We intentionally selected a paint color that would tie-in with a photograph by Jonah’s dad, that you may remember from our previous apartments. It helps the entire room look so much more pulled-together and intentional (just be sure you have good ventilation, so you don’t ruin said art with water damage).
4. Consider your products.
In a small bathroom with limited storage—an area I have some expertise in—even your shampoo bottles and products are going to contribute to the overall aesthetic, whether you like it or not. In our shower, we use Aesop bottles I bought myself years ago, and just refill with shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, for a uniform look. I also removed built-in shelves I didn’t need from behind the door (there’s a small cabinet you can see in the photo of me painting below, that’s plenty of storage for us), and
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Storage, style, and functionality play a big role in the quality of your bathroom. In a perfect world, renovating your bathroom would consist of fun, simple tasks like laying a fresh coat of paint or trying out a new shower tile. But sometimes it takes a lot more than that, as was the case with Jill Sevelow’s recent bathroom renovation.
Jill’s apartment was built in 1926, and the bathroom definitely looked like it had suffered through decades worth of damage. As she describes it, it had old, crumbling tile on the floors and walls, a “pitiful” vanity and clunky medicine cabinet, and dated hardware. Nothing about the bathroom was aesthetically pleasing. “I painted the walls mauve and threw a chandelier up there and tried to make the ugliness go away,” Jill says, but she still didn’t love the look of the bathroom she had to use every day.
The catalyst for a full change came when Jill’s upstairs neighbor’s toilet leaked, causing enough wall and ceiling damage that everything had to be removed — and when experts came in to repair the wall and ceiling, they found a leaking pipe that had been letting wastewater drip into the walls. So, “BE GONE, all of the plaster walls, I said! It’s time,” Jill says.
In the bathroom renovation, the plumbing and wall repairs obviously came first, so the new tile, toilet, sink, and medicine cabinet that Jill ordered sat for 46 days before being installed. “That 46 days meant I changed the bathroom color choice three times,” Jill says. Ultimately, a soft gray (Benjamin Moore’s “Gentle Gray”) was the color that felt right.
Since the bathroom’s footprint is small, Jill figured out ways to make it more functional. She slightly altered the layout to make it more practical for daily use by buying a more narrow toilet and a wider console sink to replace the old wood vanity. (She also chose to go with a wider, but sleeker, medicine cabinet over the sink that offers enough storage to make up for what she lost in giving up the vanity.)
On the floors, Jill added hex tile in a floral pattern; for the shower walls, she picked classic white subway tiles — a huge upgrade from the crumbling tile that had been in place before. A new shower head and tub faucet in a satin nickel finish complement the new sink. Jill also added in a simple white light fixture in place of the large chandelier she’d installed before.
The whole bathroom’s vibe is a little bit vintage, a little bit modern — a perfect fit for this 1920s apartment that’s living a 21st century life. Jill had to do a lot of browsing to get there, though: “I Pinterested the hell out of bathroom ideas for a good month before purchasing,” she says.
In total, the entire project cost Jill $8,800. This covered all
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