Most of us have taken a small tumble down the stairs at least once in our lives. Usually this is just a case of our own clumsiness, but other times it’s because we haven’t taken the necessary precautions to make our staircases safer. As well-built as a staircase may be, it’s always best to follow these basic safety tips to make your staircase as safe as it can be:
Keep your staircase free of clutter
It may be convenient to leave your laundry basket on the stairs to take up later, but if someone’s not careful, they can easily trip over it and fall. To avoid this, keep your staircase free of clutter by taking items upstairs immediately, or setting them aside somewhere else.
Provide proper lighting
If you want to get downstairs safely, you need to see where you’re going. Make sure your staircase has proper lighting up ahead by installing a light on the ceiling or wall, with light switches at both the top and bottom of your stairs.
Secure rugs and runners
If you have a rug or runner on your stairs, or at the top and bottom of your stairs, make sure they’re well secured with an anti-slip pad underneath. That way they won’t slide out from under your feet as you’re heading up or down the stairs.
Set up a safety-gate for children and pets
Young children and small pets (particularly pets with small legs) will have trouble getting up and down the stairs. By setting up a safety-gate, you can make sure that they never head down the stairs unless you’re there with them.
Design your stairs the right way
If you decide to build your own staircase, there are ways to design it so that it’s safer for you and your family. At Acadia Stairs, our custom staircases are built with safety in mind. That’s why we offer an anti-skid spray for our wooden treads, and anti-skid surfaces for our metal, stone, glass, and concrete treads. Give us a call at 845-765-8600 to learn more!
