THE BATHROOM
With the subject of the bathroom before us, it would seem to be in
order to promulgate the only really true theory of bathing. But this
is not a treatise upon hygiene, and the world already has been flooded
with advice on this subject, ranging from the urgings of those
amphibiously inclined folk who would each day run the whole gamut of
splash, souse, and scrub, to the theories of the dauntless Chicago
doctor who would put all humanity on a level by abolishing bathing
altogether. So we shall merely discuss the means of making the
bathroom attractive and serviceable, trusting to our individual good
sense for its proper use.
Everyone has heard of the good woman who was showing some friends about
her new home. The bathtub was an object of special pride. "Why," she
exclaimed, in a glow of enthusiasm, "it's so nice that we can scarcely
wait till Saturday night." We may laugh at her naïveté, but there is a
good deal more of the "waiting for Saturday night" proposition than is
good for--some of our neighbors. And, on the other hand, there is more
of the heroic sort of bathing by faithful devotees of cleanliness than
is necessary.
The persistent spirit will have his bath, if it has to be with bowl and
sponge in a cold room. But while most persons are persistently
cleanly, bathing in the interest of healthfulness should be regular,
and it should be enjoyable, and it cannot be either unless the bathroom
is properly equipped and is ready for service when wanted. Even at
some extra cost, it should be made possible to secure hot water
promptly, and without agitating the whole household, at any reasonable
hour of any day of the week. No family that we ever knew went bankrupt
on account of the cost of hot water for bathing, and if they did they
would have a pretty valid excuse.
PLUMBING
The bathroom is the heart of the plumbing problem, and it is not
necessary to declare that the plumbing is the most important feature of
the house, so far as health is concerned. Did we examine an old house
(one of even ten years ago) with a view to purchasing or renting, the
condition of the plumbing would be a first consideration. If it were
not safe and in good order, we should have to make it so, for of course
no one who is mentally competent would take any chances on such a
menace to the family welfare. And to repair antiquated plumbing is an
ungrateful task, while to replace it entirely requires both courage and
a willingness to let go of one's money in large wads.
Now, we want to remember that we shall wish to have our plumbing
satisfactory, not only when the house is new, but ten years later, when
it is not new. To make sure of this, we need first of all to know
something of modern methods and equipment. Then we should employ a
capable plumber, though he may cost us more than the merely passable
sort. Finally, we should supplement good workmanship with the best
materials. It may be noted that after the supply houses have evolved
the best materials, in the sense that the materials are convenient,
good to look at, and perfectly sanitary, they add frills and
decorations that bring up the cost to any amount we insist upon
spending. But we can get what we really require without paying for the
frills, if we exhibit tolerable ability in the selection of essentials.
Open plumbing is, of course, the only sort that any self-respecting
plumber of these days would consent to put in; if he hints at anything
else, we may well be suspicious of him. Not only should the plumbing
be where we can see and get at it, but sinks, lavatories, and tubs
should have no inclosures that may retain filth or become water-soaked.
Sewer gas is not the only evil to be guarded against, but it is the
greatest. It is also the subtlest, for in some of its most deadly
forms it is inodorous, and usually does its work before we become
conscious of its existence. The poisonous gas is not necessarily
generated in the sewer, but may be created anywhere in the pipes that
obstructions or uneven surfaces permit filth to accumulate. If,
however, the plumbing is modern and of substantial quality to begin
with, has stood all the tests, and is accessible and fairly well
understood by at least one member of the household, reasonable
vigilance will obviate practically all worry about sewer gas.
BATHROOM LOCATION AND FURNISHING
Usually the bathroom is placed in a central location on the second
floor, accessible, if possible, by both rear and front stairways. In a
small house the upper floor is always advisable, as the bathroom should
be well retired from the living quarters. Where the space can be
spared, there should be a closet, however, on the main floor, or at
least in the basement, where it will be readily accessible from the
back part of the house. If the bathtub is popular with the household,
it is in constant use, and for this reason the closet is in some cases
cut off from it, and is reached by a separate door.
[Illustration: The bathroom.]
The principal thought being to eliminate anything which will retain
water, tile or rubber flooring is preeminently best for the bathroom.
If wood is substituted, it should be oak or maple, thoroughly oiled.
Nothing should rest upon the floor to prevent any portion of the
surface from being thoroughly cleaned. A tile wainscoting is almost
indispensable. Paper will not stand steam and moisture, and calcimine
is scarcely better. Canvas or burlap above a four- or five-foot
wainscoting makes an attractive combination. All-white is not called
for, but light tints of green, buff, or terra cotta will give a
softening touch of color without destroying the general effect of
immaculateness.
Art glass in the window can scarcely fail to add to the attractiveness
of the room. It may be had for from 75 cents to $3.50 per square foot.
A rug is an essential, but it should be of a sort that will not readily
absorb and retain water. Speaking of the window, it must be observed
that outdoor ventilation, without disturbing privacy, should be made
possible. Often a bathroom becomes quite suffocating, and with weakly
persons the danger of being overcome in a locked room is not to be left
out of consideration.
THE TUB
The tub may be of enameled iron or of porcelain. The former costs very
much less and is almost as satisfactory as the latter, though in the
cheaper sorts at least the enamel will eventually crack. Of course it
can be reenameled, but in most things for the home there will be enough
of repairing without counting too much upon the ease with which it may
be done. That which will go longest without any repairs is usually
best. Still, as between the two kinds of tubs, one can scarcely make a
mistake either way, and the difference in price will govern the
decision of most of us.
To be consistent in our thought of keeping the floor clear, we should
have a bathtub that rests upon legs. It should not, if avoidable, be
placed under the window, and if it can be several inches from the wall,
it is more easily cleaned on the outside, and the space next to the
wall need not accumulate--or at least retain--soap, towels, and sponges
that elude the grasp of the bather. Tubs come in lengths from four to
six feet, and cost accordingly. The comfort of a six-foot bath to
persons of any considerable elongation is always manifest, while a
four-foot tub is merely better than a footbath. Where hot water is not
on tap in unlimited quantities, five feet is a fair compromise. In
porcelain enameled ware a tub of this size costs from $27 to $60,
without fittings. The better-class goods, included in this range, are
warranted not to crack or "craze." Porcelain prices are almost double
those mentioned. If we want stripings or pretty flowers or highly
ornamented legs for the tub, we will be permitted to pay for them, but
they are scarcely requisites in the bathroom economy.
Waste and overflow arrangements for the tub must be well looked after.
When the master of the household is likely at any time to turn on the
water for a dip and then become absorbed in studying the latest
automobile catalogue, one feels safer to know that the superfluous
water will find a ready outlet through the pipes, rather than the
floors and halls. The same precautions are to be observed with the
lavatory, where young America may choose to devote himself to original
experiments in hydrostatics instead of performing the simple process of
expeditiously removing the grime from his digits.
THE LAVATORY
Anything that is all of one piece is likely to prove more lasting than
the other kinds, in the lavatory. There are various combinations, some
of them including handsome marble tops, but basin and top should not be
separate. If the wall is tile, the back that fits to it is not
essential; but if the back is used, it should be of a piece with the
slab, bowl, and apron, to avoid ugly cracks and breakage. The bracket
form is usually regarded as most convenient, as legs are often in the
way, unobtrusive looking as they may be. Another method of attachment
is by a concealed wall hanger. The pedestal design is somewhat more
artistic, but additionally expensive not only in the beginning, but
afterward in the event of damage. Lavatories in enameled iron cost
from $16 to $75, including fittings and pipes above floor. Some people
like running water in their bedrooms, and a private lavatory is certain
to be appreciated by visitors. Objection has been made that the
introduction of plumbing into the bedroom affords a new source of
sewer-gas poisoning, but with modern materials and workmanship this
need not be feared. For the bedroom the supply man will recommend the
pedestal arrangement, costing about $50; but less expensive forms might
serve. Of course every additional outlet, such as this, increases the
piping bill and outlay for labor.
THE CLOSET
So far as the health of the family is concerned, the most important
feature of the bathroom is the closet. Here it would be simply folly
for us to let any consideration of dollars prompt us to substitute an
inferior or out-of-date apparatus for the safe kind. It would be
better to sell the piano or even to steal the money from the baby's
bank.
The only safety against sewer gas in the closet is to prevent it (the
gas) from entering the house, and to make sure that gas from the water
pipes is given an adequate exit and compelled to make use of it. The
old-style washout closet was a pretty good assurance that the one gas
would get in and that the other could not get out. The siphon closet
of recent manufacture seems to be a much more dependable sort of
contraption, though we need not accept as gospel the makers' assertion
that it is perfection.
The most reliable way to shut out gas is with water. Even in the old
closets it was supposed that the outlet pipe would be kept covered with
water, but as one could not see where the water was or was not, the
supposition wasn't always to be regarded as proper material for an
affidavit. Many a person has moped around and growled at the weather
or the cook or anything he could think of to blame, when it was the
cheap old plumbing arrangement he hadn't thought of that was at the
bottom of his misery. Sometimes, too, we think a little sewer gas is
preferable to the plumber and his bill; but that is a very silly
thought indeed.
The siphon closet not only overflows, but it siphons, or draws out, the
contents of the bowl. This is replaced with clear water, which
completely shuts off the outlet pipe. Comparing the actions of the two
systems, we readily see the better cleansing power of the double
action, while the seal on the vent pipe is always evident. A good
siphon closet costs from $30 to $50, and unless we find something still
safer we would better choose it.
The low tank is preferable in many ways to the sort that is attached to
the wall near the ceiling. It is more compact, can be installed under
windows or stairways, and looks better. Besides, it is not so noisy
and operates with greater ease, with either chain or push button. The
extra cost is slight.
HOT WATER AND HOW TO GET IT
We have named the essentials for use in a bathroom. But there are
other features that add much to its convenience and attractiveness.
Some of these need not be purchased at once; in fact, it is better
here, as elsewhere in the house, to let many things wait upon a
demonstration of their need.
A bathroom without plenty of hot water accessible is not, as we have
previously hinted, likely to become a popular resort. When the wash
boiler and the tea kettle have to be heated on the range and brought up
in a precarious progress that threatens a scalding for fingers, feet,
and floors, to even hint the possibility of the entire household's
insisting upon a daily hot bath suggests lunacy. But if the hot-water
tank is dependent upon the furnace or other house-heating arrangement,
summer is likely to find it out of commission, with the chief element
of a good bath obtainable only with much ado. Then some special means
of heating water is required.
There are many devices, most of them using gas, and disposed to be
cantankerous late at night when all but the would-be bather have
retired. The gas heaters are placed either in connection with the
water tank in kitchen or basement, or above the tub, the water running
in coils over the heater. These arrangements are speedy and
comparatively economical. They are slightly dangerous, however; not
that they are likely to explode, but from the fact that the gas,
particularly if of a poor quality--which is usually the case--rapidly
vitiates the air of the room, and may cause fainting or even
suffocation. If the apparatus is properly adjusted, and one makes sure
of the ventilation, heating the water and admitting fresh air before
entering the tub, no distress need be anticipated. There are also
gasolene and kerosene heaters, and an electric coil placed in the water
is the safest and cleanest but not the quickest or cheapest scheme of
all. Its cost is from $5 to $20.
None of these heating attachments is sure to prove fully satisfactory,
but any one of them is likely to add a great deal to the
serviceableness of the bathroom. To many wholesome people one ideal of
living is to be able to take a dip whenever one wants it, not merely
when one can get it.
A seat of wood, in natural finish or white enamel, is a handy
appurtenance to the tub. It will cost us 50 or 75 cents at a
department store, or we can pay four or five times as much for a
fancier quality at the supply house.
BATHROOM FITTINGS
Of soap holders there are innumerable designs: nickel plated or rubber.
The latter will hardly be chosen. A sort that will come as near as any
to permitting one to grasp the soap without sending it to the far
corner of the room has a grooved bottom and is retailed for 45 cents.
A sponge holder at the same price will keep that useful article within
reach, and for the towels there are bars, rings, and projecting arms.
Nickel-plated brass or glass bars are preferred, as the rings are
elusive affairs for both hands and towels, while the projecting arms
are usually unsubstantial, and if placed too high, constantly threaten
to stimulate the artificial-eye market. The bars, if strongly attached
to the wall, sometimes are a friend in need when one is getting in or
out of the tub or regaining equilibrium after balancing on one foot.
A mirror of good plate but simple design should be in the room, not
necessarily over the lavatory, but better so. Nice ones may be had for
$3 or more. There are tooth-brush and tumbler holders galore, and some
one of these arrangements will be found useful. The kind that provides
for a toothpowder box, and has numbered compartments for brushes, is
best, though there is something to be said for the retention of such
articles within the private domains of their individual owners. An
attachment for toilet paper may be had for a quarter or for a dollar,
and a workable one is worth while, as is a good quality of paper. A
glass shelf, costing anywhere from $1.75 to $12, is almost a necessity,
but there are better places than the bathroom for the medicine cabinet.
A single-tube shower-bath attachment of the simplest sort is a lot
better than none, and need not cost over 50 cents. The more adaptable
kind, with two ends, will be found ticketed at about $2. Thence up to
the elaborate fittings at $250 there are many variations. Sitz baths
and footbaths are rather superfluous in the ordinary bathroom, but we
can spend a hundred dollars for the one and half that for the other
without being taken for plutocrats.
A very fair bathroom, such as would please most of us, may be equipped
on a scale about as follows:
Bathtub............................... $36.00
Five feet long, three-inch roll rim, porcelain enameled, nickel-plated
double bath cock, supply pipes, connected waste and overflow with
cleanout.
Lavatory............................... 30.00
Twenty by twenty-four inches, porcelain enameled, slab, bowl and apron
on four sides in one piece, nickel-plated waste, low-pattern
compression faucets with china indexes, supply pipes with compression
stops, and vented traps.
Closet................................. 35.00
Porcelain enameled, siphonic, oak saddle seat and cover, oak tank (low
set) with marble top and push button, nickel-plated supply pipe with
compression stop.
Total for main essentials..............$101.00
Tub seat, natural oak................. $0.50
Soap holder........................... .90
Sponge holder......................... .95
Toothbrush and tumbler holder......... .75
Glass shelf........................... 1.75
Shower attachment..................... 2.00
Mirror................................ 3.00
Robe hooks............................ .75
Towel bars............................ 1.00
Toilet-paper holder................... .50
Towel basket.......................... 1.00
Grand total...........................$113.10