Bathing or showering is extremely important, but do we need to bathe or shower every day to keep up with good health? According to the perceptions of the modern society, one needs to bathe or shower every day to stay healthy. Studies have found, children who go to school without bathing or showering, are inactive & lazy; they lack confidence in anything they do. It’s the same with elderly people that go out to work; they are usually idle & sleepy all the time, and are not energetic.

Body odour and restlessness make them feel agitated at work, also, they lack focus, which can result to low productivity and performance; it adversely affects your growth. Bathing or showering daily makes you feel confident. It infuses new energy in you every time, and gives you a sense of accomplishment.By taking a bath or shower once a day, you can wipe off the bacteria present on the skin.

Tauseef Hussain is a media blogger at QS Supplies, and occasionally writes on shower enclosures. He is passionate about interior decoration and his goal is to live a creative life and give the best advice for bathroom suite to make things better and beautiful in a bathroom.

It is true to say that some designs last forever, for they never really phase out; the roll top bath can be viewed in such a way. As much as one may be tempted by the modern whirlpool bath with its hot jets and relaxing bubbles, you know there will come a point when they will go out of fashion. The same is true for some of the more garish bathroom suites on offer from the late sixties and seventies. So, staying traditional does have a distinct benefit for the long term appeal of your bathroom design.

So, what distinguishes a traditional bathroom over a more modern designed bathroom? When we talk about traditional design, we tend to refer to certain great periods of design such as Edwardian or Victorian. It is worth noting that one of the reasons why Edwardian and Victorian designs and architecture were so great was that the cost of labour was so very cheap in those times.

When looking at the more traditional bathroom, one would consider a standard 3 piece bathroom suite consisting of a bath, toilet and basin as being the norm rather than the 4, 5 or even 6 piece modern suites. One item which may make you think of traditional bathrooms are the high rise toilet cistern; these were still common place in public toilets when I was a kid and actually make quite a lot of sense as they give you more room to seat than modern cisterns.

So, where do you start if you’re looking for a more traditional design bathroom? You first need to consider your property; do you own an Edwardian or Victorian period home? If so, then you have the best chances to get traditional bathroom fitting which are from that period. If, on the other hand your home is from the 1940s, you can find other bathroom fittings which are from that period. Traditional bathrooms are generally far better if they are fitted in a property from that period, however, that’s not to say you cannot have a Victorian bathroom fitted in your new modern apartment; it just needs careful planning and execution.

There are a number of ways to achieve your traditional bathroom design; the first is to scour the country in search of original pieces, next to find good reproduction pieces, and finally, to look at some of the modern takes on traditional designs. It may seem rather strange to describe something as both modern and traditional, but if you look at much of the new bathroom fittings on offer you’ll see that many of them have combined the two.

So, let’s take the first way which is to scour the country in search of original pieces. If you are clever you may still find various period bathroom pieces in junk yards and with scrap merchants, but don’t be fooled into believing that you’ll get them cheap. Even if you are fortunate enough to find some, the likelihood is they will require some restoration. If money is no object then you could of course hire the services of a professional who can source these items for you and have them restored to perfect condition.

The next option, to find good reproduction bathroom fittings is a much cheaper option and in all reality doesn’t have to look far from the original. Spend time searching on the internet for reproduction bathroom furniture and suites; you’ll be amazed at just how much of it is out there as we say traditional bathrooms are back in trend. Do your research and look at original bathroom design and see how well the reproduction bathroom fittings match up; if they’re good quality then you’re on to a winner.

With the final option being to opt for a modern take on traditional bathroom design, this is clearly aimed at those sat on the fence when it comes to bathroom design. If you’re the sort of person who’d like a roll top bath with a whirlpool, then this is your best choice.

Baths and bathing have as long a history as civilisation itself as there has always been a need for humans to wash and bathe. The first baths to be introduced in the UK was that of the Roman bathhouses; thanks to their ingenuity, they created a whole new bathing culture very different from the one we know today, but certainly, they had to develop into the bath each of us have in our homes today.

You will find baths made from a range of different materials such as steel, acrylic, enamel and even the occasional waterproof finished wood, but most manufacturers concentrate on either steel or acrylic bath designs. So, what are the advantages and disadvantages between a steel and acrylic bath and how will it affect your bathing experience?

Over time, fashions and trends change and new technologies appear; alongside these changes, we see new developments in the everyday products and appliances we use in our homes. For a long time cast iron was the only material used in the manufacture of baths, but with the introduction and production of steel and the cheaper costs involved, more and more baths were made using steel.

Steel has and always will be a robust material to use in the manufacture of baths, and this is its major advantage over the more modern acrylic or plastic baths. Thanks to its long history, those looking for traditional bath designs are more likely to find them manufactured from cast iron or steel; also, the more popular roll top and the claw feet designs were manufactured using both these materials.

Though, it is not just the steel bath’s strength which is its only advantage over the more modern materials. Steel baths are a better heat conductor than acrylic, in other words, if you’re someone who likes to spend hours in the bath continually topping up with hot water, you’ll have to do this more often with an acrylic rather than steel bath. They also maintain their gloss like finish a lot longer than any acrylic bath, so, if it’s long lasting looks you’re looking for, a steel bath may well be the answer.

A disadvantage of a steel bath can be its weight, for it requires good support underneath it; you may have seen old films showing baths falling through floors; well, it may not have been common place but it did happen. The other downside to steel baths is that they are generally coated in an enamel finish which, should anything heavy hit it, is likely to chip and it can be a costly exercise having this repaired. Finally, many people don’t like the touch of steel baths as they are colder than their most modern contemporaries.

So, having discussed the steel bath, let’s now take a look at the acrylic bath and their advantages and disadvantages.

As discussed earlier, one of the disadvantages of steel is that it’s heavy whereas acrylic is much lighter, and therefore, it’s much easy to transport, also, it requires less support underneath. The major advantage, however, of the acrylic bath is the design possibilities which it brought with its manufacture; it wasn’t until the introduction of acrylic that whirl pool or spa baths started to appear. The flexibility in the manufacturing process with acrylic means you can turn out all kinds of different shapes and designs giving far greater options for bath manufacturers.

Although an acrylic bath may not keep its good looks as the steel baths, but it is extremely unlikely to chip, and even in the event of scratches it is feasible to polish out many of these. It is worth noting that certain cleaning products can harm your steel bath, which is not the case with the acrylic ones.

When deciding between the two, much of it will come down to personal preference; steel may well be considered by traditionalists to be the better option, but as we have seen, you are limited in choice and design. In the same way, modernists would tell you there’s nothing better than acrylic as it gives such a wide variety of styles, but how long is your bath going to stay looking stylish when that gloss like finish has disappeared?

What makes a wet room watertight? It is not actually the tiles on the floor and walls, but rather the waterproofing or tanking, if put in a professional term, which is applied prior to any tiles being fixed. A wet room, therefore, removes the need for any shower enclosure or cubicle as the room itself acts just like an enclosure. Also, the floor of the room will have a slight slop to allow all the water to drain away in much the same way as a shower tray works.

Wet rooms should only ever really be considered either as a second bathroom or where there is not enough space to fit a bath. The reason for this is you could reduce the possible saleability of your property, for most buyers want at least one bath. Having said this, if you have a very small flat or bedsit, and there is simply no room, then a stylish wet room could be the perfect solution. In contrast, having a wet room installed as a second bathroom in your home will increase both the value and the desirability of your property.

Another good reason for installing a wet room in your home is that it can help when it comes to showering young children, as they can splash around as much as they like without causing any possible damage. Compare this with the bath time in a traditional bathroom, and the likelihood of damage to walls and floors is greatly increased.

The other really good benefit of wet rooms are they can give new advantage and independence to the elderly or infirmed, as there would not have to climb in and out of a bath. In fact, if you install wall hung toilets and sinks, you can have a completely clear floor area which is perfect for those with access difficulties. In addition to it, if you have some secure rails fitted around, then the walls access is made easier than ever.

People have been frantically flocking into Heathrow Airport to witness the enigma that is yet to get unveiled. It is also said that visitors to the UK from outside European Economic Area are not supposed to spend more than 45 minutes while waiting in the emigration queue. To everybody’s amazement, they have been waiting for more than the time stipulated for a few weeks now.

Immigration news, updates and weekly round ups further state that more ardent fans are expected to make it to the event. In such state-of-affairs, no one knows what may be the conditions of the Bathrooms and hygiene at Heathrow airport and the venue of the events.

Just a reality round-up!
With massive queues at Heathrow airport last week, isn’t it about time they upgraded and expanded their bathroom facilities. As we move into a time when more and more people are traveling and using the services at Heathrow, our government decides to implement cut backs. Attempting to save 10% on staffing costs, it looks as though our senseless government has cost us more by all the delays resulting from the cut backs.

With showering facilities only located in terminals 3 and 4, Heathrow needs to step it up a gear. With the delays at immigration control at terminal 5 last week, I’m sure there were a number of passengers who would have appreciated the use of a shower without having to scamper all the way over to terminal 3 or 4. Installing some extra showering facilities is not all that difficult, and certainly, the cost can be easily recovered with the charges imposed on using the facility.

As the number of people using Heathrow grow each year, so does the need & level of bathroom facilities. At a very basic level, people need to have adequate toilet facilities in public places such as airports, parks, shopping centers etc. A bathroom is what makes us civilized, so, if we don’t have access to this or if we had to queue for hours together, things are going to get uncivilized pretty quickly.
If you read any of the papers last week, you would have seen many reports equating the situation at Heathrow as resembling something like an entrance to some Third World hell hole. To quote Tony Parsons from the Daily Mirror, ‘To the first-time visitor, our airports – and it is not just Heathrow, for there was a mass revolt in a queue at Birmingham – make us look like a banana republic with no bananas’. What does our government think they’re doing by creating such delays and frustrations?

It may be more understandable why the Bangkok airport doesn’t have the facilities of a shower or bath as most restaurants in Thailand often don’t have; in fact, not even the basic toilet facilities, but surely we’re better than that. Having traveled through Thailand regularly, I’m often amazed at the sheer lack of public conveniences, meaning very often you’ll find people just using a patch of grass. There are many other airports around the world which offer very poor levels of public conveniences, but should that be the benchmark by which we set the standards at Heathrow? I certainly hope not, and the fact that many more people use Heathrow than these other airports, which means, there’s more money to allocate for these facilities.

With all the modern developments in bathroom facilities such as self flushing toilets and sensor taps, using public toilets has never been a quicker experience, but you need enough of them to cope with the number of people going through Heathrow on a daily basis.

May be what needs to be done is to create a body to rate the bathroom facilities at airports across the globe. Each airport could be rated on a 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 stars depending on the level of services offered and how clean they were. Often you will find some of the very best toilet facilities, but it would be like as if they haven’t been cleaned for a week. Many restaurants and shopping centres will have a time check sheet pinned up on the wall where the cleaners will sign off that the toilet has been checked 2 or 3 hours ago. This has to be the way forward for all public conveniences, for it at least guarantees a certain level of cleanliness.

If you are fortunate enough to be traveling in business or even first class, then you will have no problem finding adequate bathroom facilities, for this is all part of the service. But these services have to be available to everyone. After last week’s delays and troubles, Heathrow will have to think carefully the possibilities for delays and backups, for they are increasing all the time which can lead to huge numbers of people requiring public conveniences. If they don’t lay enough resources when delays occur, things could get nasty.

With the UK population set to grow up to 70 million by 2027, no wonder there is a growing concern for the government about the level of water consumption here in the UK, for the more populous it gets the need for water will increase more, beyond fathom. Recent water shortages in the UK have yet again raised concerns over the amount of water wasted in domestic homes and businesses, and with it, the suggestion that water bills should be inflated to encourage the people to use less water.

It’s true to say that people, in general, have become more aware of the shortages in natural resources, but are we all doing enough to reduce the amount we use on a daily basis? There are many simple ways to reduce water consumption such as collecting rain water for watering your garden, not flushing the toilet throughout the night, or even turning the tap off when brushing our teeth. But to make a real significant decrease in the level of water consumed in homes, technological advances need to be discovered for household appliances, thus, it is here we see the need for sensor taps.

So, what are sensor taps and how do they work? Sensor taps are designed in such a way that they only allow water to flow when an object, such as a hand, is passed by the sensor; within 0.5 of a second after the object is removed the water will shut off automatically.

Also, you can get sensor taps which have an in-built thermostatic control, allowing you to regulate the temperature of the water disbursed, again further, saving more money and energy.

This does, however, mean they require some sort of power to get them to work. So, the first question to arise in our mind while considering expensive sensor taps is, ‘Am I really going to reduce my water consumption that much, and what about the energy required operating them?’

Well, recent studies have shown that sensor taps can help to reduce water consumption by up to 70%, needless to say, a sizeable amount. With this in mind and with water costs set to increase, it is almost inevitable that more and more homes and businesses will see sensor taps as an essential peace of kit for their bathrooms and kitchens. Imagine, if every home, school and office were fitted with sensor taps, the amount of water that could be saved would be incredibly staggering. This does lead to questions being asked about whether the government should encourage the use of these taps through grants or even waiving off the V.A.T levied against them.

It’s all well and good to say we need to use less water, but how much is being done by the government to actively encourage this, apart from increasing the cost? Water management is the job of our government, and yet we have seen two successive winters when rainfall levels have been low resulting in hosepipe bans across southern England, a poor job of management by any standard. If more were to be done to encourage businesses and homes to use less water through modern & advanced resources and methods such as the sensor tap, surely that’s a better way forward, than fines!
As we move in the ever changing and modern world, these energy saving devices are likely to become mainstream, as eventually, we realise we have to do something about these finite resources. Population growth around the world is increasing at a rate whereby there will not be enough of these finite resources to go round. Changes need to be made at both, the individual as well the business level, but without governments taking the problems of the future seriously, one wonders where we shall be by 2027.

If you are interested in having sensor taps installed in your home or business, you will find many websites offering various styles and designs. It is essential that you discuss your requirements with the supplier, so that he can supply you with the most cost effective sensor taps for your bathroom or kitchen.

However, one can find there are many different styles and designs to choose from at the time of selecting a shower enclosure. For aesthetic reasons, most people will first choose the design that will work best in their bathroom, but it’s also important to have the right shower tray for an enclosure. In answering the question, how to get the right tray for a new enclosure, there are a number of things that one needs to consider. One should know, No shower enclosures can be hailed without a good shower tray.

The two most popular materials used in the manufacturing of shower trays are stone resin and acrylic, so what are the differences between these two?

With stone resin trays, there is an interplay between stone and resin, and the advantage of this type of material is, that it produces a strong and solid product. Acrylic offers a more flexible and lightweight finish, thanks to this, one can find many more acrylic shower tray designs than stone resin; also acrylic trays can be warmer to the touch than stone resin. The question that still leftover in our mind is, how can envision, which material tray does he, or she require in their bathroom. It depends on usage, if you have a number of people in your family, it would be better selecting stone resin tray, than acrylic.

After deciding material of the tray, you need to consider the shape. There is a variety of shower trays available in the market ranging from square, rectangular, penta and extended penta, your choice will be limited by the shower enclosure shape you choose.
Showers are as much about practicalities as rather than aesthetics, so if you have a small bathroom with limited space you’re much better opting for either a square or rectangular shower, as it occupies less space than quadrant enclosures. On the other hand, if space is not an issue then one can choose from any size and shape you desire.

These days there are endless designs for home products and showers are no different, which can make it difficult deciding on a particular style. If you own a period home such as a Georgian or Victorian you could design your bathroom from this period, you will find many reproduction bathroom and shower fittings in both these styles. You will also find a lot to choose from with modern design, but you need be careful here as you don’t want your shower to date too quickly.

Shopping for your new shower tray can be made even simpler by just going online. You can compare prices and products across a range of different websites without leaving your home. Try to find as many reviews as you can, compare the level of service offered by different suppliers, buying the cheapest product is not always the best idea. Many of cheap imports offer great value for money, but do they stand the test of time. By reading reviews about shower trays, one can get a better understanding of what makes for a good one. Whatsoever beautiful your shower enclosure is, your shower tray is getting a lot more wear and tear.

Take in to account that not all images are a true reflexion of the product, having spent time online researching you could always take a quick trip down to the showroom to check out the real thing.

Finally, take the time to speak to the experts you can do this in a number of ways either by going online to blogs and forums and leaving questions or by picking up the phone and speaking with manufacturers and suppliers direct. By doing this, you’ll be better armed to get the right shower tray for your new shower enclosures.

Buying a radiator can be a tedious job, but if you have a basic knowledge it can be exciting, and you can save £’s on your purchase. Most of consumers, who want to replace their radiators, buy the same size radiators, which already exists in their room. Whilst height and width are obvious, you can change the amount of heat radiated into you room with your choice of ‘depth’. These different depths are explained below:

Single Panel Radiators – The working model of single panel radiator is straight forward. It uses 1 Steel Panel to hold the hot water in your central heating system.

Single Convector Radiators – This type of radiator has 1 Steel Panel and a set of fins. Metal fins are welded on to the back of a single panel, and heating is generated from that panel. These fins act as an increased surface area, which generates more heat and, therefore, produce more heat output than a Single Panel Radiator.

Double Panel Plus Radiators – This type of radiator features 2 steel panels, and 1 set of fins. The working model of this type of radiator is same as Single Panel, but as this radiator has 2 steel panels and 1 set of fins, it generates more heat than compared to Single convector radiators.

Double Convector Radiators –Now you may have started to see a trend – but to confirm this model has 2 steel panels and 2 sets of fins. This radiator has more capability to generate heat and is usually recommended for large rooms. The capability of generating heat is determined by the height and length of the radiator.

By having a basic knowledge on how radiator works can help you select the right radiator. Next time when you decorate – you can buy with confidence as you might have already understood the jargon that all steel panel radiators accompany.

Compact style radiators are the most common radiators used in UK. Design of these radiators is pretty basic, and it features side panels and a top grill to hide the elements such as fins. Top grills and side panels can be removed with some persuasion for maintenance and cleaning – but can be a hassle.

To avoid this hassle, there are a different type of radiators available in the market and is known as ‘roundtop’ radiators. In short, these are the same radiators but without top grills and side panels.

There are many companies that manufacture round-top and compact radiators; however, they do vary in a small way in terms of design and output. At QS Supplies, we stock a complete series of round top and compact rads from manufacturers such as Biasi and Quinn. Both these companies offer ultimate quality radiators, which are stylish and affordable in price. All radiators showcased at QS Supplies web store have short lead times and can be dispatched to your home within a matter of days.

So what’s all the fuss about? Why should a rimless toilet make such a mark in the world of bathrooms? After all, some people may know that Twyfords launched a similar concept a few years ago. It would seem the excitement is focused around the RAK’s ability to deliver this hygiene improving feature with their legendary ability to bring style and practicality to the table all in one go. That’s a statement that’s easy to say, but at QS Supplies, we had to wait in line at the KBB 2012 Show just to take a look at the RAK Compact Toilet.

Combining this toilet into a new bathroom suite will bring a whole new range of benefits to the homeowner, traditionally enjoyed by commercial settings such as hospitals and care homes, who were bound by stricter health and hygiene regulations.

So how does it work? On operating the flush, there are 3 jets that project water into the toilet pan. These unique jets are designed to cover the entire inner pan surface in all directions. Without a rim for germs to hide, no hidden areas can be missed when cleaning. The benefit to homeowners doesn’t just stop there. Cost savings on expensive cleaning brand that direct solutions under the rim of a toilet also become a thing of the past.

So if, ultimate hygiene is your motive, take a closer look at the RAK Rimless close-coupled toilet as part of your next replacement bathroom project. If you do, further cost saving measures built into the design include reduced water usage traps. Working closely with Geberit, RAK Ceramics has introduced a 33% saving on flushing volumes to achieve dual flush statistics to 4.0 Litres and 2.5 Litres.

QS Supplies always strive to work with innovative manufacturers who bring our customers style and value for money. Our collection of cheap bathroom suites for sale are no exception, and we can offer bathroom suite packages or the easy shopping experience you desire to bring the right blend of basin, toilet and bath to your bathroom. Visit our website today to find www.qssupplies.co.uk at low online prices.

Basin mixer Taps are the most popular type of replacement taps that QS Supplies Sell, and offer a superb example of the level of choice that is available in the bathroom taps market place. So here are our top tap questions we would like to present to you before you start your search:

Pressure: Most modern taps work best at around 0.5 Bar of water pressure (a plumber may help you work this out if your not sure). However, if you have a modern central heating system, like a combi boiler, or a system boiler with an unvented cylinder, you are likely to exceed this figure and as long as you don’t by a low pressure tap, most taps will work fine for you.

Tap Handles: Each tap design will have its own design and style, but the fundamental choice will be 1 or 2 tap handles. 1 Tap Handle taps are often called ‘monobloc’ taps and tend to be modern in appearance. Flow control and temperature selection are all controlled from one single lever. Advantages are style and minimalistic feel, but precise flow and temperature selection first time can be hit and miss until you get used to it, so if you suffer from arthritis things could get tricky.

Waste Selection: This topic is specifically about Basin Mixer Taps and Bidet Taps. Almost always, and there are some exceptions, a basin or bidet mixer tap will be supplied with a waste. The two systems promoted by tap manufacturers are ‘Pop Up Waste’ and ‘Push Button Waste’. The pop up waste system has been around for many years and is a tried and tested system that operates the opening and closing of the metal plug by metal rods, operated from behind the tap body. The only problem this system has in when installing onto bathroom furniture units, the system gets snagged up in the furniture design sometimes. The Push Button Waste offers a very simple push down to close, and push down again to open system (also known as a click clack system). As long as you don’t mind getting your hand wet (and why would you) this system has no limitations. Please beware that all wastes supplied with bathroom taps are ‘slotted’ so that the waste can accept water from the overflow hole in your basin. If you buy a basin without an overflow hole you will either have to buy another ‘unslotted’ waste or purchase both tap and unslotted waste individually.

So go forth with confidence with your new founded knowledge and tackle with confidence the bewildering array of taps on offer. QS Supplies are well known for their great tap deals and combine these low online prices with bathroom taps from well established tap brands like Bristan, Hudson Reed, Sagittarius, Tre Mercate, Roca, Crosswater and Vitra