Ahhh - there is NOTHING more refreshing after a hard day's work than a good, steamy shower - a good lather and rinse. It just leaves me with a 'squeaky clean' feeling all day. The same is probably true of you, as well - and I mention it to point up the importance of the shower area in any home.

One very important matter: shower room hygiene. Do you practice it? Think about it: what area in your home gets as wet or humid as the shower area? And who loves wet and humid conditions? Right - mold, mildew and germs. It's a perfect breeding-ground for these little critters - so you need to take the time to clean your shower area with a good disinfectant and mold/mildew cleaner.

Next: Soap scum. What exactly is it? Well, soap scum is produced, believe it or not, when hard water reacts with ingredients in typical soaps. Most soaps contain substances that react with lime - and high concentrations of lime are present in hard water. In addition, hard water can cause calcium and magnesium to build up on your shower drain, shower head and shower walls.

So, if you have hard water, and also use traditional soaps, you will be forced to periodically clean off soap scum. Most people find it convenient to clean it off daily, perhaps after everyone is finished with showering. But if you use a good shower gel, you will not see soap scum, as gels are formulated differently than other soaps.

When it comes time to fix-up your shower area, you'll find that you have lots and lots of choices: You can go the traditional bathtub-and-shower route if you like. Or you can install a free-standing shower enclosure. If you really want to go all out, you can get a very beautiful shower enclosure made entirely of heavy glass, on special mountings.

If you are into outdoor living, you also have many choices. There are many special-purpose outdoor shower units available. These are perfect for poolside or showering off at the beach. And you might consider installing an outdoor unit if work outside a lot and need to get cleaned up before entering your home.

In your shower room you can use traditional (and ever-popular) shower curtains - available in many designs and styles, or you can install doors that open out, or doors that slide along on rails (usually attached to the floor or tub edge). You can also tile up or seal your entire shower room and have a floor-level shower installed.

A note of caution: You might - perhaps should - let a professional handle the installation of your new shower area. Why? Well, this job can get quite involved (and quite messy!) and if you botch the job, you will have to start over and do it properly. So if you're not up to the task, pick up the phone and call a plumber or home remodeling firm and have them do it instead.

Article Source: http://www.thewahmshack.com/articledirectory/

About The Author:  Author: Ken Landis talks about home fixit projects and Shower Installation Projects Read about installing Fiberglass Shower Drains by visiting his site today.

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