How to choose a bath so that it becomes a place to relax your soul and body? Few people can deny the pleasure of soaking in a hot bath with candles lit around and pleasant music. If you wondered how to choose a bath so that it lasts for many years, its appearance and shape are right for you, and caring for it did not cause any unnecessary trouble, then this article is for you.
Before you go for a bath, you need to determine its size and the material from which it should be made.
Choose a bath: cast iron, acrylic or steel
The bath service life is at least fifteen years, so you need to approach the choice with all responsibility.
The most common bathtubs are cast iron. Strong, stable and durable, but very heavy ( ≈ 120 kg), so transportation and installation on the upper floors of multi-storey buildings will cost a pretty penny. High heat capacity allows you to keep the water temperature longer. The weak point of the cast-iron bath can be called an enamel coating. Its shine is more intense than that of acrylic bathtubs, but it can easily be damaged by dropping a heavy object into the bathtub. With improper care, the enamel may turn yellow or crack. In case of emergency you can completely change the enamel. If desired, it can be tinted, although mostly white bathtubs are sold. In the form of cast-iron baths are only rectangular because of the complexity of the technological process of their production.
Recently, acrylic bathtubs are no less popular . How to choose a bathtub from acrylic? Here, a variety of shapes and colors will satisfy the desire of the most demanding customer. Acrylic is the same plastic, but reinforced, so that the bath does not deform from your weight and water. Relatively light weight, a variety of shapes, shades, high heat capacity, which keeps the water temperature longer than cast-iron bathtubs. The quality of the acrylic bath depends on the reinforcement material: metal mesh (preferred) or fiberglass. The acrylic bathtub is easy to clean and hygienic.
How to choose an economy class bath? The most budget option is a steel bath. The weight of the bath is about 30 kg, a variety of forms, however, acrylic bathtubs are superior in strength, the enamel coating is not inferior to cast-iron bathtubs. There are some disadvantages: the water temperature quickly drops due to the high heat transfer of steel; loud ringing when a jet of water hits the walls of the bathroom. To improve sound absorption, special rubber pads should be installed.
In addition to the material, it is necessary to know the required dimensions of the bath. As a rule, there are standard sizes (L × W × H, cm) 150/170/180 × 70/80/85 × 65. You should be comfortable in the bath in a reclining position, so the width should leave at least 5 cm of free space on your sides. If the family has elderly or full people, it is better to choose a bath with armrests or handrails.
Bath - the abode of purity of soul and body
It is very important to properly care for the bathroom. How to clean the bath from rust or limescale? Regardless of the material the bath is made of, you cannot use powder detergents with corrosive substances when cleaning the bath: they spoil the enamel coating and the bath loses its luster. The composition of detergents for the bathroom of any material should include only surface-active substances (surfactants). This will save the gloss of enamel for many years. Do not use chlorine-based detergents, as they are poorly washed off the surface, and the smell is very pungent. For disinfecting purposes, you can use a solution of table vinegar, which will kill germs and will not damage the enamel of the bathroom. It is better to take care of the bath regularly after each adoption, then there will be no need for general cleanings.