Going to the Bathroom in a Wheelchair: Five Tips to Make it Easier

Are you familiar with our company’s origin story? If not, I advise you to brush up on it, but here’s the Cliffs Notes version: our founder Douglas Pearson has a good friend in a wheelchair named Paul. And Douglas noticed that invariably, Paul always seemed to take too long in the bathroom. When Douglas finally worked up the nerve to ask Paul what was taking so long, he was shocked at the answer: Paul was pulling up his pants. That’s what took so much time.

And that’s precisely why we now sell Pants Up Easy – the name says it all. You’ll never have an easier time using the restroom. It’s genius in its simplicity, but we guarantee it will improve your life. And save you a lot of time in the process!

So that’s our best tip for making bathroom breaks easier: get our product! But if you’re looking for more general tips, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading to discover four more ways to make your pit stops easier:

Consider your wardrobe

If pulling up your pants takes a while, then consider making that task a little easier. You can wear sweats, yoga pants or workout clothes, which are stretchy and have elastic waistbands; making them much simpler to handle. But if you need to wear work clothes, there are many regular trousers with elastic waistbands.

Accessorize your bathroom

Not with some new light fixtures, though; we’re talking about accessibility accessories. Things like hand rails alongside the toilet, just like a public disabled restroom. If you’re not the handy type, there are organizations that can help you install such items.

Remember that stability is key

In most situations, your worst possible outcome is falling out of the wheelchair. Because you probably won’t be able to get back in yourself. That’s why you must be very stable whenever you’re transferring to or from the toilet. If you slip and fall in this room, you could hit your head on the porcelain or tile. That’s dangerous. Always grab a firm hold of something secure (the wall, the handrail, the toilet) before you make a move.

Pull your pants down before the transfer

It might seem counterintuitive to have your pants around your knees or ankles when moving, but how much moving are you really doing? You’re basically just turning around; you won’t be covering a ton of ground. Therefore, there’s little danger in pre-removing your pants, and it could make the sitting down process much faster.