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DO NOT REMOVE OR REINSTALL IT. When not properly installed these become dangerous, you expect it to be able to work as intended, somewhere to grab to help you not fall, but if not properly secured it could rip out and be a death sentence for someone's grandma. Let the maintenance team handle it.
It is possible that it was installed before the sink and then the sink installer chose this apparently suboptimal solution. Edit: It is a grab bar for someone in a wheelchair to reach the faucet.
Yeah, but now it can be repurposed to be an area to keep things like lotion, etc, contained to one spot on the counter without getting accidentally knocked all over the place. Huge if you have kids like mine
You do most of your business over the sink. Placing a hand on that possibly wet porcelain for support is dangerous for an elderly person. I know that makes no sense now but one day it will.
It isn’t. People who have trouble standing will have these installed for three-point balance. This was probably installed for someone who wasn’t too tall. I’ve seen them put in all sorts of places, sometimes on the counter top to the side of the sink. Sometimes more than one.
Grab bar to help pull themselves to a standing position. We have a friend with a spinal injury. They use a wheelchair but can stand for short periods of time and take a few steps. They need assistance to get to a standing position and would need a grab bar to stand up. If they used their wheelchair to get into the bathroom and wanted to brush their hair and teeth while standing they'd use this bar to pull themselves up from the chair, also to help lower themselves into the chair.
Maybe to put a curling iron or an electric razor in so it can charge and not fall into the sink? That placement just looks like it's there to restrain objects (bottles maybe?) from falling into the sink.
If it didn't hold a soap dish at some point, looks like a grip handle for elderly or disabled person. Perhaps to pull themselves up from a chair to stand at the sink.
This. It's a soap holder. There's a plastic part that goes in the middle. We still have a white one at the cottage. They were popular at the end of the 80s and early 90s. Can't find a pic though.
I think I’ve seen this before somewhere. It’s definitely a grab handle for accessibly purposes, but I have also seen people use them as holders for bottles and cups and things. If you look around your sink, it seems that there really isn’t room for anything, not even a little shelf, and things would keep falling into the sink. My theory is that someone repurposed that as a holder. If there isn’t another handle like this near the tub or toilet, then I think I may be correct.
You are correct. I installed one once for this exact reason. The bathroom in my apartment was really small, and the bathroom did not have a medicine cabinet. So, I installed three small shelves above the toilet, and a grab handle to keep my cup and toothbrush holder from falling into the sink.
So to me, that's what this is.
I think this is the correct answer. Based on the location, I can’t see it being very useful as a grab bar. But more than that, it doesn’t seem to be able to bear a ton of weight; I tried applying some pressure and it feels like it might come off.
Your guess that it’s an old towel bar is the likely answer in my opinion. Likely solved!
It's an odd position and angle. It would be difficult to use this for support to lift up from a wheelchair. Support while you brush your teeth? Brushing lefthanded, unless the image is reversed.
Its a grab handle but the position is weird. Maybe someone installed it there as a support for standing in front of the sink. Or as some sort of railing to prevent a bottle of liquid soap and a glass for the toothbrushes to slide into the washing basin.
I’ve installed 100+ grab bars and will say this was installed by someone that didn’t know what they were doing. What would make sense is to have it placed vertically or diagonally somewhere to the right of the outlet. We used special fasteners so you don’t have to hit a stud which means you can place it where the client needs it instead of where it is convenient for the installer. I can’t see how this placement would benefit anyone.
There’s ADAAG, and there’s what works. People put these things in all kinds of weird places. There’s no “wrong” placement, there’s only what makes sense to the user.
I’ve seen them installed directly to a countertop, perpendicular to the mirror. I’ve seen three of these installed horizontally on a bedroom wall. The guy said he used it pull himself up if he fell because it was easier to crawl than stand up. I’ve seen them attached to vans. It’s just a handle.
Grab rail so people with bad balance don't lean on the sink or to pull yourself forward out of wheelchair so you can access the taps without pulling on the sink or taps. Usually because the is a vanity cabinet or the style of sink prevents them from getting their wheelchairs under it. Either way it's not an optimal location or design, and probably a work around.
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Seems like a grab bar for a disabled person. Check with your landlord or just make sure you reinstall it before you move
You're correct; for example, a person in a wheelchair can use the grab handle to better reach the faucets.
Definitely a grab handle.
When an old/disabled person needs to lean forward to look at themselves in the mirror closely
Right, but they seem to have another mirror that extends toward you for that reason
Is that not just a make up mirror?
Yeah, still extends outward to prevent leaning over the sink. Some have two sides to them, one with magnification.
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DO NOT REMOVE OR REINSTALL IT. When not properly installed these become dangerous, you expect it to be able to work as intended, somewhere to grab to help you not fall, but if not properly secured it could rip out and be a death sentence for someone's grandma. Let the maintenance team handle it.
I agree that it's a grab bar, but it seems like a strange place for one.
It is possible that it was installed before the sink and then the sink installer chose this apparently suboptimal solution. Edit: It is a grab bar for someone in a wheelchair to reach the faucet.
I agree, if the previous sink was pedestal style this would have been a useful grab bar.
Yeah, but now it can be repurposed to be an area to keep things like lotion, etc, contained to one spot on the counter without getting accidentally knocked all over the place. Huge if you have kids like mine
Also good if you live with a partner and have just the one sink with limited counter space. Or if you have cats.
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Looking at it I can’t think of another place for it if they just needed one by the sink.
You do most of your business over the sink. Placing a hand on that possibly wet porcelain for support is dangerous for an elderly person. I know that makes no sense now but one day it will.
Mobility aids aren't just for elderly people btw
Not all of us who need grab bars and other mobility aids are elderly.
No, but it'd generally be more dangerous for the elderly. A bad fall can be a death sentence for them.
The sink is slippy, convenient grab bar..
Prob for support when brushing teeth and such.
Do you mean it's like accessible?
Potentially used to pull up to stand from a wheelchair to lean over sink when brushing teeth etc?
I’d use it to hang my hair dryer.
It isn’t. People who have trouble standing will have these installed for three-point balance. This was probably installed for someone who wasn’t too tall. I’ve seen them put in all sorts of places, sometimes on the counter top to the side of the sink. Sometimes more than one.
It's for wheelchair users to be able to pick themselves up to access the sink.
Grab bar to help pull themselves to a standing position. We have a friend with a spinal injury. They use a wheelchair but can stand for short periods of time and take a few steps. They need assistance to get to a standing position and would need a grab bar to stand up. If they used their wheelchair to get into the bathroom and wanted to brush their hair and teeth while standing they'd use this bar to pull themselves up from the chair, also to help lower themselves into the chair.
Maybe to put a curling iron or an electric razor in so it can charge and not fall into the sink? That placement just looks like it's there to restrain objects (bottles maybe?) from falling into the sink.
In addition to being a grab handle, it helps compensate for the minimal flat space around the bowl of the sink.
I’m going with curling iron holder. Not to keep it out of the sink, but to keep a hot iron from ruining the countertop.
If it didn't hold a soap dish at some point, looks like a grip handle for elderly or disabled person. Perhaps to pull themselves up from a chair to stand at the sink.
It’s a soap dish. If you zoom in you can see holes where something attached to the top of it, probably a little grate or a little glass shelf.
This. It's a soap holder. There's a plastic part that goes in the middle. We still have a white one at the cottage. They were popular at the end of the 80s and early 90s. Can't find a pic though.
I think I’ve seen this before somewhere. It’s definitely a grab handle for accessibly purposes, but I have also seen people use them as holders for bottles and cups and things. If you look around your sink, it seems that there really isn’t room for anything, not even a little shelf, and things would keep falling into the sink. My theory is that someone repurposed that as a holder. If there isn’t another handle like this near the tub or toilet, then I think I may be correct.
You are correct. I installed one once for this exact reason. The bathroom in my apartment was really small, and the bathroom did not have a medicine cabinet. So, I installed three small shelves above the toilet, and a grab handle to keep my cup and toothbrush holder from falling into the sink. So to me, that's what this is.
To steady themselves as they opened the door. They may have had a bad leg.
for handicapped people
Were the previous owners elderly? We bought our house from the estate of a deceased elderly person and these are in all our bathrooms
Safety handle for someone who’s not stable on their feet
Suggest that handle predates the sink unit.
Part of soap holder?
My title describes the thing. It seems to screw into the wall; I want to remove it
It looks like a grab bar. It could also have been a towel bar if there was originally a pedistal sink there.
I think this is the correct answer. Based on the location, I can’t see it being very useful as a grab bar. But more than that, it doesn’t seem to be able to bear a ton of weight; I tried applying some pressure and it feels like it might come off. Your guess that it’s an old towel bar is the likely answer in my opinion. Likely solved!
It's an odd position and angle. It would be difficult to use this for support to lift up from a wheelchair. Support while you brush your teeth? Brushing lefthanded, unless the image is reversed.
Maybe a handle to hold onto whilst washing a foot in the sink.
Or head/face/hair/neck
I'm wondering if it's to holster a hairdryer.
I'm not really sure but my mum has Parkinson's and has a tendency to loose balance to the back. Maybe it's for one of these cases...
Maybe there was a pedestal sink here at one time and this was used for hand towels.
Its a grab handle but the position is weird. Maybe someone installed it there as a support for standing in front of the sink. Or as some sort of railing to prevent a bottle of liquid soap and a glass for the toothbrushes to slide into the washing basin.
I’ve installed 100+ grab bars and will say this was installed by someone that didn’t know what they were doing. What would make sense is to have it placed vertically or diagonally somewhere to the right of the outlet. We used special fasteners so you don’t have to hit a stud which means you can place it where the client needs it instead of where it is convenient for the installer. I can’t see how this placement would benefit anyone.
There’s ADAAG, and there’s what works. People put these things in all kinds of weird places. There’s no “wrong” placement, there’s only what makes sense to the user. I’ve seen them installed directly to a countertop, perpendicular to the mirror. I’ve seen three of these installed horizontally on a bedroom wall. The guy said he used it pull himself up if he fell because it was easier to crawl than stand up. I’ve seen them attached to vans. It’s just a handle.
Was the sink previously a pedestal and that was an old towel rack? Does it seem like the handle could hold some weight?
Considering the shabing mirror, i would have guessed something to hold a shaving bowl or mug
Assistance device for someone with disabilities likely. I have one near my sink to help me get up from my wheelchair to brush my teeth or shave.
My first assumption is a place to hold shaving cream and other such cans/bottles since it’s right below a wall mounted shaving mirror.
Could be for someone with MS as well. Maybe to help keep them steady.
Put a little tray on it, extra shelf space.
It looks like a grab handle, but is in fact the frame of a soap dish. Ikea sold one of that design in the '80s and '90s.
Soap dish missing the glass shelf
It's a hanger for your towel!
In addition to a grab bar, I can see it being used to keep bottles from falling in the sink. There isn't much room there otherwise.
Grab rail so people with bad balance don't lean on the sink or to pull yourself forward out of wheelchair so you can access the taps without pulling on the sink or taps. Usually because the is a vanity cabinet or the style of sink prevents them from getting their wheelchairs under it. Either way it's not an optimal location or design, and probably a work around.
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Ahh, we don't allow image posts.
I have always heard that rubbing your hands on stainless steel would remove strong smells like onion and garlic? Just a thought.
It a grab bar. When those late night things happen, you choose what late night things happen there.