How To Protect Your Home From Wheelchair Damage

Protect Your Home From Wheelchair Damage 

Wheelchairs Can Scratch Doors and Walls

Every wheelchair user is aware that most homes were not designed for wheelchair use. A few weeks after using a wheelchair in your home, you will begin to notice the damage it causes. Many people just choose to live with it as an inevitable result of needing a wheelchair, but there are many things you can do to protect your home from wheelchair damage. First, let's look at the kind of damage you might be experiencing.

Three Types of Wheelchair Damage Common in Homes

Wheelchairs generally cause three types of damage to homes:

* Wheelchair tires make floors and carpets dirty. Wheelchairs go outside and pick up dirt and gravel. You can try to wipe down the tires when you come home, but you will never get it it all. 

* Wheelchair tires leave scuff marks on the floors or tear up carpets. Tires are made from rubber. The rubber leaves marks on floors and damages carpets.

* Wheelchair frames and pushrims scratch up doors and walls. Often wheelchairs are too wide to navigate easily inside of the house, the wheelchair will inevetibly bump into walls, doors or door frames, leaving unsightly scratches.

Here we will discuss solutions for handling each kind of damage:

How to protect your home from damage caused by dirty wheelchair tires

Wheelchair tires get dirty when they are outside. You have two options to protect your home from dirty wheelchair tires:

* Option 1: Wipe down your tires when you come home. You can either leave a towel by the door and use it to wipe the majority of the dirt from your tires (you will never get it all), or use a brush, Spin your tires and hold the brush against your tire as it spins. Like the towel, the brush will not remove all dirt, but you should be able to remove a majority of dirt with this technique.

* Option 2:  When the wheelchair comes inside of the house, cover the tires with "Wheelchair Slippers" Or "Wheelchair Socks".

They are called "Wheelchair Slippers" and "Wheelchair Socks" because they have the same function as regular slippers and socks. You put them on when you come home to protect your floors and carpets from outside dirt.  They go on the wheelchair in seconds and are washable and reusable. 

How to Protect Your Home from Scratches Caused by Wheelchair Frames and Pushrims

*  Option 1: There are "Wall Guards" or "Crash Rails" that you can install on your walls which will absorb most of the impact of the wheelchair when the wheelchair hits the walls. These are commonly used in hospitals and institutions where wheelchairs are frequently used.

* Option 2: Install Wheelchair Pushrim Covers on your hand rims. Wheelchair pushrim covers cover the wheelchair handrims. They not only make pushing the wheelchair more efficient, but since then cover the pushrims, they protect your walls and doors from damage caused by striking the doors and walls. 

How To Protect your Home from Scuff Marks Caused by Wheelchair Tires

* Option 1: Clean  scuff marks from your floors with baking soda or "Goo Gone". Both are usually effective, but you should always test them first to make sure that they do not damage the floors.

* Prevent scuff marks with Wheelchair Slippers and Wheelchair Socks.