Soap dish, holders and other bathroom accessories
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Bathroom accessories are the small fittings fixed around a basin, toilet and shower: soap dish, toilet roll holder, towel rail, hooks and shelves. Near the coast the steel grade matters most: the steel maker Lesjöfors calls 316 stainless the marine grade, with 2–3% molybdenum, and says 304 pits and stains in coastal air.
In stock in Zanzibar
See all 11 products
JOMOO Wall-Hung Toilet 02355-00-2, 565 x 375 x 350 mm
565 × 375 × 350 mmWhite JOMOO wall-hung toilet, 565 × 375 × 350 mm, fitted with a concealed cistern.
Order on WhatsAppTZS 2,210,000perset
Beige Porcelain Tile 1200x600 mm, Matt Anti-Slip R10
1200 × 600 mmR10Matt R10 anti-slip porcelain for bathroom floors and walls.
Order on WhatsAppTZS 49,680pertile
K11 Polymer Cement Waterproof Coating (Two-Component)
18 kg/barrelWaterproofs the bathroom floor and walls before tiling.
Order on WhatsAppTZS 155,000perbucket
Soap dish, soap holder, towel rail: what a set includes
A full set of bathroom accessories is decided when the walls are tiled, because each piece is screwed to the wall. The usual items are:
| Item | Where it goes | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Soap dish or soap holder | beside the basin or in the shower | drainage holes so water does not stand |
| Wall-mounted soap dispenser | above the basin | a refill opening you can reach |
| Toilet paper (bath tissue) holder | beside the toilet | reach from the seat, not behind the grab bar |
| Towel rail or towel hanger | near the shower or bath | length for the number of towels |
| Towel warmer | on a wall away from direct spray | electrical rating for a wet room |
| Shelf or bathroom rack | above the basin or in the shower | open base or drain gaps |
| Hooks | behind the door | one per user |
Stainless steel near the sea: 304 or 316
Metal bathroom accessories are sold in chromed brass, stainless steel and other metals, and for steel the grade decides how it ages in salty air. Lesjöfors, a steel component maker, explains on its page about marine-grade stainless steel that the difference between 304 and 316 is molybdenum: 316 contains 2–3%, which protects it against pitting and crevice corrosion in salt water, while 304, without it, gradually pits and stains in salt water or coastal air. It recommends 304 only for fresh water and indoor use away from chlorides.
For a house or guesthouse close to the sea in Zanzibar, ask for 316 on soap holders, towel rails and shelves, and check the grade stamped on the product or its box.
Heights for the bath tissue holder, grab bars and mirror
There is no single height rule for a home bathroom, but two published guides give useful reference points. The U.S. Access Board’s guide to accessible toilet rooms sets a toilet paper holder with its centreline 7–9 in (about 180–230 mm) in front of the front edge of the toilet, its outlet no higher than 48 in (about 1,220 mm), and never behind a grab bar; it puts grab bars at 33–36 in (about 840–915 mm) to the top of the bar. The millimetre figures are our conversion. Geberit’s installation guide sets the bottom of a bathroom mirror 15–20 cm above the basin.
Mark every position on the wall before tiling, together with the pipe runs, so no hole is drilled into a pipe.
Fixing into a tiled wall
Accessories are only as firm as the wall behind them, and every screw passes through the waterproof layer and the tile. In a wet room that layer is often a cement-based coating: K11 Polymer Cement Waterproof Coating, which Kitovu holds in stock in Zanzibar, is tiled straight over according to its data sheet.
What to check when you buy
- The material and steel grade: 316 for coastal sites.
- The finish: brushed, polished or coated.
- Fixings supplied, and whether they suit tiles on masonry.
- Drainage on soap dishes and shelves.
- For a towel warmer, its electrical rating for a wet room.
For the fixtures these accessories sit around, see sanitary ware, wash basins and the toilet price page.