Here's where to install grab bars: beside the toilet, on the wall inside the tub or shower, and where you step in and out. Each bar must be fastened into wall studs or solid wood backing, and a towel rack never counts. As a reference, ADA standards put horizontal bars 33 to 36 inches above the floor.
This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) says to mount grab bars near toilets and on both the inside and outside of your tub and shower. MedlinePlus explains why you need more than one: one bar helps you get in and out of the tub, and another helps you stand up from a seated position.
Beside the toilet. This is the bar you push on to sit down and stand up. In public restrooms, the ADA standards call for a bar on the side wall closest to the toilet and another on the wall behind it.
Inside the tub or shower. A bar on the long back wall steadies you while you wash, turn or stand up from a seat.
At the tub or shower entry. This bar gives you something solid to hold while you step over the tub edge or the shower threshold.
Near a shower seat. If you sit to shower, place a bar where you can reach it from the seat to help you stand. MedlinePlus suggests sitting on a bath chair or bench to shower.
MedlinePlus says grab bars should be mounted vertically or horizontally, not diagonally. For the rest of the room, such as mats, raised toilet seats and lighting, see our sister guide on bathroom safety for seniors.
The bathroom is the most common place for grab bars, but not the only one. A grab bar guide from the Alaska Department of Health suggests bars by a favorite chair, beside a bed, in a hallway, or at a step near a door. NIA suggests a grab bar near the front door to help with balance while you lock or unlock it.
The ADA Standards for Accessible Design set exact grab bar measurements for buildings covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Your own home may not have to follow them, and the best height is the one that fits the person using the bar. Still, they're a useful starting point:
Height: horizontal bars 33 to 36 inches above the floor, measured to the top of the gripping surface.
Toilet, side wall: at least 42 inches long, starting no more than 12 inches from the back wall and reaching at least 54 inches out from it.
Toilet, back wall: at least 36 inches long, extending at least 12 inches past the toilet's centerline on one side and 24 inches on the other.
Bathtub without a built-in seat: two bars on the back wall, each at least 24 inches long. One sits at the standard height and the lower one 8 to 10 inches above the tub rim. There's also a bar at least 24 inches long on the faucet end and one at least 12 inches long on the other end, both at the front edge of the tub.
Bar size and spacing: round bars 1 1/4 to 2 inches across, with exactly 1 1/2 inches between the bar and the wall. Bars must not rotate in their fittings.
Strength: the bar, fasteners, mounting and the wall behind them are designed to handle 250 pounds of force at any point.
Why the 1 1/2 inch gap? The Alaska guide explains that with too much space, an arm or wrist can slip behind the bar and get trapped, risking a broken bone. With less, knuckles can get stuck.
A grab bar only helps if it stays on the wall when someone falls against it. As the Alaska guide puts it, a grab bar is only as strong as its anchoring devices and the wall it's mounted on.
Use studs or solid backing. Bars need to be securely attached into wall studs, or to a surface-mounted piece of wood that is itself securely attached to the studs.
Watch out for fiberglass surrounds. The Alaska guide notes that tubs with a fiberglass surround have an air gap behind them, and warns against mounting bars over those walls.
Skip suction-cup bars. The same guide says they can release without warning, and people grab whatever is closest when they slip.
Never rely on a towel rack. MedlinePlus warns that towel racks can't support your weight. Swapping a towel bar for a grab bar that also holds towels is a simple upgrade.
Check bars now and then. Give each one a firm tug from time to time to make sure the mounting isn't loosening.
If there's no stud where the bar needs to go, don't settle for a weaker spot. A professional can add wood backing tied into the studs, or suggest a floor-to-ceiling pole. The Alaska guide says those poles should be fixed permanently at the floor and ceiling rather than held by friction, and that tub-edge clamp bars can loosen, so their nut and pads need frequent checks. Always follow the bar maker's installation instructions.
Building or remodeling? In homes covered by the ADA standards, grab bars can be left off only if the walls are reinforced so bars can be added later. Asking your contractor to add backing now saves trouble down the road.
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) says grab bars should be installed by a professional to make sure they're at the right height and properly anchored. Its suggestions for finding help:
Look for a certified aging-in-place professional.
Ask your local Area Agency on Aging for handyman referrals.
Ask a doctor for a referral to an occupational or physical therapist. MedlinePlus says a therapist can visit your bathroom and make safety recommendations, and NCOA notes that therapists can help you choose equipment that fits.
Hiring a pro makes extra sense with tile, fiberglass, or any wall where you can't tell what's behind the surface.
This is an example planning routine, not an official method.
Watch how the person who'll use the bars moves: sitting on the toilet, stepping into the tub, standing up from a shower seat.
Note where they reach for support today. A towel rack, sink edge or shower door they grab is a sign a bar belongs nearby.
Mark each spot with painter's tape, using 33 to 36 inches as a starting height and adjusting to fit the person.
Find the studs behind each mark, or plan for backing.
Install, or have a pro install, each bar following the maker's instructions.
Test each bar with a firm pull before anyone relies on it.
The ADA standards use 33 to 36 inches above the floor to the top of the bar. At home, adjust for the person using it, and ask an occupational therapist if you're unsure.
Not on drywall alone. Grab bars need to be fastened into studs, or into wood backing that's secured to the studs, because they have to hold a falling adult.
The Alaska Department of Health guide says to avoid them, because they can release unexpectedly while someone is leaning on them.
Usually at least one by the toilet and two at the tub or shower: one inside and one where you step in and out. A home visit from an occupational therapist can tell you exactly what fits.
RoomMend: Safer Home Plans is an iPhone and iPad app that turns a walk-through like this into a fix list for your home or a parent's, with guided room walkthroughs based on public CDC, NIA, NFPA and CPSC guidance. You can photograph a bathroom wall, place numbered markers where bars should go, and track each fix through status stages with an owner, a target date and notes. It's free with an optional RoomMend Plus purchase, needs no account, and is not a home inspection or safety certification, so the installer still decides how each bar is mounted.
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