How can I make carpeted stairs safer after two serious falls?

[CurlsLDN]

I’ve just moved into a new house and have slipped on the stairs twice in a week.

I’m a fit 40 year old, not prone to falls! but the second fall has seriously broken my leg, I’m now in hospital and will be having surgery in a few days.

the stairs are normal as far as I can tell, and do have a banister, but have quite thick soft carpet on, each time it’s felt like I’ve put my foot down and it’s just slid across the carpet and over the edge.

I wondered whether anyone has any tips for making steps safer? Perhaps if an elderly family member has had mobility adjustments done to their house, what was recommended?

im thinking perhaps have the carpet removed and replaced with a tough woven type one. Happy to spend money to prevent this happening again but want to make sure I choose the safest option!

This happened to me when our last house was brand new. It was 3 storey and I think the stairs are steep. We just always had to be really careful and it did stop happening so think the carpet wore in after a while. Take care.

Bloody hell!! I’m so sorry.

I was actually quite pleased to leave my old house even though I’d been very happy there because the stairs were so steep and I felt a major fall was in my future.

TBH I would take the carpet off right now and maybe paint them?? With rough textured paint…

and I’d also think about getting an architect to look at the stairs to see if there’s any way to make them safer.

It’s likely to be the carpet. Thick carpets aren’t great on stairs. As you now know!

I have to take the stairs slowly in our house; my legs are short anyway. No running down the stairs or anything like that. After your injury you will probably be more careful naturally. Sorry, I know this isn’t helpful. 🌷

Is it an old house? Get someone to check if the rise is consistent. Apparently less than a centimeter difference can make trips more likely. We moved into a cottage with quite steep stairs with very shiny nylon carpet and I slipped down them twice before we changed it to something more grippy

Yes I think it’s the carpet. Thankfully it’s only been the last 5 or 6 stairs, as there’s a longer section then a turn with a square bit, then the last few. I guess a combo of the plush carpet and perhaps being at a slightly funny angle after the turn.

im going to stay with my parents for a bit while I recover as they have a ground floor bedroom and bathroom, I’d like to get someone to go in and sort the stairs before I go home

No, thank you you’re totally right, and of course after the first fall was a warning I can’t believe I did it again and so badly after just a few days! It’s not like I run down the stairs, but I’m a single mum so always busying around with my hands full so my focus isn’t always on my feet

what’s in your feet? I pretty much never walk on the stairs barefoot and tend to wear something with a bit of grip to help.

That’s interesting, yes the house is 100 years old. Good and solid but quite possible something is a little warped or non-standard by today’s regs

Always barefoot 🙈 think I need some nice grippy old lady slippers

i think you are right to change to a better carpet, not a thick plush one

crocs are good as slippers imo

Most likely the carpet, some aren't suitable for or could be the wrong underlay as that shouldn't be too thick and springy. We recently had a new stair carpet so I read a bit about what you should get.

I wear crocs (but don’t let them get too smooth on the bottom). Good luck getting the right combination - I’m really careful as I’m accident-prone! Fortunately our stairs aren’t too bad as they are a straight run and not too steep - I still don’t want to fall down them though. It’s one of tne reasons I didn’t miss our Victorian house as the stairs were steep with two turns.

After a very nasty fall on stairs in our previous house we put strips like these on them to provide extra friction.

They’re collected the dirt a bit but they did the job.

www.amazon.com/No-slip-Strips-Increased-Gray-Croc-AGGRESSIVE/dp/B00FGITG1U

Don't worry, i think most people go round barefoot at home in the summer.

Almost certainly the carpet, I think the thickness is encouraging you to put your foot farther forward where there is nothing to take your weight. You say you have a banister can you get a grab rail fitted on the other side.

That’s interesting about the underlay, this is the kind of intel I need! 😄
I’ve never bought flooring so not done any research, but I do notice that the carpet is very luxuriously soft and bouncy.

Yes, that’s how it feels. My partners teenage son also says he has noticed the step doesn’t take his whole foot, so if he’s right it may be that the bottom steps are a bit shorter. Will investigate when home!

It will be the carpet. Someone has put stain resistant stuff on it. That makes it slippery.

@CurlsLDN sympathies, what bad luck you've had. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
I'm a barefoot person too. Best tip I've been given about dodgy stairs is to always make sure your heel connects with the back of each step as you go down. A good habit to get into regardless of new carpet maybe.

Might be an idea to ask in a carpet shop; they should know what’s safest for stairs - although the last lot obviously didn’t!

You need a less springy underlay, and possibly less springy carpet. When we had our stairs done I went down a few times. I’d argue they threw me off the step, but either way I was a heap at the bottom. It stopped once they bedded in. But you usually have a slightly thinner underlay on stairs for this reason.