Afraid my nephew will flood the bathroom more info #36

[TootsNYC]

I would never live in a place where ONE flooded shower could do so much damage.

Yeah, I'm kind of wondering--a single shower w/ water outside will ruin the apartment below?

My son can flood the bathroom with a long shower, and it doesn't mess up downstairs--the tile stops it.

[MOM21SON]

I would never live in a place where ONE flooded shower could do so much damage.

Yeah, I'm kind of wondering--a single shower w/ water outside will ruin the apartment below?

My son can flood the bathroom with a long shower, and it doesn't mess up downstairs--the tile stops it.

Right, if it happens the first time, then education can begin. 

[rose red]

Since the shower is tricky, I don't see a problem with giving nephew information.  I'm not saying the OP should talk down to him or treat him like a child, but to matter-of-factly give as much information as possible "Hey, just so you are aware, this is an old house and water on the floor will cause damage.  Please help us to prevent damage by taking these steps..." 

If I lived there, this is what I would tell all potential guests; not just careless guests.  Make the situation about keeping the house safe, not about the guest's flakiness. 

As a guest, I like my showers so I would stay at a hotel.  But if I agree to stay, then I also agree to obey the rules of the house since *you* are doing *me* the favor.

[WillyNilly]

Just do the quick friendly "hey just watch out, sometimes the curtain blows out, so please be careful to keep it inside the shower" bit and then if it does "flood" you clean it up (actually since he's family, and its an act of irresponsibility, I'd make him dry up the room - people tend to remember lessons better when they have consequences to recall).  One shower's worth of splash should not be doing damage to the apartment below instantaneously... and if it does, surely there is some sort of building management.  Usually with a condo you are responsible for inside your apartment, but the building structure itself is a shared responsibility.  And I'd consider that kind of immediate water damage to be a structure issue.

[AuntyEm]

First, it isn't that I don't want to host.  I do, and I invited the whole family.  I just didn't expect nephew to stay here without his parents who would be monitoring every move he makes which isn't so fun either.

In my previous "old house" a young visitor put too much TP in the toilet and it overflowed.  When I went in to clean it up, the water was gone...it had leaked through some missing grout and was now down in the basement.  In that case, there was no problem.  That was what I was thinking about this time with the shower and nephew's general lack of care.

I have other nephews the same age and younger that come and stay with us without their parents and I have absolutely no worries about them.  It is just this one.

I would really really like to treat him like the adult that he is supposed to be by now but...I'm just a little apprehensive about him.

My plan is to put Velcro on the ends of the shower curtain and just point it out when I show him his room and tell him its to keep the shower curtain in place while we shower since I'm not sure how water tight the floors are in this old building.  Then I'm going to have a few drinks.

[TootsNYC]

One thing I've done w/ my shower curtains is to remove the first and last shower-curtain hook from the rod. That leaves a short section flapping free with an empty ring.

Then I put up a Command self-adhesive hook on the wall of the shower (or tub enclosure) for that last ring to go over.

This turns the shower curtain and anchors it to the wall--it can't blow out nearly as easily.

I find this really useful in general, and I don't have much trouble w/ shower curtains in the first place. But especially in the stall shower, where the curtain is too wide anyway, it has made a BIG difference in how much water escapes.

[Bijou]

One thing I've done w/ my shower curtains is to remove the first and last shower-curtain hook from the rod. That leaves a short section flapping free with an empty ring.

Then I put up a Command self-adhesive hook on the wall of the shower (or tub enclosure) for that last ring to go over.

This turns the shower curtain and anchors it to the wall--it can't blow out nearly as easily.

I find this really useful in general, and I don't have much trouble w/ shower curtains in the first place. But especially in the stall shower, where the curtain is too wide anyway, it has made a BIG difference in how much water escapes.

What a great idea.  I'm going to remember this one! 

[TootsNYC]

One benefit to the hooks is that you really do need to explain them, bcs people won't know what they are. And that gives the OP the opportunity to *naturally mention* (and underline) the concept of "don't get water on the floor because it can seep through, even if the floor is tiled."

[IMissItaly]

OP, regarding the 20-25 minute showers, here's what I did when visiting my parents and other siblings and in-laws were also staying in the house. I asked them, politely, to try taking a "navy" shower so that each person needing a shower would have hot water.

I was in the US Navy at the time. I explained to them that if they were to get into the shower and get wet, then turn the water off while they shampooed their hair, turned it on to rinse, and then shut it off again so that they could apply conditioner, etc., etc. I don't know if they followed my request, but I didn't hear anyone complaining that they'd run out of hot water, and I know that the water heater in that house would not support 15 minute showers for six adults.

It's just a suggestion to consider mentioning when you talk to him about the water getting on the floor. Good luck with the visit!