There comes a point in almost everyone’s life where they might need to rely on the use of mobility aids to make life easier. Need for mobility equipment can be temporary and due to injury, or required more permanently due to disability or ageing.
When there’s a need for any mobility aid like a toilet seat riser, walkers or handles near the bath or shower, make sure you can buy the best.
A quality mobility aid can make tasks like going to the bathroom (or getting in and out of the shower) easier to do. Cheaper, lesser quality mobility aids can be difficult to install, expensive or sometimes even dangerous at worst.
Toilet seat risers (sometimes just called toilet risers) provide support for getting up and down from a lower position. Risers are common for people with hip, knee or back injuries, and they reduce the amount of unnecessary strain on the joints and the risk of an accident or fall.
There are more than 300 toilet seat risers for sale on Amazon.
If you need to buy a toilet seat riser, it can become tough to choose the right one.
Need to buy a toilet seat riser near you now?
Amazon is the best place to look. While you can buy toilet seat risers from some hardware stores or pharmacies, Amazon lists a much larger selection – and has warranties that extend beyond what smaller hardware stores can offer.
This article will tell you what you should know about toilet seat risers: how a toilet seat riser works, how to install a toilet seat riser and we’ll talk you through the 5 best-rated toilet seat risers you can buy from Amazon.
- About Toilet Seat Risers
- The 5 Best-Rated Toilet Seat Risers on Amazon
- Toilet Seat Risers FAQ
- Conclusion: Best Toilet Seat Risers to Buy
About Toilet Seat Risers
Toilet seat risers are a type of mobility aid meant to be attached to toilet seats.
Risers give the advantage of height, so that one doesn’t have to go down as low to use a toilet – and doesn’t have to reach as high to get up again.
Toilet seat risers can usually be found in hospitals, clinics and care facilities. A toilet seat riser can also be installed temporarily or permanently in a home bathroom without a lot of effort or work.
Most toilet seat risers install directly on top of a toilet seat, where some of them secure to the seat itself with screws. Little DIY knowledge is necessary to do this, and the best toilet seat risers are accompanied by instructions that tell you exactly how to fit it to your seat.
Some toilet seat risers contain handles for less effort to get up and down, though not all models have this benefit to it. Other toilet risers only rise the level of the seat itself.
Installations near a wall usually require toilet seat risers without handles: handles for mobility, if needed, are secured to the wall instead.
Toilet seat risers are recommended during recovery from certain operations where getting up and down can be uncomfortable and painful. Seat risers are also recommended for disabled and older people who could use the added mobility boost to get up without strain.
Like with all mobility aids, buy the best you can afford. Cheap mobility aids can sometimes lead to injury. Proper fastening and high-quality materials are the two most important things if you intend to install any type of toilet seat riser, handle or other mobility fixture in the home or bathroom.
Let’s go through 5 of the best-rated toilet seat risers that you can find on Amazon:
The 5 Best-Rated Toilet Seat Risers on Amazon
The Drive Medical Elevated Removable Standard Seat
The Drive Medical Elevated Removable Standard Seat is the #1 best-selling option in Amazon’s toilet seat riser category. There are more than 10, 000 views around that call this a great toilet seat riser to install in the home.
One of the benefits about this toilet seat riser is that it comes with arms to the side that give extra reach for less effort. Not all toilet seat risers do. The arms are padded too, for extra strain reduction when getting up and down.
It’s removable, and one of the easiest ones to install regardless of the height of the toilet it’s set on. It’s made to fit most standard toilet seats, and it’s okay even with a bit of variation. If you need help to install it, there are plenty of YouTube videos that can show you how.
The Drive seat is also made from medical-grade materials, and guaranteed to last for a long time.
Carex 3.5 Inch Raised Toilet Seat with Arms
The #2 best-selling product in the Amazon toilet seat riser category is the Carex 3.5 inch Raised Toilet Seat (with Arms). Carex is one of the most reliable brands when it comes to medical-grade mobility aids, and this is just one of the products in their bathroom range of mobility aids.
More than 7, 500 good reviews call the Carex Raised Toilet Seat a reliable buy.
One benefit of this particular Carex model is the addition of arms, which not all toilet seat riser models have included.
The Carex is made for rounded toilets, and might be more of a problem to fit oval ones. As an affordable toilet seat riser, this is the only drawback.
This particular Carex toilet riser also has the benefit of a padded seat and handles, which can make it less effort to sit down.
Carex Toilet Seat Riser
The #3 best-selling product in the toilet riser category is also made by the same manufacturer as the second: Carex, a popular home care brand that makes several types of mobility aids, including several types of toilet seat risers.
The simple toilet seat riser gives a higher reach than most seat risers, and goes up to 5.5 inches above the height of your normal seat. It carries up to a 300 lbs potential capacity, and is made to be slip resistant to lessen the chances of slips or accidents.
While this is the first entry in the Amazon top 5 without handles, it has the advantages of padding and height (plus more than 8, 000 good reviews that say it’s one of the best toilet seat risers you can purchase).
Carex Toilet Seat Riser Elongated Toilet Seat 3.5 Inches
The #4 entry in the Amazon top 5 for toilet seat risers is another Carex model, this time one that offers mid-range height extension for a regular toilet. This elongated toilet seat is made to rise a toilet seat by up to 3.5 inches, enough for most people to comfortable get off and on.
While it’s another type of toilet seat riser model that doesn’t give the advantage of handles, the benefits of this model makes up for it. It’s made to be slip-resistant, and more than 2, 700 positive reviews on Amazon have called it a great bathroom aid to buy.
The Ultimate Raised Toilet Seat
The Ultimate Raised Toilet Seat gets the #5 position in the Amazon toilet seat riser category. If you see it elsewhere on the category page, you will also notice that it’s one of the sponsored options – though more than 1, 800 reviews confirm that they are as good of a toilet seat riser as it claims.
This brings the toilet seat riser back to the idea of a riser with a strong, sturdy frame and attached handled. Padded seats and an armrest give it the advantage of comfort and less strain during use. This is exactly the point of what a raised toilet seat is meant to do.
Bonus: Sammons Preston 66101 Homecraft Raised Seat
There’s one more entry that’s worth a mention, the Amazon raised toilet seat #6 entry.
More than 600 good reviews call the Sammons Preston a great basic raised toilet seat to buy, with a 4 inch height difference. While simple, it’s a good affordable padded raised toilet seat option.
Sammons Preston has the benefit of being a reliable raised toilet seat manufacturer that many institutions and homes have relied on over the years. Most of what they make is high-quality, medical-grade items – and it’s the same for this raised toilet seat model.
Toilet Seat Risers FAQ
New to the use of a raised toilet seat (or toilet seat riser)?
Just new to this page and want to know all you can find out about this specific mobility aid before you go out and buy a toilet seat riser?
Here’s a quick FAQ to tell you everything there is to know:
What is a toilet seat riser?
If you have never used or seen one before, a toilet seat riser is a medical mobility device that is designed to lift the height of a lower or average-height toilet seat. This makes it easier for anyone with certain injuries, disabilities or mobility problems to get up and down from a seated position.
Who needs a toilet seat riser?
Toilet seat risers can become necessary for anyone, at any time.
A toilet seat riser is a common sight in hospitals and clinics, where people are in recovery from injuries and cannot get up and down without some assistance or stability.
Toilet seat risers can also be installed in the home (for recovery) as temporary solution, or as a more permanent one for disability or reduced mobility due to age.
If you (or someone you know) has any mobility problems or recent surgeries, they could probably benefit from the use of a toilet seat riser.
How do you install a toilet seat riser?
Most toilet seat risers fasten over the regular toilet seat, using the exact same fastening points where a regular toilet seat would fit. All you have to do to install a toilet seat riser is to remove the regular toilet seat, and then attach the riser to it.
Some models come with handles, which can attach or fasten to the wall.
The majority of toilet seat risers are sold with instructions that can help you to install one if you have never done it before.
Are toilet seat risers expensive?
No. One of the best things about toilet seat risers is that they are affordable, and some of them are sold for way under $30 or $40 – but still guarantee quality and comfort.
How do you clean a toilet seat riser?
There are no special instructions when cleaning a toilet seat riser. You would clean it just like any other toilet, though the addition of handles might mean that there’s a little extra area to clean and sanitize.
Keep high-quality cleaning products in the bathroom at all times, and use hand sanitizer or wipes to wipe down surfaces and handles before and after use.
Are there different toilet seat risers?
Yes.
First, some types of toilet seat risers have handles, while others do not. If you still require handles for mobility help, strong handles can be fixed to any wall – at any height – with a little assistance.
Second, some types of toilet seat risers are made to fit rounded toilets. Others are a better fit for oval-shaped toilet bowls. Make sure you buy the right type to fit the toilet you have, or it won’t be a close enough fit.
What’s the best type of toilet seat riser?
The best type of toilet seat riser you can buy is one that has been certified and put through the most necessary testing. Weight and durability (or strength) tests are just some of the things that a proper medical-grade toilet seat riser has to go through to quality as good.
We’ve listed the top 5 in this article, so you can find the best type of toilet seat raiser to buy for your needs.
Conclusion: Best Toilet Seat Risers to Buy
A toilet seat riser can be necessary during recovery from surgery, but might also be needed for disability and mobility issues that come with age.
It’s usually one of the first and most popular mobility aids that are necessary in the home, and you want to make sure that you get to buy the best you can.
With more than 300 different models in the Amazon toilet seat riser category, it can be difficult to buy the right one. We’ve recommended five of the best-ranked toilet seat risers from Amazon, to make sure you can buy something that’s medical-grade, reliable and helpful.