How to Put a Mainstays Bath Caddy Together

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Things You'll Need

  • Standard or electric screwdriver

  • Hex key (optional)

Mainstays Home, a brand of the Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., features a diverse line of products for the home. Mainstays shower and bath caddies, sold preassembled or boxed with parts and instructions, typically require little assembly unless working with complex corner-style tension-rod models. Models, typically crafted of durable chrome-finished metal or plastic, utilize over-the-showerhead, corner or tension-rod installation techniques.

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Step 1

Remove your caddy and parts from the packaging and separate the hardware, parts, any included tools and instructions into piles.

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Step 2

Confirm that you have all parts and hardware by cross-checking against the instructions or hardware key that came with your caddy. If you do not have all parts or hardware, recheck the packaging as some small pieces can stick to Styrofoam, tape or the bottom of the box. If you are certain there is a missing part, call your retailer for instructions on how to proceed. Most retailers will advise you to return the package and swap it for another.

Step 3

Review the assembly and bath or shower installation instructions. Push together or screw in any shelving and dispenser holders to the main body of the caddy with a manual or electric screwdriver or hex key (also called an Allen wrench), if needed. Remember to tighten all screws firmly to stabilize the caddy, but note that over-tightening can strip the screw or cause your grip to slip and the screwdriver head to damage the chrome.

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Step 4

Read any package inserts or instructions in regards to pre-application techniques before using suction cups or adhesives, as suction cups can slide or fall off surfaces that have too much gloss or texture and many adhesives require setting times upon application and also require dry, gloss or texture-free surfaces.

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Step 5

Screw on the suction cups with the head of the cup facing the front of the caddy and the cup surface facing away from it. If you have a tension-rod caddy, go to Step 6.

Step 6

Install your caddy. Over-the-showerhead style caddies hang, as their name suggests, over the showerhead and sometimes use suction cups or adhesive to stabilize them against the shower wall. Corner style, but nontension-rod, caddies use suction or adhesive for grip directly to the corner of your shower or screw into the corner of your bathroom walls. Tension-rod caddies involve a slow twisting of the rod (similar to shower tension rods) until the top of the rod meets the ceiling and the floor or the bottom corner shelf or floor of your shower or bathtub.

Step 7

Place lightweight objects on your caddy before heavy objects to check the caddy's stability.

Warning

Check suction cups weekly, for caddies that do not use any other installation or stabilization methods, to verify suction. Weighty objects, caddy weight and gravity, as well as humidity, negatively impact suction strength and over time suction can fail causing the entire caddy to fall.

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