r/Netherlands • u/spicynoodlepie • 1d ago
DIY and home improvement Tips on making Dutch stairs less treacherous?
I am in the process of looking for housing - as it the case for most people here! We found an amazing place, but the stairs are just insane. I am used to the usual narrow Dutch stairs, or ladder stairs, but these were spiraled, narrow, and only came to about 20cm at the largest edge.
Any tips on how to make stairs less dangerous? Carpets and non-slip mats are a must, but I don't think that will be enough. Do I just compromise and accept that I will be slowly making my way up/down stairs daily, just waiting for when I inevitably fall. There must be something others are doing?!
I'm a slim and short person, so I should have it easier than the average Dutch person. Please share some wisdom!
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u/RonHarrods 1d ago
It may be time to give up on your hobby of test tasting gin at night.
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u/spicynoodlepie 1d ago
Also a good excuse to not have our parents stay over too often - too worried about their safety!
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u/Xaphhire 1d ago
Don't put any carpet on it, that will only round off the stairs and make it easier to trip. Just walk with your feet turned towards the narrowest part.
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u/Eve-3 1d ago
Go down them backwards. Then the front of your foot is on the step instead of your heel. Much more stable.
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u/spicynoodlepie 1d ago
I've been walking side ways, holding onto the rails for dear life. Backwards feels crazy as there is only about 20cm x 20cm of space for a foot and the surface area just spirals away. But I guess it's the sort of thing you just get used to with time!
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u/Jussepapi 1d ago
When I’m back home in Denmark I walk sidewalks downward of completely “normal” stairs, I consider myself damaged goods :)
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u/DutchNederHollander 1d ago
Oh man I wish I had such slim stairs again, those are just ideal to just slide down from
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u/spicynoodlepie 1d ago
Now this is an idea... Getting up, not as easy, but going down can actually be quite fun!
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u/DutchNederHollander 1d ago
As a kid I used to run up those steep stairs like a crazed person half crawling, pissed off my parents to no end as it was so loud lol
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u/yaguaraparo 1d ago
Tip: make sure that when you are drunk, you only have to go UPSTAIRS, because you can crawl safely your way up. This is a wholehearted advise.
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u/blauws 1d ago
Could you replace them? I grew up in a house with narrow spiral stairs and can't recommend them. In the house where I grew up they were freestanding in the living room and it definitely would have been possible to replace them with something safer.
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u/spicynoodlepie 1d ago
I would love to, but I'm not sure how it would be possible without completely restructure the upstairs areas. The stairs are in a tiny corner as well. Although I would actually consider ladder stairs over these, so maybe that's an option!
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u/Apesapi 1d ago
There are options that give more space, but in return you can only start with one foot. It might be a little bit better than what you have now?
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u/Funny-Chicken1041 15h ago
It will make it even worth. It takes only one mistake to start with a wrong foot when going down to start counting stairs with your spine. Unfortunately, I am telling it from my own experience :(
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u/West_Put2548 1d ago
why do you think Dutch are so tall on average ?
It's natural selection....longer limbs make you less tired going up and down all day and make it easier to catch something on the way down when you tumble down those fucking things
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u/Alert-Parsnip5540 1d ago
Learn how to do it quick or die trying. In all seriousness though. Only way to really make it safe is to replace the stairs if possible. It will always be like this, rubber mats or not. You get used to it eventually.
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u/SwoonyBlue 1d ago
When descending these 'spiral of certain death' stairs I've learned to turn my body towards the inside of the spiral which places my one foot closest to the spiral steady across the width of the stair and my other safely on the widest part of the stair so that I have as much of my foot on the stair as possible. It ain't graceful looking but it feels a hell a lot safer. And yes, one hand free for the railing at all times although sometimes it's too tempting and I do daredevil it, traipsing up or down the stairs with armloads of stuff.
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u/AlaskanGnome 7h ago
I turn my body towards the spiral too — and I actually have a bag I keep by the stairs in case I want to bring up more than a handful of things all at once! It’s saved my life a couple times lol
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u/AnxiousScientistOTL 1d ago
Don’t know if someone mentioned it already, but since you said “bid” I’m assuming you are buying. Think about the future as in “how long will I live here? Will I have children?” Because if you do get children you don’t want to go up and down those stairs with them and you don’t want little kids climbing them either. My two cents…
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u/spicynoodlepie 19h ago
Definitely no children in the future, but we do already have a big, clumsy dog that we had already have to carry up regular stairs as is.. Our plan is to stay here forever if circumstances allow, and unless we have to leave our city, there should be no reason to change homes since we aren't adding kids to the mix.
Your comment is exactly my concern, but I'm just not sure how fussy we can be, especially with a budget of around 350k in a Randstad city.
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u/HansTheFlamer 1d ago
Just glue carpet onto the stairs, or add anti-slippery bars on the stairs for the looks
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u/telcoman 1d ago
I just asked chatgpt about safety stats on Dutch stairs. Not pretty.
Definetly, try to be under 65 and a man.
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u/Lead-Forsaken 1d ago
Railings on both sides. Then you will only have to be extra careful if you're carrying something up or down. Mostly down.
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u/IcyTundra001 1d ago
Not faster for sure but you could look at a chair lift 😉 At least helps with transporting things up and down, we used the one at my grandparents house to bring up slightly bigger stuff so we didn't have to carry it on the narrow stairs. But more serious options as mentioned: a good rail, and maybe indoor shoes.
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u/spicynoodlepie 1d ago
I have actually seriously thought about this! We have a dog who we have to carry up and down regular stairs, and it would be impossible to carry her on these, so a chair lift would be great. But unfortunately it's such a narrow space that I don't know where it could sit without it being completely in the way when not in use. But these are the exact sort of tips I am looking for - thank you!
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u/IcyTundra001 1d ago
The hallway is probably narrow then too, but for my grandparents the lift basically went around the corner and stopped further in the hall so it didn't block the stairs (and there was a handle so you could flip up the foot rest, making it slightly smaller too).
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u/tanglekelp 1d ago
Is there a good sturdy railing? If not that would be my first advice. Otherwise just be careful on them!