Safety experts even recommend painting a 2 inch stripe along the edge of carpeting! And some specialists recommend using tape instead of paint as paint does not adhere to all types of synthetic carpeting. Others, however, fear tape may cause the person to slip or trip, especially if the tape is torn, slippery, or even anti-skid if the person’s toe gets “stuck” on the anti- skid tape.

If you use tape, check regularly to make sure that the tape is adhering and that the person is using the stairs safely. As always, do what's best for your situation. If the person's foot is becoming stuck or slipping on the tape, remove the tape. Quite often, the safety of a specific intervention is dependent upon a user's individual characteristics, including whether the person shuffles when he or she walks or even the type of shoes the person wears. Although glow-in-the dark tape is commonly recommended for highlighting a step's edge, our tests did not find this product effective. The tape glowed for only 20 minutes and ONLY glowed in the dark if the stair lights remained on during the day - for up to 8 hours! Moreover, the tape does not have an anti-slip finish.