Your turn to help me –
At long last I’m getting around to replacing my vinyl shower curtain, which I bought pre-loved via Craigslist but must get rid of because vinyl in heated environments just isn’t good for you.
Why did I put off this replacement task for so long? I can’t decide what curtain to get.
From what I can tell, hemp shower curtains get moldy pretty fast (see comments on this post). My guess is that linen curtains would have the same issue. Ruling those out unless someone lobbies strongly for them in the comments, I have 2 options:
1. EnviroCurtain recycled polyester curtain / liner. I like the idea of just having one curtain-liner, instead of having a curtain and a liner. However, I don’t know anyone who just has a single curtain-liner — and I seek assurance that the item won’t be a miserable failure like those shampoo-and-conditioner-in-one dealios.
Will this curtain-liner work as well as its doubled-up counterparts? And am I willing to welcome sustainable but somewhat crunchy looking tagua nut buttons — used instead of metal grommets — into my bathroom?
2. Organic cotton curtain with vinyl-free liner. Umbra at Grist has a polyester-and-cotton ensemble — so I’d like to go one better and get organic cotton and recycled polyester.
I found a number of organic cotton shower curtains — EnviroCurtain makes an off-white one, and Pottery Barn’s white Cameron Organic Matelasse Shower Curtain‘s my fave so far, though since an all-white shower curtain may be bad news, I may go with the Sausalito Stripe Organic Shower Curtain — so that part’s easy.
However, the only recycled polyester liner I’ve been able to find is the one above — and must be used independently because it won’t attach to metal grommets. So I’d need to go with a virgin polyester liner — available all over the place including Target — or some other non-vinyl liner like this one at Gaiam.
What shower curtain-liner combo would you get if you were me — and what do you use at home?
Images via Amazon and Pottery Barn
One curtain & liner vs curtain-liner, it’s all a matter of aesthetics. Your curtain will spend most of its time tucked into the tub, which might not look that great (I’m a guy: I don’t worry about that sort of thing). On the other hand, you can always untuck it when you have company, or develop a ritual of untucking it after an appropriate interval (easy if you’re a before-bed shower person).
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Comment by Don Hosek — July 21, 2009 @ 7:57 am
I use a polyester liner that I got at Bed, Bath & Beyond after ditching my vinyl one that was giving me headaches. It is virgin polyester because I didn’t think at the time to look for something recycled. I don’t use a shower curtain over it mostly because I just don’t care. My bathroom is TINY, so I try to minimize the visual clutter by having white walls, white fixtures, and a white shower curtain liner.
The main plus that I can say about the liner is that it is super easy to wash. I toss it in with my towels regularly to get rid of that pink mildew that I get in this apartment. My previous place had vaulted ceilings in the bathroom so I presume that is why it stayed mildew-free, I’m just as much of a slob now as then. Anyway, I don’t put the liner in the dryer but just hang it back up after it is finished in the washer. I have had it for somewhere between 2 and 3 years now and it pretty much looks the same as when I bought it.
One option if you want to go with that recycled polyester one but also want a pretty shower curtain is to install a second shower curtain rod. I have read that is a good idea if you hang your towels over the rod to dry so that moisture isn’t trapped between the towel and the liner.
Comment by Erica — July 21, 2009 @ 10:43 am
I’ve always just had one shower curtain sans liner. It does the job. And after it has dried out you can take the curtain outside the tub if you need it to look nice. I never understood why people had both.
Comment by Stephanie! — July 21, 2009 @ 10:59 am
Are there any oilcloth shower curtains on the market? Seems it would take care of many problems…just put it in the tub for the shower, then put it out afterwards, and let the water drip on to a bathmat.
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Comment by yoel — July 21, 2009 @ 7:32 pm
My vote — if you have to have plastic anyway, go for the recycled plastic. What’s wrong with tagua nuts? And even with a plastic liner, the organic cotton will probably mildew anyway if your bathroom is damp. I’ve always just had one liner. Until now. Fortunately, we have glass shower doors so have never had to deal with this dilemma.
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Comment by Beth Terry, aka Fake Plastic Fish — July 21, 2009 @ 11:58 pm
Aside from my sister who’s going on an oilcloth tangent which I’m too researched-out to explore at the moment, it seems everyone’s pro the recycled polyester liner-curtain, so the recycled polyester one-sheeter it is.
There’s nothing WRONG with tagua nuts per se — They just look — nutty…. But I can get over it!
Comment by Siel — July 22, 2009 @ 4:58 pm
Are there any oilcloth shower curtains on the market?
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Comment by Dennis — April 29, 2010 @ 8:55 pm
I actually read about “oil” cloth a while back. Most of it is made from PVC. Not. Good.
Comment by Beth Terry @ Fake Plastic Fish — April 29, 2010 @ 9:08 pm