Shower Curtain Shame
By Karina | April 29, 2009
I have something very shameful to share with you, dear tiny choosers. Take a look at the photo - this is a picture snapped Just Yesterday! of my shower curtain. You might notice that it’s not in the best condition - in my defense, I’ve had this shower curtain for four years, or ever since I moved into my apartment. About a year ago the holes at the top started to fail, and then about 6 months ago the plastic started to just fall apart. If I touched it in the wrong way, or tugged on it a little too much as I closed the curtain, it would split.
Now, this shower curtain is a super-cheap, very thin plastic liner that I got at the local dollar store when I first moved to NJ. I bought it because it matched the bathroom exactly! and it was super cute, and honestly, I thought it would be a temporary fix. I didn’t really start thinking about the implications of a plastic shower curtain for about a year or two afterwards, and then after we started Tiny Choices it struck me that hey - shower curtains aren’t that great. According to Zem Joaquin via design*sponge “New vinyl shower curtains off-gas around 108 different chemicals within the first 28 days of use.” Yikes! So, in the best spirit of making do and not buying more, I decided to stick it out with my current shower curtain.
Last year, when the curtain started to fall apart, I thought to myself that I really ought to figure out another solution. So I went to a discount fabric store that sells bolt ends and bought a bunch of closely woven lightweight fabric - it’s probably a poly-cotton blend - with the best of intentions of sewing a new shower curtain for myself. After all, I’d just bought a new sewing machine and what better way to practice making button holes than to hem a big piece of fabric and add button holes at the top to hang from rings? But the making of the shower curtain fell by the wayside, and I never really got it done.
And then you find me recently in the bathroom with a roll of white duct tape (old, not a new purchase), taping my patchwork shower curtain back together. I knew I was going to move so I lazed out and figured “why bother?” My new abode already has a shower curtain. So I stuck it out, and yesterday when I was cleaning out my old apartment, I tossed the falling apart shower curtain.
If you’re in the same fix but don’t have a backup shower curtain shortly down the line for you, there are a lot of shower curtain options out there. Just search for organic shower curtains
and see what you get! And here’s a #2 plastic shower curtain that is recyclable by mailing it back to the company. You can recycle your old plastic shower curtain if you want to upgrade to a more sustainable model. And of course, make your shower curtain last for years and years past it’s normal lifespan by getting it to dry out between showers!
What kind of shower curtain do you use? What would you have done in this situation?
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when i moved about 6 months ago I was in this conundrum. i moved from a place with glass shower doors. after much research and thought and more research I decided to get one of those hotel style polyester ones. my bathroom and apartment could be at danger for the molds just because of location and ventilation and after reading about all of the mold issues the cotton or other natural fiber ones can have (and knowing I would not be washing it once a month or ever) it was the best decision.
It is a stall shower so i was limited to good old white. I miss the prints of plastic ones (hello periodic table of the elements) but at some point may gather some old umbrellas from the street and garbage with fun prints and use the nylon to adorn the shower curtain.
I am a little bummed because I hadn’t come across the number 2 plastic ones.
p.s. i forgot to add that i actually had such a hard time deciding that if I am recalling correctly there was a bit of time that I was showering without any curtain at all.
I’m in the same situation as the previous poster- I’ll be moving this summer from a place with sliding shower doors (which I hate! they’re impossible to clean) to a place where I need a shower curtain. I’ve been scoping out the other plastic ones- I like the one you posted- b/c I am not buying an $80 hemp shower curtain. You can get fun patterns on the non-toxic plastic kind if you look around. There are some here:
http://www.vitafutura.com/search.asp?q=PEVA&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go
I’ve been using the same awesomely flower-printed PVC one for the past four years, It’s starting to get holes, and when it’s time for replacement I certainly won’t be buying another PVC one… love that Michelle commented that they make #2 plastic ones, a recyclable shower curtain? Awesome!
Great idea to sew your own, though I don’t know that a lightweight fabric would do much in terms of protecting from spray. I’ve seen and used some cotton duck shower curtains that are kind of plain, but sturdy and keep the water in. I think they’re at the vermont country store, now that I think about it.
I LOVE the vermont country store! that is where you saw them, I think. I’ve seen them there too.
I use a washable, reusable cloth liner and a cloth shower curtain purchased for about $15 at one of the big box home stores. No vinyl for us for several years now.
I suggest grommets at the top instead of buttonholes. Grommets and a grommet tool can be found at most craft and sewing stores.
I have a sturdy plastic one (I have no idea what kind of plastic as I bought it years ago) which has metal grommets on the top. The grommets solve the problem of having the curtain tear at the top. I like a clear curtain because there isn’t much light in my shower area. I have extended the life of this curtain by keeping it closed after a shower to let it dry and by washing it (either by hand or in the machine) every so often to make sure mold and soap scum do not accumulate. I know many people allow mold to grow on their plastic shower curtains and then just throw them away when they get disgusting. It’s so easy to just wash them!
I have also used a lightweight cotton curtain on the outside of the plastic one so that I can have color in the bathroom without having to get a cheap colored plastic curtain.
I have a polyester shower curtain that I can just wash when it gets gross. It’s going on two years and holding up pretty well. I do my best to let it dry between showers so it will last longer.
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Hilarious! So what does the curtain that came with the new apartment look like?
It’s a standard vinyl/PVC curtain with a map of the world - my partner bought it a year ago and it probably has years and years of life left with occasional washing!
When we moved into our new apartment about a month ago, I splurged and finally got the shower curtain I’d had my eye on for at least a year: the EnviroCurtain Recycled Polyester Shower Curtain. It’s spendy ($70 for a full size curtain), but I know this curtain is going to last forever. Not only is it made from recycled materials and manufactured in the USA, it’s super water resistant and it looks great. I really, really love it and only wish I can broken down and bought it sooner. Honestly.
Why don’t you just grow a ivy shower curtain.
No harm to the environment.
[...] no secret that for several years I have struggled with unsightly shower curtains. In my last apartment the curtain was in tatters by the time I moved away but I didn’t want to [...]