Shower Curtains
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Shower Curtains
Dec 2011
I'm looking for a recommendation for a shower curtain from
anyone who has a claw foot, cast iron tub. The problem I
find is that two shower curtains barely wrap around the tub
so we have to clip them with a metal clip, but three
curtains are too many with all the billowing plastic. Also,
every curtain we have tried just gets sucked into the shower
space as soon as the water comes on. Because of this, we
have it anchored to the wall with a pushpin. The only
material that seems heavy enough to minimize the suction
effect is heavy clear plastic, which turns white constantly
and looks terrible. Those dinky magnets sewn into the
bottoms don't help at all. We tried hemp curtains once and
they were perpetually moldy. Help! Victorian dweller,
shower taker
There are several strategies that can reduce or stop this
problem. First, a double set of curtains, one inside, one
outside, with the interior curtain being of a heavy
material; second is the weight/magnets/suction cups that you
have already tried, but make sure the magnets are powerful
and/or the weights are heavier and all spaced close together
(fish weights, chains or table cloth edge weights); and
finally the most effective fix is to install a rod that
curves away from the long straight sides of the tub. Like
so: (II). While you can purchase curved rods for a regular
bath, you may need to construct this yourself for a claw
foot, or modify an existing system. The curvature will
greater reduce the suck in, plus because the top curves
beyond the edge of the tub, the upper portion will provide a
wider area with more elbow room. You can see the effect of
this geometry by holding a tissue straight along the long
edge and blowing on it. Do the same thing again by holding
the edge against a curved piece of plastic (a comb or
plastic ruler works) and notice the greatly reduced
'suction' effect, especially at the ends. A combo of all
three methods should eliminate the problem and provide a
wider shower area, but a curved rod may be sufficient in
itself, with a heavier weight curtain. CB
We use a shower curtain ordered from this company:
http://www.shop4classics.com/product.asp?lid=738 and like it
pretty well. It is one piece, doesn't billow so much, is
heavy and the magnets work well. The frosted version doesn't
get ugly as fast. It's held up nicely for going on five
years now. We use the rollerball-type hooks for ease of
movement and reduce stress on the grommets. We've also
found that a bathroom squeegee (like the Clerz products) can
help keep shower curtains looking good for a long time. Jim
I use two nylon shower curtains from Restoration Hardware.
They look like they are perfectly sewable, and I keep
meaning to sew them together at one end, but really I just
overlap them by one hole and pin them together with a
clothes pin in back. This leaves a small area at one end
open (about 18' to 2'), but that hasn't been a problem for
us.
The best thing is that they go in the washer and dry in
minutes on a clothesline or drying rack. (Beats scrubbing
tile!) I even use bleach on them, although the care
instructions say not to. My current set is probably about
10 years old.
I also thought I would turn up the hems (they're pretty
long) and put magnets in the pockets, but they kinda stick
to the damp side of the tub and don't billow too badly.
Chris
May 2011
We want to replace our moldy plastic shower curtain with a
fabric one that requires no plastic liner and can be thrown
into the washing machine. Hemp is too expensive (the ones
I've seen are $100+); we want to spend less than $50. Has
anyone had any luck with a fabric shower curtain(preferably
cotton and not polyester)? Where did you buy it and how much
did it cost? sick of plastic
We were also sick of our moldy plastic shower curtain. I
bought a fabric curtain on sale at Pottery Barn for about
$35 and an EVA liner for $12. The liner is very thin and
soft. If you dry the shower curtain well after each shower
you could probably get away with not using a liner. We keep
the liner tucked inside the bath and the curtain outside.
Hate mold too
I tried cotton so you don't have to! The cotton gets really
heavy when it absorbs water, and takes a long time to dry.
It gets moldy fast. And if you wash it in hot water with
bleach to kill the mold, it's likely to shrink.
Nylon or polyester shower curtains are still plastic-based,
but they hold up longer than the vinyl ones and you can toss
them in the washer as often as you like. If you don't spray
directly on them, they won't overspray onto the floor. But
if you kids like to play 'tidal wave!' in the tub, they
won't do much to keep your floor dry
* singing in the bathtub
I just bought a linen shower curtain at www.giaim.com for
$58. Pricey but worth it. I hate stinky bathrooms too
We use a nylon shower curtain liner as our shower curtain.
Simple white look, inexpensive, easy to toss in the washing
machine, and either hang back up to dry or run briefly in
the dryer on low.
Restoration Hardware has a fabric shower certain for $20
that does not require a liner. It's nylon instead of
cotton. We've been happy with ours
Restoration Hardware has a great fabric shower curtain that
doesn't require a liner. They call it a hotel shower curtain
and it costs $20, and it can be thrown in the washer. We
have it and it's fantastic.
Katherine
I buy mine at Bed Bath and Beyond. You will have to look
carefully to find it, and it cost around 20 dollars. I think
that it is polyester, but it definitely has a fabric feel. I
throw it into the washer, and even bleach it. Good luck
BTW: You can wash your plastic shower curtain in the washing
macine to keep it fresh. Of course not the dryer though
heart
We have used a fabric curtain (only) for years and years. A
decorative curtain PLUS a liner is way too foofy for me, and
the fabric curtains last much longer without getting grody
than the vinyl ones do, plus they are of course much easier
to clean. The only disadvantage is a much more limited
choice of colors and no prints or cute designs. I know you
can get densely-woven natural-fiber versions from places
that sell 'eco friendly' housewares, but those are too
pricey for me. I've just used the cheap ($20 or $30)
polyester ones from places like Bed Bath& Beyond, and they
work fine. Holly
March 2009
Hello- Needing some advice for keeping water off of our bathroom
floor when using the shower in our clawfoot tub. We have a leak
into the downstairs which we think is coming from water on the
floor. It is hard to keep all water in the tub since the shower
curtains need to part to let in the shower head and to reach out
to get the shampoo, etc. Any thoughts? Also, alternatives to
the toxic smelling nylon curtains would be appreciated! Thanks!
Lisa
We cut a hole in the curtains and feed the head through. We also
cut some shapes to fit around the taps. That way it runs all the
way around behind and doesn't leak.
fiona
I don't know what kind of shower rod you have now, but if you
don't have a hoop like this,
http://www.amazon.com/Add-Shower-Set-Clawfoot-Tub/dp/B000MK30XW,
you need to get one. Then get two shower curtains (cloth is fine,
you can get them at Bed Bath and Beyond or just Google it) and
overlap them in front. Next, get a shower organizer with pockets
like this,
http://www.alwaysbrilliant.com/aa/aspx-products/1-1247/2-56395/SC-Froogle/kw-62865/bb/Hanging-Bathroom-Organizers.htm,
and hang it on the inside of the curtain so you don't have to
reach out. Water outside the tub can cause toxic mold and
eventually structural problems in the building, so it is very
important to keep moisture damage to a minimum.
Sanon
I use 5 (!) yes 5 IKEA plastic shower curtins with our claw
foot tub. I unpack them & hang them on the line to vape off
before I bring them in. Then I hang & cut them to fit around
the hardware so that the overflow is clear and water doesn't go
to the wall or floor anywhere.
Curious what others do!?!??
Oct 2006
I am trying to rid our house of as many potentially toxic
artificial chemicals as I can. Vinyl shower curtains are
terrible as they have toxic phthalates in them. Has anyone
tried a hemp shower curtain? They are very expensive when I
search online ($64 to $72 plus shipping) but look promising in
that they are clean and chemical free, and can be washed and
should last for a long time. How long though, is a long time?
If you have one, was it worth the purchase? How long has your
curtain lasted? Do you use it alone (like the websites claim
you can) or with a liner, and have you found a vinyl-free
liner? Where can I get one? Any local sources in the East Bay
so I don't have to order one online? Any info would be
appreciated before I make the plunge and buy a very expensive
stall shower curtain! Thanks!
wants to stop using toxic $9.99 vinyl shower curtains
Bed Bath & Beyond sells polyester liners for $12.99. I believe
the brand name is Hotel. They come in a variety of colors and
both look and work great
anon
I bought a cotton shower curtain and a nylon liner at Bed, Bath and Beyond. They
work great. The liner does get a bit mildewy, I may not wash it quite often enough.
I periodically replace it.
go for it
We bought a hemp curtain 4 years ago. We've washed it 4 times
(only when it got pretty clearly mildewy around the bottom and
started to smell a little) in warm water, air-dried. It shrank
noticeably the first time, and the last time we washed it (a few
months ago), it got pretty ragged around the bottom, where the
mildew had apparently destroyed the fibers. We intend to throw it
out when we move in a month. We bought it online (we did a little
research and didn't find any in the Bay Area), and paid something
like $70 for it. We used it without a liner, and took pretty good
care of it (never leaving it bunched up, etc.). It was expensive,
and didn't last anywhere near as long as we hoped, but it was
worth it to us (no offgassing, less trash, no dioxin generated),
and we'll buy another one
Hempy
I can't comment on hemp, but IKEA sells only non-vinyl curtains
and liners
R.K.
I have plain cotton shower curtains which do the job (keeping
water in the tub) just fine. No liner necessary. I don't know
about how long they will last. I only take a shower rarely. If
you are concerned about the air you breathe, showers are not the
best choice because of all the chemicals that volatilize in the
spray. If you don't have a filter for your shower, a bath may be
a better choice. In addition, the more water in the air, the more
mold that grows, which is also not good for you.
we had one, but it is so thick and heavy it takes forever to dry so it got mildewed. I
wasn't going to use bleach every week! Our solution is that we have a very filmy
white cotton shower curtain from cost plus. It is meant to be used with a liner but
we use it plain. A little water mist escapes, but it does a pretty impressive job of
keeping the water in! It dries quickly, which inhibits mildewing -- to help this we
spread it out after use and the hem is pulled out of the tub after it finishes dripping.
Go ahead and try a thin cotton curtain--you may like it as we do
-- hates vinyl too
I had my hemp shower curtain for 5 years until we moved to a
house that did not require shower curtains. It was great! Easy
to wash and I even brought out the non-toxic fabric paint and
added my own design when I got tired to the plain off-white.
(My daughter loved that part). I used it without a liner and
had no problems. The curtain would get wet, but dry quickly,
and since I could wash with a non-chlorine (Hydrogen peroxide)
bleach whenever I felt it was getting a bit musty, it was
always fine - if a bit boring. I recommend it! OH! I got mine a
Real Goods, but I'm sure if you google ''Hemp Shower Curtains''
you could find one easily enough. Sorry I cant' recommend a
local store
We bought a fabric shower liner at Target and use it with a
fabric shower curtain. It's not as waterproof as a vinyl liner
(you have to be careful that the liner isn't touching the
curtain). I think it only cost $10. I was worried when I bought
it that it would mold, but it hasn't so far (about six months). I
just stretch it out the length of the tub when I am done
showering so it can dry. It's machine washable, too.
Hope this helps.
I've never used a hemp one, but I have an alternative solution
for you if you're willing to accept a ''compromise'' -- it's not a
natural or organic material, but is much nicer than vinyl, and a
lot cheaper than hemp or cotton. Plus, lightweight, and a
choice of colors! We have a polyester fabric curtain which I
bought at Bed Bath and Beyond for something like $15. It is
watertight, machine washable and has lasted for years and years
Can't Afford Organic
You can also make shower curtain liners cheaply, it's very cheap
and easy and I'm *not* a sewer. My first one I made it out of
canvas, which has water repellent *qualities*, loosely speaking.
I bought a piece of fabric that was wide enough to fit the length
of the shower, and sewed in cheap magnets on the bottom so that
it stuck to the inside of the tub. I used seam binding for
decoration and to hem the sides, buttonholes to house the shower
clips. It's about 6 years old now and in fine shape (I wash it
about every other week). The next one I make I will use a lighter
fabric. It took the canvas a while to dry but the cotton was a
relief after plastic liners.
anon
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