Your experience of shower curtains ? (instead of glass)

9 years ago

Thanks to the posts and discussions on this forum, I'm opting for shower curtains over shower glass doors in our shower area (no bath tub).

I am leaning towards extra long shower curtains (8 feet plus) so the curtain rod does not hang mid air. To prevent water seepage into the dry area, the curtain has to have an overhang on the floor. Could those of you who have curtains be kind enough to share your experience on the following?

1. Does pretty much all the water get retained in the wet area or is there a fair amount of seepage into the dry area?
2. How do you get your curtain lower ends dry after use (as they will trail on the floor?
3. Anything else I need to keep in mind reg shower curtains?

Many thanks

Memorable quote "Hotels have maids. If the hotel manager cleaned the rooms, more hotel tub surrounds would have shower curtains instead of glass doors. "

Are shower curtains "out''

This post was edited by gemcap on Sun, Feb 1, 15 at 12:32

Featured Answer

leavemeout

9 years ago

long shower curtainI chose to use a shower curtain in my new master bath. I had glass doors in my old master bath, and NO WAY would DH squeegee the doors ever! So I ended up doing the daily cleaning, and after I got sick of it, the doors looked terrible! All spotted with soap and hard water spots! I cleaned them once a week, but the rest of the time, they looked awful!

So, in my new shower, I do have a curb that's 4" high. I have a tension rod, but when I get organized, I'll get a solid brass fixed rod. I'll have my handyman put it up. I'm not worried about drilling into the tile because he's super-meticulous and will do a great job.

I have a very pretty cotton shower curtain that stays outside the curb, and a polyester fabric liner that stays inside the curb. The liner does get that pink mold on the bottom, so every once in a while I wash it in hot water, and the mold comes out. I have several of these (very cheap, purchased at TJMaxx), so I just put up a clean one and toss the moldy one into the laundry.

Water never gets outside the curb, but the liner does get wet. The decorative shower curtain outside the curb never gets wet either.

If I didn't have a curb, I would NOT let the shower curtain trail on the floor. Use a bathmat outside the shower to collect water if it seeps out under the shower curtain. If you let the shower curtain trail on the floor, it will stay wet and will get moldy very quickly. I know because my tension rod was hung too low for a while, which meant the shower curtain liner was trailing on the floor. It became disgusting very quickly.

If I were you, OP, I'd hang the curtain so it just brushes the floor. That way it will dry out after your shower, but it will prevent water from splashing out onto the dry area of the floor while you are showering.Here's an 8' polyester shower curtain: long shower curtain

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

Olychick
9 years ago
I opted for a fabric shower curtain. It's an extra long stall style from BBB, white polyester I think. It is hung with a tension rod because I thought I would get a glass door when I first redid the bathroom, but changed my mind and am too nervous to have the tile drilled for a permanent rod. But it works fine.

I love the poly because it dries quickly and when I wash it every month or two, I just bleach it and any mold that may have grown on the hem disappears (it's never a lot, but sometimes a hint). I was worried the bleach might turn the poly yellow, but it doesn't.

No water gets on the floors unless I am careless and don't make sure the sides are flush against the shower. I'd never opt for glass, esp. now that I see how easily my fixtures got water spotted...and we have fairly soft water here.
Gemcap
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks Olychick. May I ask whether you have a raised step between the wet and dry area?

The bathroom is quite small (10 feet X 5 feet) so the dry (sink & toilet) and wet (shower) areas are allocated just enough space.

I didn't add the boundary step as I thought it would be a tripping hazard. The floor of the wet area is only about 1/2 inch to 1 inch below the dry area with the original plan being to add a shower glass door. With that plan now nixed, am now wondering how to keep the water out of the dry area

This post was edited by gemcap on Sun, Feb 1, 15 at 23:55
Related Discussions
Anyone doing shower curtains instead of doors?
Q
Comments (26)
I really wanted a frameless glass door, but it was not in the budget! I knew I did NOT want a mildewy vinyl liner anymore, as I am allergic to mold. I got a simple white heavy duty cotton curtain, that was treated to be anti-mildew. I am pleasantly surprised. Even though it is fabric, it keeps the water inside the shower. I pull it outside the shower/tub to let it dry; it dries quicker than I thought. It's the best of both worlds. No glass to clean, no slimy vinyl.
...See More
Anyone doing shower curtains instead of doors?
Q
Comments (26)
Personally, I love shower curtains--and agree with all those with similar frustration about keeping glass doors clean. I recently tried the Double Shower Hook and really love it. I hang a fabric liner on the inner hooks, and dressier curtain on the outer hook. The weight of both easily keeps the hook on the rod. The inner liner is soooo easy to detach and throw in the wash as often as needed. The outer curtain can be classic, transitional, tone-on-tone, funky, eclectic, fun--whatever you want. If teenagers will be your primary users--I would definitely choose a curtain (they will never squeegee glass will they?) Let them choose something fun and funky for now, and you can tone it down with a new curtain later, when they move out.
...See More
curtains on the porch - your experience
Q
Comments (26)
Hahahaha Yes you woke me up IOWA. Mine are made from shade cloth and then I added some to the bottom of a nylon type fabric. I actually used the white bottoms as curtains and remade them because I needed some thing longer. The panels are 6 foot wide. and I forget how long. I could measure if some one needs exact. I used Conduit as my rods and I REALLY want to do a conduit rod at the bottom but hubby is resisting this idea. They do blow so I tied them to the railing on the outside tightly then poofed them out like opening a fan to give more shade and it works pretty well. I have had these up year round for 6 years. I take them down twice a year or so and put them in the washer. Hang them back up to dry. this is just one end of the porch. We love them. We also have a west facing porch and it still is too hto to enjoy in the late afternoon so I built myself a pretty little patio on the North side of the house. Oh and we also get high winds here some times.
...See More
Should I use glass or recessed curtain track for this shower?
Q
Comments (31)
Hoping not to take this thread too far off topic but since the issue of keeping shower glass clean is being discussed.... Our master bath glass shower has been in use several times daily for the past 9 years. With minimal effort it is as pristine today as it was 9 years ago. We squeegee after each shower but when I clean the bathroom I occasionally wipe over the glass with wet SPENT dryer sheets. A quick rinse and the glass is sparkling! I confess I polish all my glass, windows, mirrors etc. with crumpled newspaper for a really good finish, and I do this after cleaning the showers too. Very quick, great results. Lizbeth-gardener I encountered the same problem when I was helping my brother prepare the house he had just purchased. The shower glass was almost opaque with hard water and soap scum. Nothing would remove it until in desperation I tried liquid toilet bowl cleaner (I prefer Sno Bol), wiped on with a cloth and rinsed well !! If you try it be careful, read the cautions on the container, test a small area and use gloves, that stuff is caustic! It worked really well for us and the glass became clear again.
...See More
Errant_gw
9 years ago
If you make sure to get a weighted hem, you should be able to hang your curtain without it touching the floor.
Olychick
9 years ago
mine does have a curb. I think if you get a weighted curtain and hang it low enough that it touches, it may keep the water from seeping out, but am not sure. You'll have to try it and you can always add the glass if needed. But I'm not sure how you get a seal at the bottom of glass. The curb is usually slanted in a bit to keep the water flowing from the glass back into the shower.
Bunny
9 years ago
too nervous to have the tile drilled for a permanent rod

Olychick, that was me. I had just had nice new tile installed and I hated the idea of drilling into it. I planned on using a straight tension rod; it was okay but I felt meh.

I found some courage, took plenty of measurements, and let my GC drill holes and install a curved rod. OMG, what a pay off!!! Do it. It's a revelation.
char_35
9 years ago
I have a average size shower that has about a 4" ledge on the outside. I put up a shower curtain and a liner on the same hooks. The curtain comes just to the floor line and the liner stays inside the 4" ledge. I get very little water outside the shower.
daisychain01
9 years ago
We don't have a shower stall, but just a tub with shower. I'd originally been planning a swinging glass door on the tub and had the wall reinforced to do so. After visiting several friends with glass shower doors, I decided against it and went with the curtain. Best choice ever. Right now we are temporarily housed in a condo with glass shower doors on the shower stall. I don't hate them, but it is a real pain to be cleaning it all the time.

I've heard others talk about the phenomenon of the curtain blowing in on them in the shower but I've never had this happen to me - ever.

I like to use a clear poly liner and then a fabric curtain over. This works in the tub set up, but I'm not sure how it would work with a shower stall.
Bunny
9 years ago
I've never had the curtain blow in on me. I have a window in the shower/tub alcove (always open) and no exhaust fan, so the air doesn't get whipped around much at all.

I use a single water-shedding fabric curtain and I love it. It keeps things simple and is easy to wash and rehang to dry. When I remodel my smaller master bath, I want to use a curb and a cloth curtain. I'm over glass enclosures.
asm198 - Zone 6a (MO)
9 years ago
We have a very small shower and our heavy, clear plastic curtain has blown in on me, but it's easy to press the curtain to the wet tile in order to make it stop. One idea I found online to prevent that from happening was to have a curtain with metal weights and add a couple of magnets to the curb area.

Don't know if that's something you'd want to bother with, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

Oh, and the biggest thing I've found to help dry curtains is to not keep them bunched together after a shower.

Your experience of shower curtains ? (instead of glass)

leavemeout

Comments (10)

Olychick

Gemcap
Original Author

Related Discussions

Errant_gw

Olychick

Bunny

char_35

daisychain01

Bunny

asm198 - Zone 6a (MO)

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Your experience of shower curtains ? (instead of glass)

Comments (10)

GemcapOriginal Author

Related Discussions

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Gemcap
Original Author