I have to have a plastic shower curtain. I splash to much to make do with canvas.
I have a white, cotton curtain that can be easily laundered and never goes out of style.
Beneath it, lies the problem.
The inside curtain is the standard off-gassing PVC curtain.
I hate breathing in the fumes from new ones. I hate throwing the old ones in landfills when they get so gross that they have to go. I hate the idea of putting tons of chemicals into the water to get the grimies off of the plastic to keep using the curtain.
The solution: My trusty washer.
I read somewhere that you can wash plastic shower curtains.
I decided to risk it. I popped it into my HE washer with a bit of eco-friendly laundry soap and a few towels (so they'd rub against it, helping it along.)
One wash cycle later, I pulled out a clean curtain and clean towels.
Now, I don't have to endure new-curtain VOCs, I don't throw plastic in the landfill and I don't buy more petroleum-based products.
Life is good.
Has anyone else tried this? Or do you have a sure-fire green solution? Or -- I wait with anticipation -- something better than the PVC nightmare?
SOS: Save Our Shower curtains
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Julie Todd
Julie Todd is the night editor at The Herald News in Joliet. She and her
husband are looking to cut the chemicals and get back to basics -- minus the
granola and hemp clothing. They live in a home they bought last year in
Plainfield, where they're making changes to create their own little patch of
utopia.
I haven't tried that -- but now I will!
I have been doing this for some time now. It works great and saves money.
I've been washing plastic shower curtains for years. A long time ago, I found myself in your exact same situation. I hate putting in new plastic liners because of the smell but couldn't stand the soap scumy old ones. So I threw it in the washing machine with just laundry detergent and a towel or two to rub against it, and it came out clean and new-looking. I thought I'd just stumbled onto something that everyone else already knew!