The greatest danger in the shower these days may not be running into Anthony Perkins with a butcher knife, but your new vinyl shower curtain. The EPA and Environmental Health and Justice have come clean, this PVC product is laden with 108 volatile organic compounds, poisonous chemicals that off-gas into the air and can persist for the first 28 days while the curtain hangs in your home. Nice … that just out of the pack, shower curtain smell can be toxic.
But we’ve got good news. You don’t need to break the bank or pollute your air, water and body while replacing that vinyl, moldy mess.
One great option is a shower curtain made from PEVA. This bath choice is non-vinyl (PVC-free), chlorine-free, biodegradable and affordable. Available from IKEA for only $1.79-9.99 or VitaFutura ($29-44, depending on design). VitaFutura’s wide array includes playful graphics for little kids or mod geometrics for big kids (above). PEVA curtains are also lightweight, easy to clean, and they don’t require a liner.
Other safe and natural shower curtain choices are: organic cotton, hemp, bamboo or linen. Extra perks for hemp, it’s anti-microbial, doesn’t need a liner, and it’s really durable so it’ll last. Even plain old conventionally grown cotton is a better choice than vinyl. At least you can wash any these natural fabrics and keep reusing them for as long as you like. Whereas non-washable, mildewed vinyl needs replacing every year or two and just winds up in a landfill for a very long time.
If you do opt for natural fiber and need a liner – there are your typical synthetic options like nylon (the lesser of 2 evils because at least you can wash it) or polyester, but both are made from petroleum. An even better choice would be a recycled polyester liner (which may also serve as a curtain). But if all of this is just too much – live in a warm climate and hose yourself off outside, (I kid, of course). Or install sliding glass doors in your bath and do away with curtains or liners altogether.
To keep things easy, in addition to VitaFuture and IKEA, here are a few more places that stock good green shower curtains:
- wide selection, hemp/organic cotton/cotton @ pristineplanet
- flax-based linen ($59) @ gaiam
- organic cotton ($44) – online only @ west elm (check out the new ECO liner, $12)
- chlorine-free & PVC-free $24.99 @ rockcandylife.com
Related: also on The Alternative Consumer - Hemp Shower Curtains – no liner required
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that seems to be a great buy
The blue fish curtain would be perfect for our bath. Can you tell me where I can find it? I don’t see it on the Ikea or VitaFutura websites.
Thanks,
A
i just bought one of the shower curtains. of course my brother says if it’s biodegradable won’t it break down faster while you’re using it and make you buy more? so what is the life average of them?
WalMart has a white opaque PEVA shower curtain liner for about $2.27. I recycle old vinyl shower curtain liners as table protectors under plants on a wooden dining table on our 3-season porch. They protect the table surface from moisture perfectly, but I wonder if the new PEVA type will do the same if they’re biodegradable?
I just saw PEVA shower curtains at Kohl’s department store. I didn’t know what PEVA was so I didn’t buy one. My google search led me to this article. I hope more companies start using PEVA instead of Vinyl.
PEVA is still a petroleum product, and even though it biodegrades, there are still untested components in it. so it could be off-gassing bad things as well – especially if it is biodegrading at a faster rate than other non- “biodegradable” plastics. I bought one today and i cannot decide if i should bring it back and spring for a more expensive better option or just keep this one and take my chances. cannot say this is really a “green” product though.
I agree with Julie. I can’t really classify petrochemicals as “green” though I realize some of us feel more comfortable with a waterproof liner. I did just see cute PEVA curtains at Target for $9.99 (much cheaper than a lot of the other stores listed).
“What have we done to the world? Look what we’ve done.” –Michael Jackson
Contrary to the info in this article, vinyl liners can be washed. Throw them in the washer with some rags or towels or wash cloths and the fabrics will act as scrubbers. Then either hang the liner back in the shower to dry or if you have to use a laundromat and don’t want to carry it home wet, throw in a dryer for a couple of minutes on the lowest setting possible. Just be sure to monitor it constantly so it doesn’t get too hot. There is no reason to have this in a landfill or the ocean before you’ve gotten every bit of use out of it that you can.
Sounds like you’ve got some good advice for prolonging the life of a vinyl shower curtain; but we still don’t endorse purchasing one in the first place.