Natural Fiber Shower Curtains

I’m a huge fan of cloth shower curtains. The cotton canvas and hemp linen curtains I use do a great job at stopping water from spraying outside the shower. They work like a wick, channeling water downwards through the cloth into the tub. And, the best part: no chemical off-gassing. 

Replacing a vinyl shower curtain with a natural fiber alternative is one of many simple steps you can take towards improving your home’s indoor air quality. Why? A shower curtain made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) off-gasses toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The vinyl material contains the chemical additive DEHP, a phthalate that is a suspected carcinogen. Yuck, who needs that! 

There are plenty of fabric shower curtain options like GreenHome’s Organic Cotton Shower Curtain or GreenFeet’s Natural Cotton Shower Curtain. Both are made in the USA and priced under $50.

And for you DIY’ers, look for a 7 to 10 oz. natural or organic cotton canvas, either un-dyed or bleached white using hydrogen peroxide, at your local fabric retailer or online at Fabric.com. A semi-bleached Hemp Summercloth also makes an excellent shower curtain, which can be found at Hemp Traders.  

Do you use a cloth shower curtain? What’s your favorite: cotton or hemp?

Comments

[Karen]

Hi Harmony!

I really like your idea for using your 110" wide organic cotton sateen to make a liner. No seams! And, it's light weight so it makes sense it would dry quick, probably a lot faster than a heavy cotton canvas curtain. Smart to use the selvedge edge as the hem instead of a double layer folded hem -- mildew can't settle into the folded layers that way. You mentioned you made a "liner" from this fabric. Does that mean you use a decorative shower curtain over your liner to help keep water from spraying outside the shower? Or, can you use the liner by itself?

Thanks so much, Harmony, for the inspiration!

To all my readers: visit www.harmonyart.com to view this o.c. sateen. I've used it for so many projects and have been thrilled with the results every time.

[Harmony]

I recently replaced my shower curtain liner with a DIY made from our 110" wide organic cotton 4.4 oz sateen. It totally exceeded my expectations and it was so easy to make. I used the selvage for the bottom and punched and put grommets at the top. The fabric is light enough that it dries super quickly so mold doesn't grow. I can easily take it down and pop it in the wash to freshen it up and I never have to iron it. First time I shower after laundering it I just give it a spray down and when it dries - voila no wrinkles.

I totally agree with you that vinyl is horrible!