The Eco-Friendly Shower Curtain

Posted on January 15, 2008
Tag(s): Bed and Bath, Green Furnishings, Hazardous Products / Health Issues | | Email this

If you’re in the market for a new shower curtain and want to get one that won’t off-gas into your bathroom for the next few years, fabric ones are much healthier than vinyl curtains. And better yet are ones made from organic cotton or hemp.

From Sprig.com: “polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a toxic, off-gassing material typically used for shower curtains. PVC is commonly coated with phthalates, toxic plastic softeners that have been linked to hormone disruption, cancer, and kidney and liver .” Sprig is the place to find a beautiful French-inspired, organic cotton shower curtain by Gaiam (pictured here) at $48.

The organic hemp shower curtains from Rawganique are inherently durable, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. It dries quickly so an additional curtain liner is usually not necessary. Available in machine-washable Ecru Natural or 6 new eco-friendly dyed colors. Prices start at $69.

Rawganique’s website offers an explanation of why hemp is superior to synthetics or even conventional cotton: “Each year, 275 million pounds of pesticides are used on the conventional cotton crop alone, not to mention millions and millions more pounds of chemicals that are used to process the cotton fiber and manufacture conventional cotton products. And bad as conventional cotton is, synthetic fibers (nylon, micro fiber, etc..) are even worse! Hemp, on the other hand, grows easily without chemicals or pesticides in virtually any climate and soil. The hemp fiber is easily processed with just water and machine combing and is also at least three times stronger than the cotton fiber.”

Pristine Planet is a good one-stop resource for finding shower curtains from a number of environmentally-conscious vendors. Offerings include cotton duck, organic cotton, and hemp curtains in natural, white (bleached with eco-friendly hydrogen peroxide) and a couple of rich colors or designs. All curtains are made in the USA and machine washable for easy care. Prices start at $26.

I found a great deal at Gaiam on their 100% organic cotton shower curtain on sale now for $16.99. Another great offering is their linen shower curtain, made from flax-based linen that is naturally grown without pesticides and is more resistant to mold and mildew. Available in machine-washable natural color only for $59.