The Secret behind Successful Shower Curtains

Let’s face it: most of us have bathrooms which are smaller than we’d like. And if shower curtains are being used in those small bathrooms, they will highly noticeable. A completely opened shower curtain is the equivalent of an entire lower wall. There’s no way to hide it. But it you’re smart in your shower curtain choice, you won’t have to.

Choosing a shower curtain which will be both attractive and utilitarian can be tricky. You’re looking for both visual appeal and user-friendliness. Even shower curtains of the most dazzling colors and striking patterns will be real eyesores if they are not mildew-free.

A bathroom stingy on the space will require you to think about what will happen with the addition of shower curtains in varying colors and designs. Really small bathrooms will benefit enormously from white or pastel shower curtains with generously-spaced designs. Widely separated stripes, or open, delicate floral or seashell prints, for example, are ideal. The light airy shower curtain will add a light airy feeling to the entire bathroom.

While men’s’ bathrooms might look manlier with darker colors and heavier, more elaborate paisley or geometrically-patterned shower curtains, they will also feel more enclosed.

Another thing to consider when choosing a shower curtain is the effect the rod and rings will have on the finished look. Ornately carve rods will do nothing to enhance a pastel- hued, simply patterned shower curtain.

Packaged shower curtains are usually constructed from waterproof vinyl or a blend, perhaps of polyester and nylon, or PVC. You can find fabric shower curtains, or even have one custom-made. But there’s one precaution: if you decide your bathroom will suffer without a shower curtain of the same fabric as that of its window curtains and the inserts in your hand-made guest towels, spring for the expense of a vinyl shower curtain liner.

Attach the liner--and liners are available in a Crayola-box variety of coordinating colors--to the shower curtain rod before attaching the actual shower curtain. By doing so you’ll dramatically reduce the amount of water that escapes from around the edges of the shower curtain to the bathroom’s floor, and having to take down the fabric curtain for a spin it the dryer should it become saturated.

The bathroom, with its delightful warmth and humidity, is an inviting home for both mold and mildew, which can often be found scaling the folds of shower curtains.

Unsightly, they have a noticeably musty odor, and should be repulsed at the first signs of invasion.

A washable shower curtain can be cleaned of mold and mildew with a cycle in a washing machine full of the hottest possible water, to which bleach has been added. A shower curtain not sturdy enough for a machine washing can be sprayed with a bleach solution, and rinsed. A follow-up squirt with salt water will make it inhospitable to future mildew or mold.

A well-chosen shower curtain can pull your entire bathroom together. Put some time into selecting and maintaining yours, and shower yourself with pats on the back!