Cloth shower curtains

[Stephen Tashiro]

Where can I buy a colorful shower curtain made of a water repellent cloth? - like the cloth used in "dress" rain coats.

Several years ago I bought a colorful patterned cloth curtain for a shower and it has been satisfactory. Shopping in local stores today, I only find cloth shower curtains that "require a liner" or have a "built-in liner". Some of the shower curtain liners are marked "shower curtain/liner" as if they can serve both functions, but they are made in uninteresting solid colors.

[Jamie Buxton]

For forty years I've made shower curtains from ordinary bed sheets. They've worked just fine. They get wet, they dry out. Not a problem. Maybe in some high-humidity place, they'd never dry out. But in Texas and in California, they do dry out between showers. I'll bet in New Mexico they're fine too.

[Stephen Tashiro]

For forty years I've made shower curtains from ordinary bed sheets. They've worked just fine.


In the case at hand, I need a shower curtain for a house that will eventually be sold - so I want something that prospective buyers won't mistake for a bed sheet.

[Mel Fulks]

I agree with Jamie. You don't have to use a sheet ,just go to a fabric store .If you don't want to hem the edges or get someone else to do it put safty pins in it discreetly. Interior decorators and real estate "stagers" often use temporary stuff for visual sauce. Some hang a plastic curtain covered by a cloth one ,much less chance of mildew with just the cloth.

[Lee Schierer]

Do a google search for "cloth shower curtains that don't need liners" you'll get lots of answers and places that sell what you are looking for.

[Jamie Buxton]

In the case at hand, I need a shower curtain for a house that will eventually be sold - so I want something that prospective buyers won't mistake for a bed sheet.

Actually, the primary benefit for me of using bed sheets is that you can find much more color and variety in sheets than in standard shower curtains.

[Yonak Hawkins]

I bought one at Kroger last week but, admittedly, it's a super large Kroger. I'll bet Wal-Mart or Target has them .. or on-line. They're popular.

[Mel Fulks]

From what I see on Google liner is only needed for non washable fabric. I see a shower curtain sold as needing a liner as cheap low grade stuff, silk brocade or wool, or a product being sold by someone trying to build an order...."not that there's anything wrong with that"

[Stephen Tashiro]

Do a google search for "cloth shower curtains that don't need liners" you'll get lots of answers and places that sell what you are looking for.

I tried that. The first hit was from JC Penny and the curtains that I investigated said "liner recommended". There was link to Bed and Beyond, which also sold curtains where a liner was "recommended" or "required". There were links to places that sold shower curtains "without liners", but these were not curtains that were recommended for use without liners.

My conclusion is that there do exist water resistant curtains that can be used without liners, but manufacturer's say "liner recommended" because it is considered troublesome to take down a cloth curtain to wash the soap scum off of it. The theory is that you can easily wipe soap scum off of a plastic liner. The problem (for me) is that product descriptions don't distinguish degrees of water resistance. I'd be happy to find a shower curtain for the second bathroom that is as water resistant as the curtain in the first bathroom. That curtain works well without a liner.

[Stephen Tashiro]

Success - my local Lowes Hardware sells fabric shower curtains. The designs aren't very exciting, but at least they aren't all solid colors. The fabric curtains are polyester and the package doesn't natter you about using a liner with them.