PVC-free Shower Curtain Liner
April 9, 2008 by Peggy
Ultimately I’d like to have a shower door, but for now I’m stuck with a shower curtain.
And I needed to replace my shower curtain liner. After learning more about the dangers of PVC, I had been avoiding buying a new liner. I didn’t want to inhale that great (toxic) new liner smell. Then I remembered that Target had promised to reduce PVC in their packaging and products like shower curtains.
Fingers greatly crossed, I found an EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) shower curtain liner at Target. It’s completely PVC free, and so is the packaging. It’s utterly odorless and much more healthy than PVC.
Little things like this make me happy! Target isn’t perfect, but I’m glad they took this step.
Have you found PVC-free shower curtain liners at other locations?
Hi there,
I recently came across PVC-Free shower curtains for children @ simplememoryart.com- not a huge selection but a start! Great blog!
Thanks for visiting and sharing La Mama.
I got some 100% polyester liners at Crate and Barrel–these are the white kind they have in hotels. They can be machine-washed, so I think they’ll last forever. If I didn’t live in such a damp climate, I might try a hemp shower liner. Supposedly they are mold-resistant, but I just imagined them NEVER drying. Has anyone else tried a hemp or natural-fiber shower liner?
I have lime and calcium in my water. Everything I use in the tub/shower, including the tub, turns green. I bought an EVA Shower Curtain because, unlike the thicker, stiffer shower curtains, it seemed like it would be soft enough to wash in the washing machine. After a few weeks, when it was obviously green along the lower portion, I washed it in the washing machine, regular cycle. It was wrinkled when it came out, most of which smoothed out from the weight of the curtain after a few days of hanging back up, but the washing removed the visible lime coloring from the curtain, and probably the calcium, too, which is all I wanted. It was impossible to wash those heavy plastic curtains in the machine, and they never really got cleaned except with an awful lot of scrubbing, which I, as a man, don’t like to do. As soft and flimsy as the EVA material seems to be, it really held up in the regular wash. I don’t know how long it will last, since the instructions say to “wipe clean with damp cloth”, but that wouldn’t get the lime out, and it’s too much work! I’m really happy with it so far.
Rebecca,
Thanks for visiting. I haven’t tried the liner options you mentioned. Where do you buy them?
Appookta,
It’s nice to know you can cheat and wash it in the machine (assuming you used cold and gentle cycle). Scrubbing a liner is awkward. You pretty much would have to take it down and spread it on the floor to do it right. Way messy.
Bed Bath and Beyond has a pretty wide selection of 100% EVA Vinyl Shower Curtains now.
Thanks for the tip Stephanie.
They sell an EVA shower liner at walmart as well.
Thank you. This information has been profoundly helpful. I’m on my way to Walmart to buy an EVA shower curtain liner. M
Glad to help Martha.
Wow, I googled “pvc free shower curtain” and this is the first site that came up. I found just what I needed. Thanks so much for posting this!
i just stumbled across this thread…I, too, have a bathroom that is too moist to go with a hemp or cotton liner. I’ve been struggling with whether to buy an EVA curtain liner or a polyester one. While it’s a bit pricier, I think I am going to go with a 100% Recycled Post-Consumer/Post-Industrial Polyester shower curtain liner. http://www.healthgoods.com/shopping/household_products/Non_Vinyl_Shower_Curtains.asp
Off to Target tomorrow..Thanks so much for the rec.
Great blog too!
I had purchased an EVA shower curtain from Walmart ($10 Cdn). However, I did notice a strong odour coming from it when I was putting it up. Which made me wonder how non-toxic can it be? This is the shower curtain from the mainstays home line. Anyone else notice the same issue?
Saucy, I’ve bought several from Target and they had no odor. Haven’t tried the Walmart brand.
Hi, i have been to walmart and was told they do not sell pvc free shower curtain liners yet. I believe the v in eva and peva stand for vinyl. I am really confused in what i am supposed to look for. I am understanding that it should not have a smell, but have not found any water resistant liners that do not have a smell or do not say eva or peva or 100 per cent vinyl. Please, someone sort me out, because now i am very confused and getting my cotton shower curtain soaked each day. Thank you
Cathy, try an EVA liner from Target. They have them, I promise! It’s NOT the same thing as PVC. It has no smell. Try it. Yes, the V stands for vinyl, but it’s not the same thing as PVC. It’s not toxic.
I got mine over a year ago at Target. I liked that I’d be able to wash it in the washing machine easier than the stiffer ones. However, it still smells (not filling the room, as it did when new, but when my nose is near it, I smell it), but I find it a pleasant, clean smell. My cat also likes the smell, and tries to eat it. So I’m looking for some other product now.
Appookta, does your cat have a plastic fetish too?? My cat tried to eat the clear shower liner, but not the beige one!
Hi, Peggy. I have a whitish one with blue and green vertical stripes. He just wants to bite along the edge. He also likes packing peanuts, which I understand are made from amino acids so they’re bio-degrade, and maybe he also likes the non-bio-degradable ones, come to think of it. I got him and two other boys from a no-kill animal shelter and don’t know them well enough yet. I’m hoping that, with my getting them on good food, his pica will disappear. The others aren’t interested in the shower curtain. This particular cat also likes to bite off strings on the edges of the carpet. I had a past cat who did that, so I’m used to going around cutting off any strings I see. I think it’s the ingrained desire to eat grass that makes them do this.
Appookta, good luck with all the kitties. My cat also likes to eat carpet edges. I’ve had to cover some areas with throw rugs that look dumb, but oh well.
Remember to keep dental floss away too! : )
Being a two time cancer suvivor, I’m trying really hard to live as chemicle free as possible. I love my Cotton Curtain, But I definatly need a liner. I removed our old liner, but wasn’t sure where to go from there. I happened to be in Wal Mart and decided to check out my opptions. I found the MainStays EVA Liner. Wanted to Google it before hanging. Here I am. Amazed at all the comments. I don’t really notice an odor at all. I believe I paid 6.97. Hope it works out. Will let you know.
Has anyone found that washing their EVA curtain in the washing machine gets rid of lime stain? I tried it and it didn’t work at all, and I’m wondering what will work on it, besides Soft Scrub and a brush. Meanwhile, would someone please publish the email address these posts come to them from? I accidentally marked my last incoming message as Spam and can’t find it in my Blocked Messages to reinstate it. I’m afraid I’ll never receive these again unless I enter it in my Address Book, but I don’t know what it is. I even tried to contact the list owner, but I haven’t received anything back. Thanks, whoever can do this for me.
Hi, I also found my way here from Google and wanted to comment on 100% polyester shower curtains. After using one for about six months and a few washings, I’ve found that it is no longer water-resistant. We have a small, narrow tub, so the part of the curtain next to where you’re standing gets soaked with water, and it goes right through the decorative outer curtain and onto the floor. I’m going to look at the EVA type of liner to see if that does any better. Thanks for all the tips in this thread!
I bought a hemp shower curtain about 5 months ago because I was sick of throwing out moldy/mildewy liners. Although the hemp curtain looks awesome, we already have problems with it getting mildewed and have to wash it every two weeks or so. After washing, it’s mostly nice and fresh, but the black mold stains where the water blasts it are still there and I think they’re actually eating through the fabric because we have a little hole starting. So…unfortunately, I think I’ll have to get a liner again. Ugh. We’ve been doing all we’re supposed to do to keep it aired out and dried, used mildew sealant, etc. but no luck. I guess it’s too humid here.
Anyway, I think I’ll try the polyester liner Appookta mentioned so I can machine wash it. Anyone else have problems with a hemp curtain?
Thank you for all the comments. I purchased an all cotton shower curtain a few months ago. It was expensive (~$100) and we have significant problems with mold. Even with machine washing, it’s difficult to remove stains and odor. I will now try an EVA or recycled polyester liner. Thanks!