Shower curtain – what to consider when choosing?

The bathroom is undoubtedly one of the most important rooms in the home. It should be comfortable, functional, and aesthetically pleasing, which is why a well-thought-out design for this space is so important. When fitting out a bathroom we usually pay a lot of attention to the washbasin, bath, tiles or mirrors, but we rarely bother with choosing a shower curtain. This element is most often treated as a necessary evil, so when we go shopping we pop the first model we see into the trolley and that’s that. It turns out, however, that a well-chosen shower curtain can not only enhance the room’s aesthetic appeal, but also have a big impact on how comfortable it is to use.

Types of shower curtains

The market now offers a wide range of shower curtains. They differ mainly in the material they’re made from, and each of these naturally has its pros and cons. So we have:

• PVC curtains – they have a smooth surface, which makes them easy to keep clean (a gentle wipe with a detergent will do; no need to wash), they’re waterproof and watertight, and hygienic, with no mould or bacteria developing on them; they’re popular thanks to their low price and the multitude of available patterns and colours, but on the other hand they’re easy to damage and tend to cling to the bather’s body,
• textile curtains – usually made of polyester additionally coated with a water-repellent layer, they’re extremely durable and convenient to use, and, unlike their PVC counterparts, they don’t stick to your body,
• curtains made of polyethylene non-woven fabric – a higher-end product, made from a combination of film, fabric and paper; they’re light, hard-wearing and watertight, and also eco-friendly, as they’re made from renewable materials.

How to choose a shower curtain?

The first thing we need to decide when choosing a shower curtain is the material it will be made from. Once that’s sorted, the trickiest part remains: picking the right pattern. There are endless options, and it all depends on whether the curtain should blend harmoniously into the interior, or act as the main accent that defines its character. You also need to consider whether it is only to protect the bathroom from splashes (in which case a transparent model is worth considering), or whether its job is also to safeguard the bather’s privacy (if so, you should choose an opaque version). Finally, once you’ve chosen the perfect model for your bathroom, it’s worth paying attention to the quality of workmanship and to whether the curtain has a weight at the bottom (usually a lead-weighted tape), which will help it hang beautifully and stop it from clinging to your body.