Is Your Shower Curtain Making You Sick?
Many items in a typical American home make the humans and pets in them unhealthy. Sometimes the effects are immediate, like in the case of some cleaning products. And, sometimes the effects take a bit longer. On this website, I like to tell as many people as possible about some of the common unhealthy products I know about.
One such product is traditional plastic shower curtains.
A recent article titled “Vinyl shower curtains contain potentially harmful toxins” in The Kansas City Star by Tami Abdollah tells of the dangers of shower curtains.
What are your alternatives?
- Fabric shower curtain (But be sure to wash it in your washing machine very frequently in HOT water, or you’ll risk your health from mold.)
- Glass shower door (Be aware of the cleaning products you use here!)
- Alternative non-PVC vinyl curtain (This is what my family uses (this site has several articles here). Do a google search for “healthy shower curtain” for more choices - there are a lot out there and their slightly higher price tag is well worth getting rid of the health risks.)
If you must have a particular PVC vinyl shower curtain, be sure to open it up completely and air it out as long as possible before allowing it in your house. If it needs to be opened in your house, don’t allow people or pets in that space for at least 24 hours (longer is better).
