Shower power
Swap out your plastic shower curtain liner with a fabric liner for better air quality.
Plastic liners are made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride). PVCs cannot be recycled, and so must be dumped or incinerated – both of which are hazardous. When manufactured or incinerated, PVCs create dioxins, the most harmful man-made substance ever tested.
When PVCs are just hanging out in your bathroom (and they’re other places in your home, too) as a shower curtain liner, they outgass chlorine, which has been linked to children’s asthma (American Journal of Public Health, 1999) and bronchial problems (National Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway). You know that plastic smell? You don’t ever want to smell that.
Cloth liners are available at varying price points. The better ones are more expensive, and made from organic cotton or linen. There are less expensive ones available at chain discount stores.
Dry the liners by keeping the curtain open after a shower – and then closing it later in the day, to allow the whole curtain to be exposed to the (now drier) air. This is important for glass doors, too – especially the sliding ones. Keep them open to dry out the whole shower, then close them part way through the day, after the shower has dried, to allow the rest of the door to dry. As always, good bathroom ventilation will help prevent mildew.
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