A Doctor's Guide to the Best Non-Toxic Shower Curtains 2024 — Interior Medicine (2024)

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Non-Toxic Shower Curtain Liners

Click the rating symbols below each liner for more information about its material health.

Hemp Shower Curtain

Hemp dries more quickly than cotton or linen so doesn’t require waxing, if your bathroom is well ventilated. No certifications, but hemp doesn’t require pesticides or fertilizers. Can be a good plastic shower curtain alternative, and you don’t necessarily need a separate liner.

Otter Wax

Otter Wax is perfect if you want to wax your own fabric shower curtain to make it waterproof — the safest shower curtain liner option possible. Made of 100% beeswax and plant-based oils. See how to wax fabric here.

Natural Linen Shower Curtain and Liner Set

Magic Linen makes linen shower curtains with a polyester backing that’s removable, naturally mold-resistant, and washable. Importantly, the entire thing is OEKO-TEX certified to be free of harmful chemicals, making this a healthy plastic shower curtain alternativethat doesn’t require waxing. Comes in more colors than most natural shower curtains.

Organic Cotton Shower Curtain

If you’re up for waxing this fabric to make it naturally waterproof, this GOTS-certified 100% organic shower curtain liner from Bean Products is the best option from a material health standpoint and is the ultimate non PVC shower curtain liner. Good for bathrooms with excellent ventilation.

PEVA Shower Curtain Liner System

A less toxic plastic option, and nearly guaranteed to lower your exposure to mold and mildew without any off-gassing. Outlines created a recyclable shower curtain with a cotton top half, and a PEVA bottom half that you can replace through their subscription service so you never have mold or mildew build up. BPA and PVC free. Save 15% with code INTERIOR_MEDICINE.

Easy Shower Curtain Hooks

Using shower curtain hooks that make it easy to take your curtain down frequently for cleaning are key if you’re going the natural fabric, no-liner route. Hot tip: rub wax paper on your shower curtain rod to make any hooks glide more easily.

Recyclable PEVA Shower Curtain Liner

A less toxic plastic option, and nearly guaranteed to lower your exposure to mold and mildew without any off-gassing. Outlines recycles your liner for you every 6-9 months (you choose your option) so mold and mildew never builds up. Their full-length shower curtain comes in several colorways and has dishwasher-safe silicone liner weights. Save 15% with code INTERIOR_MEDICINE.

OEKO TEX Polyester Shower Curtain Liner

A polyester shower curtain doesn’t need a liner because you can wash it to remove mold and mildew build up, and polyester naturally repels water and dries quickly. This option works as a liner paired with an outer shower curtain, or on its own. Importantly, this liner from Parachute is OEKO-TEX certified to be free of harmful chemicals.

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What is the best shower curtain liner material?

Plastic shower curtain liners are notoriously toxic, but natural shower curtain liners are susceptible to mold and mildew when they get wet, which is toxic in itself. Here’s what I recommend:

• If your bathroom has good ventilation, and you are up for regular maintenance, choose a plastic-free shower curtain liner made of organic fabric. Either coat it in wax to make it waterproof, or wash it weekly.

• If your bathroom has good ventilation, and you do not want to wax, choose a hemp fabric, which dries faster than cotton or linen.Wash weekly.

• If your bathroom has OK or bad ventilation, and you’re up for weekly washes, choose an OEKO TEX shower curtain liner made with certified polyester, because it is resistant to water, mold, and mildew.

• Finally, if your bathroom has OK or bad ventilation, or you know you’re not up for maintenance, choose a PEVA or EVA liner that doesn’t off-gas. While these are less healthy than natural fabrics or polyester, they are a relatively low-touch surface, and healthier than PVC or a moldy curtain.

Can you use a shower curtain without a liner?

I only recommend it if it’s waterproof, to reduce your exposure to mold, mildew, and bacteria. If your bathroom has great ventilation and air flow and you are able to wash frequently, a non-waterproof shower curtain may be just fine for you.

What is PEVA?

PEVA (polyethylene vinyl acetate), also known as EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate), is a polymer-based fabric. That means it comes from petroleum, and is made in a factory. It is very similar to polyester in some ways — it is a long, repeating chain of polymer molecules that make a soft, flexible fabric.

Is PEVA safe? Is PEVA toxic?

It falls somewhere in the middle. PEVA was not found to be cancerous or have other effects on human health by various agencies including the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), OSHA, or National Toxicology Program (NTP). On the other hand, one study done in 2014 by Tingzhu Teresa Meng suggests it might be toxic.

Interestingly, if you click on the “Author Information” section of this study, Tingzhu Teresa Meng was a highschool student at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. The study was done on Lumbriculus variegatus, a worm. Squares of a PEVA shower curtain were added to a water bath and heated to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. The VOCs emitted from it were captured, and the worms were exposed to it. This was compared to worms exposed to regular water, and worms exposed to the VOCs that come from PVC. The PEVA-exposed worms showed stress reactions higher than those in the water group, and lower than those in the PVC group. To the best of my knowledge, no other studies on PEVA toxicity have been done. None have been done in humans at the temperatures and time lengths for normal bathroom exposure to PEVA shower curtains.

PEVA is certainly less toxic than PVC, because it doesn’t require phthalates to make it a soft and flexible fabric, and it doesn’t require chlorine in its production. It is probably not as toxic as the worms in the above-referenced study experienced, since our bathrooms are never drawing VOCs out of it at 150 degrees Fahrenheit. It is probably also not as safe as a natural fiber, and it is certainly less eco-friendly. I think it deserves more study to ensure that it is truly safe, not just meeting the thresholds of “non-carcinogenic.” I would like to see more, and updated, information on it.

So, I do not recommend cuddling with a PEVA shower curtain or heating it up to 150 degrees and breathing in its VOCs. However, I do see it as a safer option than PVC for waterproofing applications like shower curtains or other situations, because protecting from mold or water damage is very important to your health.

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