Taking your showers shouldn’t be something people have to beg you to do. It’s more like your second nature, and it should come as easy as anything. Nevertheless, there are still some underlying things that might influence you. And one of those things is how comfortable you feel when talking about your shower. While comfort is different for many people, the protection of your privacy is always top of the list. And to protect your privacy during the shower, you will need shower curtain liners.
This state of things is what makes the shower curtain popular among many Americans. While we recognize the shower curtain liners’ goodness, we are also concerned about the environmental effects they may cause.
Hence, in this post, we will be examining the environmental impact of shower curtain liners. In this light, we will consider whether you can recycle shower curtain liners. And if so, how? We will also take a peep into the plastic shower curtain liners. Here, we shall see if they are recyclable. Lastly, we will consider if curtain liners are biodegradable and many other creative things you can do with your old curtain liners.
This is information overload for you. So, what do you do? Nothing much, just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Are Shower Curtain Liners Recyclable?
With the rise in shower curtain liners, people are beginning to focus on their environmental impact. There is more attention paid to the likelihood of something harming the environment in this new age than any other thing. This is why the question of whether you can recycle your curtain liners come to the fore. And in this segment, we will answer that.
Shower curtain liners like the clothes we wear are made of different textures and materials and vary in quality. Hence, the recyclability of shower curtain liners borders more on the material it is made of.
Therefore, you will be mistaken to think because your neighbor recycled his shower curtain liners, you also could. Generally, materials that comprise PVC-base products are impossible to break down and unusable during the recycling process.
On the other hand, shower curtain liners made of aluminum would be easy to recycle since aluminum is generally recyclable. In essence, although shower curtain liners are recyclable, not all shower curtain liners can be recycled.
This makes the whole situation tricky. In this light, it would be better you confirm what kind of shower curtains you are using before dropping them in the recycling bin.
Can Plastic Shower Liners Be Recycled?
You might think that you already have the answer as yes because you have sighted “plastic” in the product’s name. Well, if this is your thought, you are mistaken. Plastic shower liners cannot be recycled. At least not in the traditional sense of recycling. This may look surprising to some people, as they expect all plastic materials to be recyclable. But, don’t feel gloomy just yet; there’s a reason for this.
Plastic shower liners contain PVC (polyvinyl chloride) based products. PVC based products are not recyclable because they contain many toxic contents such as lead, chlorine, and many more. This is because these hazardous contents get into the environment when exposed to heating or burning during the recycling process.
Aside from this, the plastic curtain liners would have come in contact with soap and many bathroom liquids which remain on them. If they are recycled this way, they will contaminate the recycling process.
Lastly, plastic curtain liners are made with minimal plastic materials such that when you even decide to recycle them, there is little you can use them for. In essence, recycling efforts are not often worth it.
Are Shower Curtain Liners Biodegradable?
Here’s another question that requires an answer. Because the answer will inform our use of the curtain liners, whatever may be the case, trust us to give you the right answer.
The biodegradability of curtain liners depends on the material of the curtain liner. Usually, curtain liners made of plastic are non-biodegradable, as explained earlier. Even in situations that they will biodegrade, they take up extremely long years before they do. Averagely, plastic takes up to a thousand years to biodegrade.
However, Some shower curtain liners made of a hundred percent polyethylene free of Bisphenol A, latex, etc., are biodegradable. This kind of shower curtain liners will biodegrade when fungi, bacteria, algae, and other microorganisms feast on them. This is more eco-friendly than the plastic one. So, the next time you want to go shopping for new shower liners, you already know what to look out for.
10 Impressive Ways To Reuse A Shower Curtain Liner
Shower curtain liners are beautiful, no doubt, but there comes a time when you will get tired of them and purchase a new one. What will then become of the old shower curtain liner?
Do not rack your brain any further. We have all the answers on how you could still keep your beautiful shower curtain liner. Just that this time, you won’t be keeping them in the trash can of old items.
Below are ten ways you can reuse your shower curtain liner.
1. As A Waterproof Bed Liner For Your Kids
We know how difficult it is to clean the room when the kids are still small and often wet the bed. There is, however, a way out. You can use your old shower curtain liner as a bed liner whenever your kids want to lie in bed.
Since shower curtain liner can absorb water and prevent the same from splashing on the floor, they can also keep the mattress from being wet. One more thing, you do not have to worry if your kids will like it. Most shower curtain liners are beautiful and will most likely be attractive to kids.
2. You Can Use Them To Make Produce Bags
This is not a hard thing to do. All it requires is a little bit of creativity. Your shower curtain liner can be cut into convenient sizes and stitched to make produce bags.
You could use these bags to store vegetables that you will refrigerate or even as a purse where you keep your kids crayon, eraser, pencils, and other stationery.
3. You Can Make Tote Bags With Your Shower Curtain Liner
Tote bags are a common accessory these days. You can use them to carry different items while also a fashion accessory.
Many people prefer to decide the material their tote bags are made of, and they visit the store to buy them. Meanwhile, their old shower curtain liner lying waste is of the same material, and reusing it will save the cost.
It is an additional benefit if you think of the fact that shower curtain materials are water-resistant. It means items kept in your tote bags are not endangered by rain or a water splash.
4. You Can Use Your Shower Curtain Liner For Stage Demarcation
Rather than spend money on buying a stage curtain when next you have a stage drama in college, you could easily reuse your shower curtain liner.
All you need to do is resize it; in any event, the stage is not as large as your shower curtain liner. And doing that is easy. A simple Do it Yourself (DIY) Video will assist you. Since shower curtain liners come in different colors, you could decide which of your old shower curtain liner suits your stage decoration best and make a choice.
5. Use Shower Curtain Liner For Your Chair Cushion
It is not uncommon to see a chair for sale at a lower price when the cushion is bad, or you might have abandoned your chair after the cushion spoilt. Whatever the case is, we have come to your aid.
Shower curtain liner can be reused as a chair cushion, and this you can even do by yourself. But if you choose to call a professional, you will still be spending less since you have your shower curtain liner as cushion material already.
Your choice of shower curtain liner might be influenced by where you want to use the chair. Often, the fabric curtain is preferred for indoor chairs beyond the plastic shower curtain liner.
6. Shower Curtain Liners Are Reused For Waterproof Sofa
If you have growing kids in your home, we would advise you to use a waterproof sofa. The reason is crystal clear; kids are carefree.
As the kids grow, they desire to do what adults are doing, and you will not be surprised to find them crawling on to the sofa with their feeding bottle. The content of the bottle, usually watery, often spill on the sofa.
The sofa becomes wet and very uncomfortable, except it is a waterproof sofa. To avoid this, you could give your old shower curtain liner to your furniture worker to make a waterproof sofa for your indoor usage.
7. Shower Curtain Liners Are Great Dog Bed Cover
You love your puppy but do not like how you have to clean up its bed critically. The challenging thing is removing the furs that have stuck to the bed cover.
But this is not much of a challenge when you use your shower curtain liner, especially the one made of sliding materials as a bed cover. When this is done, it becomes easy to dust off the fur and keep its house clean.
The amazing thing is, many of the shower curtain liners are of quality materials than a dog’s bed cover.
8. You Can Use Your Shower Curtain Liner As A Floor Drawing Mat For Your Kids
Kids love to express themselves, and rightly so. But, at times, their creative expression is done at the expense of important things like our wall painting, well-arranged chair pillows, and the likes.
An alternative to drawing crayons on the house wall painting is giving them a floor drawing mat to express their creativity without restraint. And your old plastic shower curtain liner can do just that for your kids. Therefore, saving you some cash for purchasing the floor drawing mat and repainting your house walls.
9. Shower Curtain Liners Are Useful During Children’s Art Smock
One characteristic of the shower curtain liner is that it absorbs the liquid substance. That is a plus for you whenever your kids want to engage in kids art smock.
You can easily resize the curtain material to serve as a children’s paint smock for your kids, thereby shielding their clothes from paint splash or any form of messy stains.
10. Shower Curtain Liner Is Reusable As A Food Mat
You know how important a mat is during a dinner or a luncheon. Placing plates on it prevents a direct stain on the dinner table or the table cloth itself.
Yet, it does not save you from stress because it could be hard to clean when stained. However, shower curtain liners are not so, especially when moisture resistant. They are easy to clean. A simple wipe will do the magic. Additionally, they are of beautiful colors, and that’s just a perfect fit.
Conclusion
Shower curtain liners are common items in almost every household. This is why there is so much concern about its frequent use. As you have seen above, you can repurpose them to make beautiful things for your home and offices. If you decide to dispose of them, you must do it in a manner that does not endanger the environment.
References:
https://www.diys.com/reuse-shower-curtains/
https://www.livingonadime.com/recycling-plastic-shower-curtains/
