How to effectively prevent the shower curtain from snuggling?

Question

My shower curtain does not stay where it belongs. When I start showering I wet it and then press it to the wall, but when I put the shower head up on the shower head holder, the curtain starts flying inwards.

I figured that the hot water heats the air which then drifts outwards through the only possible way - which is near the roof of the bathroom, creating a zone with less air pressure and pulling the curtain inwards.

This is not only annoying, it also allows the splashing water to spill itself onto the floor as the curtain is moving and therefore not in the way of the water, where it should be.

Any suggestions? Has anyone solved this problem?

Answer 1

Magnetic shower curtains were invented to solve this problem.

Search: Magnetic Shower Curtain

Small magnets embedded along the bottom edge of the shower curtain affix it to the metal tub when the curtain is closed. They also make magnetic shower curtain "clips" which can be fastened to the bottom of any shower curtain you already own. And if your tub is not metal, these also come as dead weights which have much the same effect.

Answer 2

The suggestions herein are probably the best, but for the sake of completeness, I suggest something that might help the other answers work a little better.

If you leave the curtain open a little on one side furthest from the water (to minimize spray out of the shower area), it will allow for cool air to come in from the room around the curtain, balancing out the pressure leaving the curtain less disturbed.

There may still be some water that escapes, which could be mitigated by an extra towel or bathmat, but I find that at least some water winds up on the floor after a shower no matter what I do.

Answer 3

You're correct on the cause -- air circulation in a shower is complex enough that it once rated an Amateur Scientist article in Scientific American, but generally there's a strong "in and up" trend.

There are many commercial products for capturing the edges (even the bottom) of a shower curtain, and of course if you have sliding or hinged doors this isn't evenan issue, but as a hack, I've found that wetting along the vertical edges as well as the bottom does a better job of holding the curtain. Sadly, this works best if the shower isn't perfectly clean; the "slime" that forms on the surfaces from prolonged dampness increases the adhesion.

A hacky way to do this without having to let your shower get slimy is to buy craft magnets at the local dollar store (should get a dozen or so for a dollar) and attach them to the bottom of the curtain with RTV silicone adhesive. This will obviously only work against a steel or iron (under the porcelain) tub; if you have a fiberglass tub or shower enclosure, substitute small suction cups. They don't hold as well as magnets on a steel tub, but they work on tile, fiberglass, and plastics.

Answer 4

I hung a decor fabric curtain with a white polyester white curtain as a liner and sewed a row of white buttons along the bottom of just the white liner. Works well for me.

Answer 5

There's a simple solution. Buy a heavier, more expensive fabric shower liner, which goes inside the tub (and typically even has magnets which act as weights to keep it in place, close to the tub) and a shower curtain which goes outside the tub. With these two in place, I'm able to completely seal out all cold air flowing around the interior liner by pressing it against the shower walls on both ends, and I get virtually no liner encroachment as I shower.

I have experimented with cheaper, lighter, plastic shower liners alone and the liner definitely encroaches on my personal bathing space. Plus the cold, wet liner touches my sensitive legs to my disdain. Additionally, sealing a cheap, lightweight liner on both ends only compounds the problem, making my bathing experience very frustrating indeed.