Help with creepy shower curtain liner

June 29, 2016 8:22 AM

I am looking for a solution to keep the shower curtain liner in my claw foot tub from drafting in from the corner when the shower is in use and clinging rudely to the showerer.

The photos also show a close-up of the offending corner where the shower curtain tends to cling to a showering person (complete with remnants of putty adhesive which was not up to the task). Here are the requirements for the thing that holds the liner back:

*It must not damage the walls
*Removable so that I can replace the shower curtain liner when needed
*Minimal or colorless
*Metal-free

Here is what I've tried:
-weights/magnets in the shower curtain liner (they're already weighted and magneted)
-extra large binder clips to clip the curtain to the top edge of the wainscoting from inside the shower
(fit perfectly, but were big black monsters and they rusted)
-white clips (advertised as plastic but had metal springs and jaws were too small)
-poster putty between the edge of the wainscoting and the liner (gave out after five seconds)

posted by *s to Home & Garden (15 answers total)

I would use something heavy to hold the curtain on that little ledge, though I'm not certain what would be narrow enough yet heavy enough. You could tack down a strip of something metal (you could use metal rulers, if those are still a thing, but there's probably something at the hardware store that is similar) and then use strong magnets through the curtain.

But also, with a strong magnet or two, you could probably just tent or pouf the curtain back a little and pin it there with magnets on the top edge of the bath.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:40 AM on June 29, 2016

I would personally just thumbtack the curtain down into the wainscotting and patch the tiny holes when I moved, but if you MUST NOT make a hole, you will have to live with semi-permanent solutions.

Best semi-permanent solution: Command hooks and a loop of thread. Sew a loop of string through the curtain. Attach command hooks to the wainscotting. Loop the string through the Command hook. Suction cups with a plastic hook (usually advertised for hanging plants or birdfeeders to your windows) may also work if the wainscotting is slick enough.

I would suggest the Command hooks that are meant to be used with Christmas lights/fairy lights. They are small and unobtrusive. Command hooks will eventually give up, as will all adhesive-based products in a moist environment. Buy extra and commit to replacing them.

Long shot solution: get PVC pipe or thick/relatively rigid tubing lengths of about four inches. Cut a slit in them wide enough (it's like you're making the pipe/tube into a long C shape) to bend the pipe over the edge of the wainscotting while also trapping the shower curtain. It will take a few attempts but you will eventually find a slit width that is tight enough to hold it all together. You can also look for the padding that is meant to slip over the edge of a pole to baby-proof it, or you could try cutting a pool noodle (the hollow kind) in a similar way.
posted by blnkfrnk at 8:40 AM on June 29, 2016

One of the stronger rubber-coated rare-earth magnets here should do the trick.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:42 AM on June 29, 2016

Best answer: Tool around your local hardware store until you find something like this that's big enough to fit over the lip of your tub but not so big that friction won't hold it in place. From the inside of the shower curtain, pop it over the ledge. Easy to adjust and remove, super non-permanent/damaging, and it'll hold the shower curtain out of the way of your business.
posted by phunniemee at 8:52 AM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

A curved shower curtain rod is what worked for me.
posted by cecic at 9:09 AM on June 29, 2016

I'm not sure if I'm looking at the photo correctly but I cut my shower liner so it came only a few inches into the tub and then scotch taped a tiny bit to hold it in place. It worked for my claw foot.
posted by raccoon409 at 9:10 AM on June 29, 2016

Response by poster: Following up on phunnimee's link, I googled "plastic clamp" and found just the thing. Let's see if I can find them in packages of < 100. Resolved!
posted by *s at 9:23 AM on June 29, 2016

Plastic clothes pins.
posted by tommyD at 9:24 AM on June 29, 2016

Regardless of solution, I think cutting the curtain shorter might help too. Less material to pull the curtain around from the bottom. Plus all of my shower curtains that have worked okay didn't hang as deeply into the tub as yours do.
posted by purple_bird at 10:09 AM on June 29, 2016

Ugh, my shower curtain does this too.

A solution that I've been too lazy to buy/set-up: a heavier and longer liner. This wasn't an issue at all at my previous apartment because of the higher quality shower curtain liner.
posted by ThatSox at 10:10 AM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

Before you try hardware, try not closing it completely. Mine (straight line between two walls) does that if I seal it up so air can't get in. If I leave a space between the ends and the wall, I don't develop a low pressure system in the shower and it doesn't push in and touch me on the legs.

I did have to learn not to splash water where the opening is, which wasn't that hard.
posted by ctmf at 11:51 AM on June 29, 2016

Came here to say what ctmf says. You will continue to have this problem unless you purposely give a place for cold air to come in. I prefer the end of the tub farthest away from me, but you may have to experiment.
posted by Gor-ella at 12:54 PM on June 29, 2016

We switched to a cloth shower curtain with a water proof coating like this one from IKEA. It stops the water from going everywhere but is a little bit breathable, just enough to stop the curtain from billowing in. We also leave it a little bit open at the end, so, like Gor-ella says, the cooler air has a direct entrance.
posted by Foam Pants at 4:21 PM on June 29, 2016

My shower is just like yours, except I live in an attic apartment with low ceilings. I buy the expensive plastic liners from Target and cut off a foot or so of plastic at the bottom. I have a removable shower head so I kind of spare down the liner so it sticks to the tub before I really get in there, but I think just splashing some water might work to help stick the plastic to the side of the tub.
posted by missriss89 at 5:48 PM on June 29, 2016

I was gonna suggest binder clips, but you tried those. How about combining those with the magnets? Binder clips clip on the wainscoting outside the curtain. Magnet inside the curtain is attracted to the binder clip. Done.
posted by Sunburnt at 10:08 PM on June 29, 2016