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Omigod. Is this it? Can this really be it?

The shower curtain? Is that really you? After a year of searching, and going through 2 PVC monstrosities that don't even look right? $60 for a shower curtain seems a little steep, but for the right one, I might be willing to consider it...

I'm never quite clear on things like this linen curtain. Is this supposed to be a device to keep shower water from splashing on the floor? Or a green replacement for the ornamental curtain that many people put in front of their PVC liner? I'm really interested in a fabric curtain if it will stop the water.

It looks fairly thin - do these billow inward if the shower is hot and the bathroom is cool? I never have that problem, but my husband likes insanely hot showers and curtain billow is the bane of his existence in the winter.

RMkoske, as described in the blurb above, this shower curtain is linen. Which implies that it's a substantial enough fabric to withstand the water from an ordinary shower. It also says it resists mold and mildew and is washable, which implies that it dries relatively quickly (so obvs can withstand the water from an ordinary shower).

I guess one could use it purely ornamentally, with a pvc liner, but from everything I know about linen, I don't really see why you'd absolutely have to.

As for billow, all shower curtains tend to do that, regardless of material. You can cut down on that by sewing a few heavy objects into the hem. There are also ways of adding magnets to the hem, if your tub is metal.

Unfortunately, the Gaiam description states that you use this curtain WITH a liner. So my dreams of living with a plastic-free shower are dashed again!!!

bayleafcottage -- It used to be possible to get unbleached cotton shower curtains that worked without a liner, though they were also about $60 each. The last time I tried this, I had to mail-order it, and I don't remember from where, though it was a company listed in the Shopping section of Open Directory.

Cotton didn't mold (though we had a window in that bathroom) but did pick up streaks from any bath product with coloring in it. But that's a risk with any natural fiber.

re: the cork bathmat - my cat likes to lay on our bathmats, so they get washed frequently - does this wash in the washing machine? not a fan of cat dander permanently living on my bathmat.