Shower Curtain vs Liner : Detailed Comparison

It’s a warm summer night, and you had guests over. You are almost exhausted after catering to them and feel like having a cold shower. As you are almost set and relaxed in your bathtub, you forgot to lock the bathroom door.

And guess what, you heard the sound of the doorknob turning and float there hopelessly as your privacy is about to get ruined.

Incidents like this are less likely to happen if you have a shower curtain or liner hanging up your bathtub. But the question is when it comes down to shower curtain vs liner, which one should be your pick?

Shower curtains serve the purpose of providing privacy and perform as decorating items while liners are there to keep the water inside the bathtub. There also lies some other differences as well that make them comparably unique from one another.

Shower Curtain vs Liner

So, shower curtain or liner, which one will you go for? Keep on reading as we distinguish between these two so that you can pick the correct one.

Shower Curtains

Made of thick fabric, shower curtains provide privacy as they are not see-through while you enjoy your bathing sessions. They can be made of almost any materials, but the most common ones are humidity resistant to prevent mildew.

The shower curtain also serves the purpose of keeping the spray of water from getting out and making the floor wet. Not having a shower curtain might also ruin your bathroom carpet or rug as a spill of water might damage these.

There are plenty of shower curtains available out there that have different design patterns for you to pick from. The ideal one should be the one that matches your bathroom interior best. Some even prefer seasonal curtains such as snow-patterned ones that go well in winter.

You will find an enormous collection of shower curtains online, ranging from a variety of price points. They are quite affordable, and some even last a lifetime if properly used and taken care of.

Types of Shower Curtains

Shower curtains come in two shapes and sizes. Single and Double ones. Usually, both of them should possess rust and stain resistance and should be anti-toxic and anti-bacterial in terms of quality. These factors matter most if you are looking for quality and durability and don’t care much about the price.

1. Single Shower Curtains

If your bathtub and bathing space are smaller in size, you will find single shower curtains a perfect fit. As the name suggests, single shower curtains have no divider and one piece of curtain that, upon pulling, will cover up the entire bathtub.

2. Double Shower Curtains

These shower curtains come in two pieces of curtains that act as a divider in the middle. Sort of window type functionality and typically used in larger bathing spaces. Not only they look good but they are also very easy to wash. From a decorative point of view, double curtains look good compared to single ones.

Advantages and Drawbacks

Here are some advantages and drawbacks of shower curtains. We’ve kept them short and brief just to give you a slight idea.

Pros

• Greater privacy as there is less scope for see-through
• Great for decorating your bathroom with a wide range of patterns
• Available in two options, single and double curtains, depending on your bathtub size
• Easy to clean and maintain durability

Cons

• Less functional as the main purpose is to serve visual aesthetics to your bathroom

Shower Liners

Made of vinyl, shower liners remain inside of the bathtub, unlike shower curtains. Shower liner is the protective part that keeps water from spilling out of the tub while shower curtains are the fancy decorative part. They also protect the shower curtain from getting wet as they are made of plastic.

Shower liners usually come in white but they also can be found in different shades of color. However, that should not matter much as their sole purpose is to keep the water from spilling out. Even if you do care about how they look, cheer up as plenty of decorative ones are available online.

Shower curtains are quite easy to wash if you have a washing machine at your disposal. However, drying them up is not a good idea. Cheap, highly functional, and easy to maintain — shower liner is a great piece of fabric to have to hang around your bathtub.

Types of Shower Liners

Basic categories of shower liners include vinyl, fabric, and plastic. However, there are some subcategories as well. The subcategories stem from the basic ones and rely highly on customer preference. We will be emphasizing more on the basic categories of shower liners.

1. Vinyl Shower Liners

When shopping for vinyl shower liners, look for the ones that are made of Ethylene or Polyethylene Vinyl Acetate as they are the safer ones. Normal ones are reported to be toxic and leave out chemicals like fragrance when unboxed. These are bad for the liver and your neurological health.

2. Fabric Shower Liners

These shower liners are expensive compared to the vinyl ones, but they live up to their price in terms of quality. Organic cotton or hemp is used in making these fabric shower liners, and they perform great as an alternative to vinyl liners. Some of the commercial fabric liners are waterproof and last for a longer period.

Advantages and the Drawbacks

If you ask about some advantages and disadvantages of shower liners, we’ll just break down a few things in a nutshell to you.

Pros

• Provides greater functionality in terms of keeping the water from spilling out
• Cheaper compared to shower curtains
• Easy to wash and maintain
• Minimalistic design that goes with any bathroom decoration

Cons

• Vinyl liners are bad for the liver and neurological health
• Plastic ones have fragrant chemicals when unboxed

Shower Curtain or Liner?

At a glance, there seems to be very little difference between these two. Now that we have a clear understanding of shower curtains and shower liners, it’s time to figure out which one’s the best between these. Although these differences might not seem like a big deal, they sure do make a difference while choosing either one.

Let’s consider the prime factors to draw further conclusions between the shower curtain and liner.

Privacy

If privacy is one of your main concerns, you should go for shower curtains. Shower curtains are not see-through and provide greater privacy. After the visual appearance, privacy is the next area of expertise for shower curtains.

Shower liners might have some degree of see-through tendency due to the plastic and vinyl materials that they are made of — making privacy less effective if used separately without a shower curtain.

Design

Shower liners possess a minimalistic look while shower curtains come in different patterns and designs so that you have the choice to fit in well with your bathroom decoration.

It is quite rare to find a shower liner that has a pattern on them as most of them are available in a solid color or are completely colorless. And why wouldn’t the shower curtain be superior here because its main purpose is to service visual aesthetics to your bathroom?

Functionality

The primary purpose of shower curtains is to provide visual aesthetics and the functionality of keeping water from spilling out.

On the other hand, the main purpose of shower liner is to avoid water from spilling outside of the bathtub, unlike shower curtains that provide visual appearance – making shower liners superior in this area of expertise.

Final Words

If visual lethality is what you are looking for in your bathroom, going for shower curtains is a great choice. On the other hand, shower liner is a smart move if the functionality is what you are chasing after. Whatever the hunt, by now, you might have enough knowledge when it comes to shower curtain vs liner.

Also, there is a third option, as well. If you are feeling like spending a little out of budget, then you should go for both. Get the visual look of shower curtains and the functionality of the shower liner for your bathtub. Both of them combined, maximizes the utilization of each.