The Best Shower Curtains

We started our research by scouring user reviews, online discussions, and offerings from well-regarded companies. We mainly focused on standard-size shower curtains, which usually measure about 72 by 72 inches. Other sizes include long (72 by 84 inches), extra-long (72 by 96 inches or larger), and stall (54 by 78 inches). A standard tub-and-shower combo curtain measures around 72 by 60 inches.

I also spoke with experts at the New York City Department of Sanitation and FCC Environmental Services to learn about where discarded shower curtains end up (the landfill). And I interviewed a professional house cleaner to discuss best cleaning practices.

From there, we came up with a list of 48 shower curtains, which we then winnowed down to 18 curtains using the following considerations:

• Style/colors: We looked both for classic, neutral shower curtains and for curtains featuring bright colors and patterns.
• Cost: We recognize that most people aren’t budgeting big money for a shower curtain, so we wanted to provide options at a wide range of prices.
• Materials: We considered shower curtains made of high-quality natural or synthetic fibers and, to a limited extent, vinyl. We steered clear of any shower curtains made of PVC because this type of vinyl off-gasses toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and phthalates. We were mindful of the negative environmental and health impacts from microplastics and toxic chemicals found in synthetic fabrics and certain types of vinyl.
• Care and maintenance: We looked for low-maintenance shower curtains that were machine-washable or that could be gently scrubbed clean, and we steered clear of shower curtains that called for dry cleaning.
• Durability: We sought shower curtains that would resist wear and tear and last a long time, for the sake of your wallet and the environment.
• Stock and availability: We searched for shower curtains that seemed to be reliably available, and we eliminated several based on stock issues.

I’m disabled and use a wheelchair, so I enlisted an assistant to help with the more physical aspects of testing:

• A close inspection: We spread each shower curtain out on the floor and examined it by hand, noting how the material felt, details of the texture and design, the evenness of the hook holes, and the overall construction. We measured each one, comparing it to the listed dimensions.
• The laundry test: We then put each shower curtain through the washer (cold water) and dryer (low heat, tumble-dry) twice, and we remeasured the dimensions to calculate shrinkage. We also paid attention to any wear and tear that happened in the laundry machines.
• The drying test: We poured a cup of water on each shower curtain and timed how long it took to dry. Even if you use a liner, shower curtains may still get damp, depending on how careful you are while showering or how steamy the room gets. How fast a curtain dries is important, especially if you live in humid climates or have a bathroom with poor air circulation.
• Using it: Lastly, we hung up each shower curtain in my small, poorly ventilated bathroom (noting how easy or painful the hanging process was), and I took a shower with each one. I didn’t use a liner during this test because I wanted to see whether a shower curtain alone could prevent water from leaving the tub and how well it would dry after getting drenched.

Top pick

Threshold Waffle Weave Shower Curtain

Neutral and spa-like

This affordable shower curtain will fit well in any bathroom. It’s machine-washable and made from a durable cotton-polyester waffle weave, but when we used it without a liner, it took longer to dry than our all-cotton picks.

Buying Options

$25 from Target

The Threshold Waffle Weave Shower Curtain is a stylish and versatile curtain that provides a spa-like feel at an affordable price. It comes in white, gray, soft pink, and muted teal—so plenty of options to coordinate with the decor of most bathrooms.

It’s well made and classic. The cotton-polyester material has a nice heft to it, and the curtain’s even, strong stitching withstood repeated laundering in my apartment building’s very old (and far from gentle) washer and dryer. This curtain also gives a bathroom that classic spa look.

It’s easy to hang and take down. This shower curtain has metal grommets, as opposed to unreinforced buttonholes; the grommets made the always-arduous process of hanging and taking down a curtain significantly easier.

It’s easy to care for. You can toss it in the washer as well as the dryer, though it will probably shrink somewhat.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It shrinks quite a bit. After we put this shower curtain through two laundry cycles (cold-water wash, low-heat tumble dry), we found the width shrank by 2 inches and the length by 4 inches. These new dimensions were still more than adequate for our bathtub setup, but those lost inches may be a dealbreaker for you.

It stays wet longer. If you’re not using a liner, know that the thickness of the fabric (which lends the curtain its luxurious feel) also lengthens the time it takes the curtain to dry (just under six hours for us).

Specs:

• Listed size: 72 by 72 inches
• Size of our test sample out of the package: 72 by 72 inches
• Size after washing: 70 by 68 inches
• Materials: 60% cotton, 40% polyester (white, pink, teal); 30% cotton, 70% polyester (gray)
• Colors: white, gray, pink, teal
• Cleaning instructions: Machine-wash and tumble-dry this shower curtain.

Top pick

Brooklinen Shower Curtain

Quick-drying cotton

This shower curtain comes in four modern patterns. It can be used without a liner, and it’s machine-washable, so it’s one of our lower-maintenance (but pricier) picks.

Buying Options

$55 from Brooklinen

The Brooklinen Shower Curtain is a lightweight, 100% cotton curtain that comes in four modern and cheery patterns (including the Oxford Stripe one we tested). We think it would look good in almost any bathroom.

It dries so fast, you can skip the liner. Other fabric shower curtains we tested without using a liner took hours to dry, but the Brooklinen was mostly dry in minutes. The lightweight cotton fabric is tightly woven, and it prevented water leakage so well that we suspected it might have been treated with a waterproof coating; the company promises it was not. We dumped water on this curtain and sprayed it using the showerhead; the water mostly just beaded and rolled off, absorbing minimally.

It doesn’t shrink much. After two rounds in the laundry, this shower curtain lost only 3 inches in width and 1¾ inches in length—not bad for a curtain that’s 100% cotton (only the Anthropologie Agneta and Crate & Barrel Kasura curtains shrank less, but just barely).

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It’s pricey. This curtain costs almost three times as much as the Threshold Waffle Weave Shower Curtain (depending on sales).

It’s not for the shy. This curtain is airy and lightweight enough to feel like a bed sheet hanging in your bathroom, and that means your body’s outline could be visible through it. If you need an opaque layer between you and the world while you’re showering, we recommend adding our shower-liner pick.

It wrinkles. After machine-washing and -drying this shower curtain twice, it was quite wrinkled, more so than any of our other picks. (It smoothed out with the steam from a hot shower.)

It has buttonhole loops. We don’t think these will be a dealbreaker for most people, but they are more cumbersome to put on and take off of hooks than metal grommets—especially if you like to launder your curtains often.

Specs:

• Listed size: 72 by 72 inches
• Size of our test sample out of the package: 71¾ by 72¾ inches
• Size after washing: 68¾ by 71 inches
• Materials: 100% cotton
• Colors: four graphic patterns
• Cleaning instructions: Machine-wash this curtain on cool or warm cycle; line-dry or dry on low heat and low tumble cycle.

Top pick

Quiet Town Sun Shower

Colorful vinyl

This heavyweight clear vinyl curtain comes in a wide array of colors. You can use it by itself or as a liner. It’s not machine-washable, though.

Buying Options

$34 from Quiet Town

The Quiet Town Sun Shower brings an edgy splash of color to your bathroom in the form of a brightly hued, transparent shower curtain. It can be used alone or as a liner with a fabric shower curtain.

It comes in cheery colors. This curtain comes in a wide array of modern color options, from subtle peach to bright yellow (you can also get it in dual colors, but you’ll have to pay more). If you want to first see the colors in person, you can get a swatch card for $5.

It won’t shrink or wrinkle. Unlike our fabric shower curtain recommendations, this curtain will never shrink or get wrinkly. But you’ll also have to clean it by hand, which you can mostly do while it’s hanging.

It’s made with heavy-duty, PVC-free materials. The Sun Shower curtain is made of sturdy, thick EVA (a safer, phthalate- and chlorine-free alternative to PVC vinyl). The material is also BPA-free and, according to Quiet Town, “non-chlorinated (zero off-gassing).” (We can’t confirm this claim.) The curtain has large brass grommets, which are easy to hook.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It’s not machine-washable. Though you can likely get away with spot-cleaning the Quiet Town curtain most of the time, the manufacturer recommends regular deep cleaning to keep it free of mildew. However, you can’t just throw this curtain in the washing machine and call it a day. The suggested cleaning protocol involves taking down the curtain, laying it flat, spraying it with cleanser, gently scrubbing it with a soft brush, and rinsing it clean. If you’d rather machine-wash your shower curtain, then this curtain may not be for you.

It won’t hide your shower mess. While testing the Sun Shower curtain, I quickly learned that I could no longer use my shower curtain to conceal my shower’s messy interior from guests, a surprising downside for me.

Specs:

• Listed size: 72 by 72 inches
• Size of our test sample out of the package: 71½ by 72 inches
• Materials: 100% EVA
• Colors: 12 solid colors
• Cleaning instructions: With the first sign of soapy residue, wipe the curtain clean with a gentle spray cleaner, and gently scrub with a soft brush.

Top pick

Parachute Turkish Shower Curtain

Beautifully textured cotton

This high-quality, striped cotton shower curtain is expensive. But it immediately elevates any space while carrying out its main function: keeping water where it’s supposed to be.

Buying Options

$99 from Parachute

The luxurious cotton Parachute Turkish Shower Curtain made me feel like I was bathing in a beach house and not in a dingy New York City apartment.

It’s pretty and made of high-quality materials. Woven from long-staple Turkish cotton, this shower curtain is a pleasure to touch, with gorgeously textured slate gray stripes and hand-knotted white tassels along the bottom. It’s expensive, but it’s still a lot cheaper than similar curtains we tested—like the Coyuchi Rippled Curtain.

It’s sturdier than it looks. Ignoring the Parachute laundering instructions—wash on a delicate cycle using a mesh bag, and line-dry—we decided to replicate the conditions of a typical person’s busy life. We washed the curtain as we did all the others we tested: with a full load of laundry, in a regular wash cycle on cold, and tumble-dry on low. This shower curtain fared better than others, which bled dye or developed loose threads. We noticed some shrinkage, but the curtain was oversize to begin with, so it ended up just under the listed dimensions.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It’s our most expensive pick. Perhaps the biggest drawback with the Parachute Turkish Shower Curtain is the price.

If you use it without a liner, it will take a while to dry. After I poured a cup of water on the curtain, it remained damp for six hours. Still, when I showered at night with this curtain (which kept the water in the tub, even without a liner), it was fully dry by the next morning. And there was no hint of a mildew smell.

It has buttonhole loops. Again, we think for most people this is primarily a style preference, but loops are more cumbersome to put on and take off of hooks than metal grommets are.

Specs:

• Listed size: 72 by 72 inches
• Size of our test sample out of the package: 73 by 76 inches (including the fringe)
• Size after washing: 71½ by 71½ inches
• Materials: 100% cotton
• Colors: gray, ochre
• Cleaning instructions: With this curtain, spot-clean or machine-wash cold, on the delicate cycle, in a mesh laundry bag; line-dry to avoid shrinkage, or tumble-dry on low in a mesh laundry bag. (To get the most life out of this curtain, we’d recommend following these directions.)

Top pick

Maytex Water Repellent Fabric Shower Curtain Liner

Affordable and washable

This washable polyester shower liner resists soap scum better than flimsy plastic liners, and it’s thick enough to double as a standalone shower curtain.

Buying Options

$12 from Amazon

$8 from Home Depot

$11 from Walmart

Shower curtain liners are great for extending the life of any shower curtain, and they’re especially useful if your curtain doesn’t dry quickly or you have a poorly ventilated bathroom. We recommend the Maytex Water Repellent Fabric Shower Curtain Liner.

It’s affordable and low-maintenance. Of the four polyester liners we looked at, the Maytex liner was the least expensive. The Maytex liner is inexpensive enough that you could replace it every couple of months without breaking the bank, but it’s durable enough that you probably won’t have to. It’s machine-washable, and the fabric is surprisingly breathable (for polyester), so it’s better at warding off mildew and soap scum than many other liners we tested. The Maytex liner also has weights in the two bottom corners, and they do a pretty good job of holding the curtain flat inside your shower.

It can serve as a standalone curtain. The liner is 100% polyester fabric (which is more breathable and curtain-like than plastic liners), and it could pass as a basic, standalone shower curtain. It comes in three color options (white, off-white, and black), so it can add a layer of personalization that’s hard to find in liners (most come only in white).

Top pick

Amazer Shower Curtain Hooks

A simple-to-use hook

These hooks slide smoothly along a curtain rod, can easily fit a curtain and its liner, and come in tons of colors.

Buying Options

$7 from Amazon

$14 from Walmart

If you want hooks that just work, we recommend the Amazer Shower Curtain Hooks.

Generously sized and durable. These shower curtain hooks were slightly larger than other pear-shaped, rolling shower curtain rings. So there was plenty of room to hang even the thickest shower curtains on rods of any size. And their steel and nickel loops felt more durable than those of competitors. These hooks come in more than a dozen colors and finishes, so you should be able to find a set to suit your style.

Shower curtains

If you want an all-cotton shower curtain that comes in extra-long sizes: A previous upgrade pick, the Crate & Barrel Pebble Matelassé White Shower Curtain is a white, all-cotton shower curtain with a pebbled texture. It comes in an extra-long size (84 inches). And it will imbue any bathroom with an air of luxury—its price reflects that. We thought the Target Waffle Weave Shower Curtain provided a similar feel for a quarter of the price. This Crate & Barrel shower curtain is Oeko-Tex 100 certified.

If you want a shower curtain with a fun, playful design: The larger-than-life floral print on Target’s Room Essentials Exploded Graphic Shower Curtain adds cheer to any bathroom. This curtain was the least expensive we tested, and its thin fabric, a blend of cotton and recycled polyester, felt like it. There were a few loose threads after laundering, but it otherwise held up well and had minimal shrinkage. This shower curtain is Oeko-Tex 100 certified.

Shower hooks

If you have a thick shower curtain: The Maytex Metal Double Roller Glide Shower Curtain Rings consist of two open hooks that hold the liner and curtain separately. Unlike most rings, the Maytex rings don’t have hardware that opens and closes. And the wider spacing also helps separate two layers (great for thick curtains). But in our tests, vinyl liners or lighter-weight shower curtains often popped off the hooks, and this might be a dealbreaker for homes with small children.

If you frequently launder your shower curtain: When we were repeatedly hanging and taking down the shower curtains, we found it was easier to use the Made by Design Hook Without Roller Ball Shower Curtain Rings. Because these hooks don’t close, some might find them to be less secure, especially if they’re being used with both a shower curtain and liner.

You should buy the shower curtain that you’re most likely to clean. If taking the curtain down every two weeks or once a month (depending on how well ventilated your bathroom is) and throwing it in the laundry sounds doable, buy a fabric shower curtain or liner. If you’re more likely to scrub the soap scum off the curtain in the shower, then a vinyl shower curtain or liner might be the better choice. The best way to extend your shower curtain’s lifespan is to prevent mildew and bacteria growth by cleaning the curtain regularly according to the instructions on the label. Joyce Barber, a professional house cleaner, recommends putting the shower curtain in the laundry or wiping it down with cleaning fluid (depending on the material) at the first sign of grime. (To help you get started, we have a step-by-step guide to cleaning your shower curtain.) We also suggest that you run a fan (or open a window) after showering, to dry the area more quickly.

When it comes to shower curtains, the best thing you can do for the environment is to take care of your curtain so you can use it for as long as possible. Despite what companies may say, most municipal recycling centers don’t accept vinyl (PVC, PEVA, or EVA) and many plastic shower curtains. (Curtains can also get tangled in the sorting machines.)

If you want to avoid buying unnecessary plastics altogether, we recommend that you buy a shower curtain made of thick or tightly woven cotton or another natural fiber and forgo the liner. Even though woven polyester lasts longer than its vinyl counterpart, it is still plastic. Depending on the climate you live in and how well ventilated your bathroom is, you may still decide to use a liner. But when we tested our cotton or cotton-blend shower curtain picks in my small, windowless, fanless New York City bathroom, we found that all of them (except the Anthropologie pick) prevented water from leaving the shower.

And if you have a vinyl shower curtain or liner that’s reached the end of its lifespan, consider repurposing it as a picnic or painting tarp, a bike or outdoor furniture cover, or even a poncho.

The Coyuchi Rippled Stripe Organic Shower Curtain in black and ivory has a beautiful pattern and texture. But during testing it kept going in and out of stock. It also comes in white and black.

We liked the three shower curtains we tested from Urban Outfitters (the Camille Floral Shower Curtain, the Kiko Shower Curtain, and the Myla Floral Shower Curtain), but they constantly went in and out of stock.

Of the curtains we tested this time around, Target’s Threshold Stripe Shower Curtain (a previous pick) saw some of the worst shrinkage, losing a whopping 5½ inches in width and 4 inches in length.

We were intrigued by the Outlines Shower Liner System, a subscription-based system that aims to recycle used liners, rather than throwing them in the landfill. Outlines’ shower curtains have a top part made of cotton and a bottom part made of non-toxic PEVA that you can trade in as needed to be recycled. While we love that Outlines has figured out how to recycle PEVA, we think a disposable (albeit recyclable) option isn’t the answer. Maintaining the shower curtain or liner you have is the most sustainable thing you can do.

The Geometric Watercolor Shower Curtain from artist Tina Carroll is a top seller on Etsy; although we liked its vibrant colors, we didn’t love the 100% polyester material. And returns are generally not accepted—at this price, that isn’t a small commitment.

The Jungalow Soleil Shower Curtain by Justina Blakeney is a cotton shower curtain that’s lined on the inside with polyester, but we found that water went straight through it. The cotton layer also shrank slightly more than the polyester in the laundry, so the liner was visible at the bottom.

Society6 offers more than a hundred design and pattern options, and the company works with independent artists. But we read too many negative reviews about uneven print quality and a confusing return process to feel comfortable recommending this company’s shower curtains. Also, the one we tested—Soft Shapes by City Art—was not waterproof, and water from the shower sprayed straight through it, despite its being 100% polyester.

This article was edited by Daniela Gorny and Christine Ryan.