This is Why Your Curtain Liner Likes to Stick to You in the Shower — And How to Stop It
It may not be one of our world’s biggest problems, but it’s a little irritating: you’re taking a nice, calm shower and you feel something tap your leg. It’s the curtain liner, come to disturb you in the midst of all your deep thinking, and it’s clinging to your soapy skin.
Why do our liners insist on clinging? Believe it or not, scientists have tried to answer this very question. Some tried to posit that water temperature had an effect, but the problem persisted in hot or cold water. In 2001, David Schmidt, assistant professor University of Massachusetts Amherst, got serious. Using an advanced computer software and a “simulated” shower situation, Schmidt landed on a partial answer.
Schmidt found that the spray from your showerhead creates a low-pressure, cyclone-like vortex, he explained on Scientific American. Like a cyclone (think: Wizard of Oz), the rotating pressure from the spray pulls the shower curtain inward. However, this is not an intense vortex, so Schmidt acknowledges that the effect is most pronounced in showers with light liners and high water-pressure. If you have a weaker spray or a heavier curtain, you should be able to shower without batting the liner away every five minutes.
How to Keep Your Shower Curtain Liner In Place
We may not be the scientists running the model, but we can make some recommendations for how to secure the liner in your bathroom. Because the vortex is very weak, shower magnets or weights should be able to eliminate this issue if it’s bothering you.
These brilliant clips use adhesive tape to stick to your shower wall and secure your liner.
It’s simple, but effective. If you have a metal tub, you can use these magnets to keep the bottom of your liner against the side of your bathtub.
If you like the idea of magnets but don’t have a magnetic tub, this self-adhesive “shower lock” solution will work for you.
When buying a new liner, shop for one with a weighted bottom. Depending on how heavy, you may still need a clip or magnet but it will certainly make it easier to manage.