The History of the Shower Curtain

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A shower curtain has become a necessity that few households are without. All homes are built today with showers already installed, thus creating a need for a shower curtain. It is strange then that the first showers were not even a part of indoor plumbing. People used natural waterfalls for bathing in some areas. This idea was then harnessed and refined as the need for plumbing grew.

Mankind was content for a while to wash themselves in basins, this water had to be brought in and then ultimately removed when soiled. Ancient man knew the benefits of the shower and began to attempt the reproduction of this natural phenomenon. It started with pour jugs of water over the person's head to rinse away dirt and lather. Eventually however there came the bucket and pulley system bathhouse. These were built as little stand-alone enclosures that allowed the person to enter bath and at the end pull a chain overhead to tip a bucket of water over him or herself.

The first shower curtains or bath curtains as they were called were made of cloth. The freestanding bathtubs were outfitted with a poles attached to a circular rod that held a curtain to afford the bather privacy. The first showers were these self contained units only the water was reused several times since they still had to physically remove the water and replenish it.

Initially the curtain was just for privacy and not coated to be water resistant as showers began to be moved into the main house instead of housed in a separate unit the need to keep the water off the floors arose. The refining of different curtain materials and weaves lead to the first mostly water-resistant shower curtains.

Today you can find shower curtains made from fabrics still but they are almost always used in conjunction with a vinyl backing or inner curtain to keep the water inside the tub. At one time it was believed that with the innovation of the enclosed showers that were not attached to a tub that shower curtains would soon become obsolete. That hasn't happened and it may never. Though the Western Culture are into making their hygiene as quick as possible there will likely always be those who prefer to take a bath.

And having a way to ensure privacy in that bath will still be seen as a priority. The shower curtain has a good chance for a great future. Shower curtains come on a variety of fabrics and styles. Whatever your decorating taste are you can find the perfect shower curtain to accommodate that flair. When designing the dcor of a bathroom the shower curtain becomes of major importance since it is used to frame the tub and its fixtures.

There are inexpensive shower curtains that can be purchased at the local discount store or you pay large sums for shower curtains made to order. They come with genuine gold trim for the right price. Whatever your need or budget you can find a shower curtain to suit your taste.