Bathroom Curtains in Goa

A glass partition is the tidier answer in a new bathroom, but it costs a renovation and it still needs squeegeeing. A good shower curtain does most of the same work, can be changed in five minutes, and suits rented flats, older houses and homestays where nobody wants to drill into a tiled wall that may be hiding pipes.

What separates a curtain that works from one that floods the floor is fit. It should hang from a rod or ceiling track just inside the shower area, finish one to two centimetres above the floor, and be about a fifth wider than the opening so it can sit in soft folds and still overlap the wall at both ends. A weighted hem stops it billowing in towards you when the hot water runs.

For the shower itself we use tightly woven polyester with a water-repellent finish. It looks like fabric rather than plastic sheeting, lets water run off, and can be washed warm to clear soap residue — which is what mould actually feeds on. Plastic liners cost little but go cloudy and stiff, and they trap water in their folds.

At the window, the curtain only sees steam, so the choice is wider: light polyester, a poly-cotton blend or a sheer with a privacy lining. Avoid linen and heavy cotton here. They are lovely elsewhere in the house, but they hold moisture, crease into permanent damp folds and are the first fabrics to spot with mildew in July.

Most bathroom windows are small, high or both, so a full-length curtain rarely makes sense. Sill-length works for windows above a bath; a café curtain on a rod across the middle of the window keeps privacy below while the top half stays open for light and air. If the window sits over the basin, keep the hem at least a hand's width above the tap.

If the window faces a lane or a neighbour's window, check it at night with the bathroom light on before choosing the fabric. What looks opaque by day can show every movement after dark. A tighter weave or a thin lining solves it without making the room dark in the morning.

Leave the shower curtain drawn flat across the opening after use, not bunched to one side; spread out, it dries in a fraction of the time. Wash it every few weeks in the monsoon and whenever the hem starts to darken. Having two shower curtains per bathroom — one up, one in the wash — is a small habit that makes a big difference, especially in rental properties.