“The shower curtain that sold my house”
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The Recommendation

July 18, 2025

The case for an extra-long shower curtain

Two photos of a burgundy shower curtain hanging from a golden shower rod in a gray marble tile-walled bathroom, opened (left) and closed (right).
NYT Wirecutter

One of the easiest ways to heighten a room is to mount curtains as high as possible — it’s an age-old interior design hack. Though this trick is perhaps most often used in living rooms and bedrooms, another place where this small tweak can make a big difference? The loo.

For example, when writer Ivy Elrod was recently trying to sell her house, she realized her bathroom needed a makeover, stat. “Instead of the chic, minimalist vibes I was going for, the bathroom read as bleak, sad — glimmers of Psycho, even,” she writes. “The ceiling appeared so low, I subconsciously ducked as I looked at the listing photos.”

Ivy turned to her Hail Mary, this waffle weave curtain. Its mild sheen feels crisp and looks expensive, and its heft makes the curtain hang elegantly. But arguably its most compelling feature? Its extra-long length, which allows for much higher mounting.

“I elevated the rod and unfurled the fabric, and when my 9-year-old daughter walked into the bathroom, she casually asked if we had moved the ceilings up while she was at school,” Ivy writes. “For a little more than $25, the curtain was already raising the roof.”

An easy way to take your bathroom from sad to elevated→

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One last thing: Squeegee your shower every time you use it (sorry)

A canister of Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Grime Fighter next to a can of Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser on the edge of a tub along with gloves, a scrub brush, a microfiber cloth, and a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.
Caroline Mullen/NYT Wirecutter

Showers are damp, humid areas that don’t always have the chance to dry out completely between uses, so they’re especially prone to mold and mildew growth — not to mention a filmy, grungy layer of soap scum.

The best way to tackle those pesky accumulations is to perform regular maintenance. A quick squeegee every time you use the shower (yep, every time) will significantly reduce the need for deep cleans to just about once a quarter.

The best way to clean a shower→

A weekly nudge to keep everything in your home squeaky clean from Wirecutter's experts.

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