"antibacterial" shower curtain on bed

[janellesmommy]

I'm upset. I bought a vinyl shower curtain to put on the bed, over the good sheets and under the old sheets. When I took it out of the package, I noticed a film on it. Then I noticed the package says "antibacterial. resists germs, mildew, and mold."

Is this something to worry about touching my sheets?

[HarperRose]

eW! iT WILL PROBABLY WASH OFF THE SHEETS, BUT ew! i'LL HAVE TO WATCH FOR THAT WHEN i GO GET MY CURTAIN.

Dangit. DS had caps lock on.

[janellesmommy]

Yes, but the point was to not have to wash the sheets underneath. I guess I could put an additional sheet under it to protect the good sheets.

[AuntG]

It's probably more to do with the type of plastic its made from. I'm sure it's not covered in something that would transfer to your sheets. Besides, why would you not want anti-bacterial sheets?

[pamamidwife]

I would think it's fine, but you can rinse it in vinegar and hang it outside to dry - at least to air it out. The fumes from those things are nasty!

[HarperRose]

Originally Posted by janellesmommy

Yes, but the point was to not have to wash the sheets underneath. I guess I could put an additional sheet under it to protect the good sheets.

Oh, duh.

Wash it first. They stink to high heaven anyway!

[wobit]

I might even be more worried about the vinyl itself than the antimicrobials which may or may not be impregnated in it. Antimicrobials contribute to antibiotic resistance and repeated use will lead to an odd, unbalanced personal flora, which is bad because we all need our good healthy microbes!

But vinyl is just awful awful stuff - a manufacturing and disposal nightmare, and that bad smell is it off-gassing. It's releasing "VOCs" which are volatile organic chemicals, some of which are hormone mimics known to disrupt fetal development. PVC is the manufacturing name, it stands for polyvinylchloride. Do your best to avoid vinyl, especially new vinyl!
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/ask/vocs

[janellesmommy]

I'm going to return it. I found one without the gunk on it for $2.33 at Walmart. It was actually a visible film that rubbed off on my fingers when I touched the shower curtain.

I am going to rinse and hang this new one out to dry and outgas in the sun.