Daily Showering Tip (5/24/05)...

Have you ever noticed that the shower curtain has a tendency to blow in and cling to your ankles while you're trying to take a shower? It's an annoying aspect of showering, but why does it happen? Well, there's a simple scientific explanation. You see, as the warm air generated by the hot shower water rises, that air is replaced by cooler air from outside the shower. Because the movement of this cool air is impeded by the shower curtain, the cool air pushes against the curtain and blows it against your ankles. One way to prevent this is to eliminate any temperature differentials between the outside and inside of the shower. In other words, if you heat the bathroom first, there will be no circulation of warm and cool air, and no blowing curtain. Unfortunately, with rising heating costs, you may want to use an alternative solution. The best alternative, I find, is to cut several 6-inch diameter holes throughout the shower curtain so that the cool air can easily pass through. Your bathroom floor will get wet, but your ankles will be unmolested.