I’ve already shared with you our plans for the bathroom (and the progress we’ve made), but the bathroom is hiding a deep, dark secret…
…another shower curtain behind our shower curtain.
That doesn’t seem so bad, does it? Truth be told, it is not the best solution. During the past few weeks of living here, we’ve noticed a few issues with this shower curtain in the window. The first is that if the water pressure is too high, there’s a little bit of wind and she mini shower curtain sticks to you. That’s not a deal breaker but it is annoying. The second is that it makes the shower feel tinier than it is (and seeing as it’s from the 1930′s, it’s already pretty tiny).
The third issue is, well…
… to be blunt, it’s gross.
Clearly, the curtain bar was not meant to be used in a room with so much humidity and moisture. We’ve kept it thus far because removing the curtain would have meant that we would be giving the neighbors a free show. That is not something I am interested in. I am glad to report that this weekend, I tackled this little project and no shows were given. That rusty bar is a thing of the past – and the bathroom feels better already!
On Saturday morning, I took a mini trip to Home Depot to return the first lock we purchased for our apartment door. While I was there, I also picked up a roll of window film. Last week, I had spent some time researching different film options and how well they worked. In the end, I felt that Light Effects has the best reviews so I grabbed a 24″ x 26″ roll in Texture 12 and headed home.
The first step, after pushing back the curtain, was wiping down the window. It’s a double window so that condensation is stuck in there but that’s okay because it’s sort of hidden now.
With the window clean, I took some measurements and cut the roll to size. I left it a little long on all the sides since it’s easier to trim down than add back.
The instructions call for spraying a mixture of water and dishwashing liquid on the window before adding the film. We only have one spray bottle, and that’s filled with a store-brand windex. Rather than dump it out and replace it with soap and water, I borrowed the spray nozzle and grabbed a mason jar. Creativity at its finest.
Applying the window film is an incredibly easy thing to do. You basically spray the window with the water/soap mixture, separate the backing from the film (I used two pieces of tape to pull them apart and it worked very well), and place it on the window. From there, you can just slide it around until you’ve got it where you want (I used the untrimmed corner as a guide) and then spray some more of the water/soap mixture on top of the film.
The package included a squeegee to remove all of the air bubbles and the moisture added on the top really makes things easier. I tried to squeegee before adding the water and it was not so great.
Once you’ve got things lined up and bubble free, it’s time to trim. I just used an x-acto blade to trim the excess. Clearly, I am not the best at cutting in straight lines (which I proved in my high school photography classes) but that’s okay because no one will know… except me… and now you guys.
Removing the curtain rod was another simple process.
Now, we’ve got a great set up in the shower. There’s no longer a curtain to whack against us but the film still offers us privacy while letting in a lot of light. Joe and I opted not to cover the top window because it’s so high up. Besides, it’s nice to have a view of the tree tops.
Did you tackle any home projects this weekend? Perhaps tried your luck with window film? Have you had good luck with it?
Oooh, Instagram mystery revealed! I’m a huge fan of window film. Unfortunately window film is not a huge fan of me. We once tried to apply it to the glass fronts of the kitchen cabinets and it was a total fail. Will have to try one more time…
I was nervous about it, too, seeing as it’s inside the shower versus just a bathroom window but it’s holding up really well so far. I would definitely looking into this brand of window film (it was also available on amazon).
Thanks, I’ll have to check it out on Amazon. I think the quality had a lot to do with the fail (it was really cheap at Ikea so I figured I’d give it a try, and if it didn’t work I’d only lose a couple of bucks).
My flat in France had a massssive window with no covering. Nobody could see in (we were really high up, facing a cliff) but it still felt funny to shower in front of a large window!
We’re on the second floor and the houses behind us are at an angle so I doubt they see us in the bathroom, but the film definitely makes me feel better :)
Smart solution. I like it.
Nice solution! I didn’t do too much, except I did start to switch out some things for spring…I’m willing it to come our way! :)
We put window film in our bathroom window too!! :-) It has been working out great (although, not IN the shower, it is right next to it)
Love this solution! We used window film in our bathroom too to replace some old mini blinds. I love the difference it made- such a cleaner, brighter look! We got lots of home projects done this past weekend- it was finally a productive one!
My question is this: When you go outside and look at the window, can you see an outline of the figure in the shower. My grand daughter would still find this to be too revealing!
I think we’re pretty well hidden thanks in part to the film’s texture. Since we’re not standing next to the window our shapes are fairly distorted but being on the second floor really helps in terms of privacy (none of our neighbors have a window facing ours).
That is probably the least private of the films available, you can see the other options at Home Depot or they have even more films at HomeDepot.com
We checked out the other options at Home Depot but ended up liking this film the best. Since we’re on the second floor of our apartment, and there are no houses that can see into our bathroom, it didn’t feel like we needed to get the most opaque. My shoulders barely hit the window so that’s probably why I’m not too nervous about it.
So much better than the sticky curtain on your back, lol! Great thinking!
Eww… old nast curtain all up on you in the shower! So glad you found a great solution! Sometimes I wish we had a window in the shower, but other times, not so much ;)