# Why magnets at shower curtain bottoms? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 7, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-magnets-at-shower-curtain-bottoms/302837 "2005-05-07T18:21:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StephenH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@StephenH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StephenH)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-magnets-at-shower-curtain-bottoms/302837/1 "2005-05-07T18:21:57Z")
Why do they put “magnets” at the bottom of so many shower curtains? I could understand the idea of weights for stability and such… but why magnets? I don’t think I have ever seen a tub made out of metal, not to mention a magnetic one (nickel, cobalt, or iron). So why are they “magnets” instead of just weights? ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-magnets-at-shower-curtain-bottoms/302837/2 "2005-05-07T18:23:19Z")
My tub is ferromagnetic, and I doubt it’s custom-made. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-magnets-at-shower-curtain-bottoms/302837/3 "2005-05-07T18:29:56Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > My tub is ferromagnetic. Best pick-up line EVER. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-magnets-at-shower-curtain-bottoms/302837/4 "2005-05-07T18:31:14Z")
as a wild guess, would it be possible to attach a straight metal bar to the side of the tub at the appropriate point so that the magnets could stick to that?? ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-magnets-at-shower-curtain-bottoms/302837/5 "2005-05-07T19:15:55Z")
Long ago and far away, bathtubs were commonly made of cast iron. The best ones still are. Before fiberglass and acrylic got more affordable, cheap tubs were made of porcelain on steel. Therefore, if you have magnets in your shower curtain, it will stay in place if your tub is made of either of those materials. ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-magnets-at-shower-curtain-bottoms/302837/6 "2005-05-07T19:19:36Z")
My original bath was cast iron. When I had my bathroom renovated the Plumber told me to go out for an hour while he removed the old bath- with a sledgehammer. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-magnets-at-shower-curtain-bottoms/302837/7 "2005-05-07T19:21:43Z")
The shower curtains with magnets are made for porcelain tubs, which are made out of iron. Of course, the magnets will still work as weights for those with fiberglass tubs. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-magnets-at-shower-curtain-bottoms/302837/8 "2005-05-07T20:09:47Z")
> [@Cheez\_Whia](#): > > Long ago and far away, bathtubs were commonly made of cast iron. The best ones still are. Before fiberglass and acrylic got more affordable, cheap tubs were made of porcelain on steel. Therefore, if you have magnets in your shower curtain, it will stay in place if your tub is made of either of those materials. And keep the water from splashing all over the bathroom floor. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-magnets-at-shower-curtain-bottoms/302837/9 "2005-05-07T21:28:00Z")
The high-end tub manufacturers still offer porcelain on cast iron. They’re kinda pricey, and you need five men and boy to move one, but there’s a market for them. ---
**Author:** ![StephenH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@StephenH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StephenH)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-magnets-at-shower-curtain-bottoms/302837/10 "2005-05-07T21:52:39Z")
Thanks. I think that answered my question. I guess I have never seen a porcelain tub and I thought they were pretty much gone decades ago. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-magnets-at-shower-curtain-bottoms/302837/11 "2005-05-07T22:18:44Z")
Kohler’s most basic 5’ tub; the Villager, is cast iron. It’s cheap, lasts forever, and everyone knows how to install it. I much prefer cast iron for it’s heat retention. ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-magnets-at-shower-curtain-bottoms/302837/12 "2005-05-07T23:09:56Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > And keep the water from splashing all over the bathroom floor. _Az-actically!_ ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-magnets-at-shower-curtain-bottoms/302837/13 "2005-05-08T15:22:38Z")
> [@StephenH](#): > > I guess I have never seen a porcelain tub and I thought they were pretty much gone decades ago. They’re not being manufactured in such large quantities any more, sure, but that doesn’t mean the old ones have gone away. It’s not like tubs wear out particularly fast, so any building built before 1950 or so is almost guaranteed to still have a porcelain tub.