One Frugal Thing — My “New” Shower Curtain Rod
by Katy on July 22, 2025 · 29 comments
My husband and I bought our house in 1996 when every teeny purchase was a painful decision, which is how I concretely remember that our shower curtain rod was from that era. Unfortunately, time has taken its toll on poor ol’ Rusty Rod. Mind you, it was still functional, so it only truly bothered me a couple times a year when I remembered to look up. I considered painting over the rust, but knew it would only be a temporary fix, as the rolling metal curtain rings would wear away any paint.
Hardly a highlight in my 111-year-old home.
Here’s a bigger picture. The shower curtain was thrifted for maybe $3.99 and the shower curtain rings were 25¢ from a long forgotten garage sale.
So when someone in my Buy Nothing group offered a “new” shower curtain rod, I enthusiastically raised my hand for digital dibs.
Better, right?
So. Much. Better! I hadn’t realized how much the old rod annoyed me until it was no longer in my sight line.
I joke about having a second blog called “The Inoffensive Decorator” where I highlight household decor projects that replace something ugly with something neutral. Behold the inoffensive shower curtain rod!
I love that this project put someone’s unwanted item back into use, and that my acquisition of said item didn’t prompt the manufacture of something new.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
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{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Such an improvement and now you can enjoy your shower without thinking about that icky rod.
So.much.better. Awesome, Katy!
We had a lovely Christmas in July day on Saturday. I started the day with listening to Christmas music while I cleaned. We had a turkey in the freezer that went into the roaster, and it was delicious with lots of leftovers for future meals! We had a great dinner with my family, best friend, and her twin, then we visited while a movie played in the background (The Best Christmas Pageant Ever provided by my friend’s Starz – definitely recommend – so free!).
I’ve filled 3 saving envelopes and have half of another one.
I wanted to go for a drive last night, just to get out of the house, so my hubby suggested I find some books to donate to a little free library. That cured my wanderlust. 😉
Spent time with my free hobbies – cross stitching, reading, and enjoying my porch!
Made my postpartum daughter (and my son and I) some of her favorite breakfast treats – Copy Cat Starbuck Egg Bites. My husband found reduced eggs and cheese, cheap chopped ham pieces, and cottage cheese. This makes over 90 of the mini bites, which will keep us all in breakfast for at least a week for less than $9. I don’t go to Starbucks, but I imagine that $9 wouldn’t buy many there.
Continue to work all the overtime I can stand and trying to think of other ways to make money when I can, but I have a hard time giving up my free time, especially with the new baby.
I made it on our local tv news this morning! When Joe Snedeker (our wild and crazy meterologist) first arrived at the borough park, he was shaking hands with people. As he approached me, I stuck out my arm (I had sent him a picture right after I got the tattoo) and his eyes got real wide and he says, “You are her!”
I’ve included the link for the newscast. The clip is right near the beginning of the broadcast. Unfortunately I couldn’t just get the little segment, it’s the whole broadcast, but it’s right at the beginning of the clip. It isn’t too far into the live clip at the park where Joe shows my tattoo and I briefly tell why I got it. As for the “mustache,” this year’s theme for his 28th year of this fundraiser is the “Stache for Cash.” I crocheted myself a mustache and rigged it with quilting thread to hang from my ears. I’m wearing a yellow shirt with large flowers on it. Hope you enjoy!
https://www.wnep.com/video/news/live_stream/newswatch-16-am-7-9-am/523-f9b51864-2b70-4bdc-9ca3-17c6f3c899a7
Hey, Melissa, great story and great tattoo! Thanks for the link!
A. Marie – Welcome
Melissa, how fun! Now we have a face to go along with your name. Enjoy your fame!
Wow, a star walks among us! Thanks for sharing Melissa, great you got to meet him
I love it!!!!! Great quote and a super fun segment to watch, thank you so much for sharing it!
Melissa, I was more than a little surprised when I started reading your post as I live in Bloomsburg! It’s fun to realize that another reader of Katy’s lives so nearby!
OK, now I have shower rod envy. Mine came with the house when DH and I bought it 40 years ago, and it’s only a little less grody than Katy’s old one. I’ll start keeping an eye peeled at my usual ports of call.
This is becoming the weirdest iteration of “keeping up with the Joneses” ever! 😉
When I was living in my guest cottage, the tension shower curtain rod always fell down and bonked my head mid-shower. I was so proud of myself when I drilled holes into the ceramic tile to install a new rod.
The new rod makes the entire room look better – well done. I also love the shower curtain.
Thanks, I’m oddly excited by this new addition to the room.
Nice! Curious, though … any plans for the old rod? Somewhere in the basement?? Outside to hang plants from?? Free pile??
Maybe a metal scrapper would pick it up?
Some 25 years ago, plastic slip covers were available to cover shower curtain rods, either for rust or to change the color. I could use one to cover the dowels that we use to replace an awkward towel bar, but I don’t think they were made after that short period of time.
I don’t know what I’m going to do with it yet, I’ve set it aside for now until I can come up with something. However, I am willing to throw it away as I don’t believe in holding onto actual garbage just because it makes me feel guilty just because I feel guilty about contributing to a landfill. I do my bit by only buying used, which helps keeps so much for the landfill already. My next garbage pickup isn’t for another two weeks, so I’ll mull it over and if I haven’t come up with an idea by then I’ll bin it.
tomato stake?
The old rod had a lot of texture and details, so if you paint it with Rustoleum or something like that, you could maybe use it elsewhere as a decorative item. Put some hanging baskets on it, perhaps? Use it as a rod for some macrame decor? Slip some drapes (no hardware, just the hem) in there and let it be a regular curtain rod? Or use bedsheets for curtains, also by running it through the hem and not using hardware?
I get it! Even though I recycle like crazy and try to reuse, there are so many things WM won’t take in the recycle bin and I’m not going to keep umpteen pill bottles, etc. I’ve tried a number of resources to take things and sometimes, it just doesn’t work out.
I’ll likely remove the end caps to throw away and recycle the metal rod part.
You know, this is reminding me that the shower rod in my bathroom here in my rental house is kinda rusty and ugly.
I’m wondering, though…wouldn’t it be possible for me to use a rust treatment on it and then spray paint it? Hmmmm…..
Dooooo iiiiiit!
A coat of clear sealant over the paint would help it stand up to the friction of the curtain rings.
Rust-neutralizing paint is good stuff. Our chain-link back gate was covered in ivy for decades and rusted from being in the damp. I pulled the vines off, painted it with rust-stopping paint, then painted it a light gray — close to the color of the original galvanized steel. It is holding up great. The paint is made by Rustoleum.
The new shower rod looks nice! Not to be “judgy” but I noticed some black discoloration in the grout that was outside the shower curtain. My shower in Texas gets this. In Florida I get a pink discoloration. (I looked up the pink one & it is biofilm from Serratia marcescens.) I had wondered from my microbiology days if it was Serratia & it is. Anyway, I put bleach in a spray bottle & sprayed it (in TX as well as FL). My grout was white again & I cleared up the problems. Of course, if you have a shower curtain you have to take it down so that it doesn’t get bleached out.
Yeah . . . I didn’t clean the tile before taking photos, so you got a literal unsanitized glimpse of my bathroom.
Was wondering what you might do with the old rod? Use it in the garden to hang plants from? Scrap metal recycling?
The ‘new to you’ shower rod looks so good! I’m in my declutter and just have things be ‘good enough’ era. I was always a tidy person but I’m paring down to a minimalish level. Listing stuff on Buy Nothing passes my excess on to just the right household, and leaves me with a good feeling.