Fiberglass curtains shine like silk, but are much more durable and maintenance free, as well as being fire retardant. The only problem is, they can make your skin itch if you don’t handle them with caution. I read this somewhere while researching the History of Fiberglass Curtains in America:
“When fiberglass curtains first came out, many people with skin conditions were diagnosed with delusions of parasitosis. But studies showed these patients actually had tiny glass particles imbedded in their skin.”
Don’t wash them — that releases shards into your washer tub which are nearly impossible to get rid of.
Fiberglass curtains always remind me of 60s motel rooms decorated with over-sized lamps in the “I Dream of Jeannie” style. Backed with a thick rubbery substance, they kept the air-conditioning in and the noise of the parking lot out.
In the middle photo, above, we feature a different type of fiberglass curtain altogether: a molded one! This gem of a photo was sent in by Sean K. Sullivan, who grew up in St. Louis, but now resides in New York City, junk capital of the universe. He found this “curtain” abandoned on a city sidewalk! It’s the same height as sliding glass doors, so Sean believes it might have been used to add class to a cabana somewhere.
Here’s an item of interest I found on the web:
FOR YOUR INFORMATION.............................MAY 23, 1995
The Federal Trade Commission has tentatively proposed to repeal a rule requiring warnings about handling fiberglass curtains and draperies because the products are no longer in general use. The FTC is seeking public comments on the proposal for 30 days, until June 22.
The Fiberglass Curtain Rule, adopted by the Commission in 1967, requires disclosure that skin irritation may result from handling fiberglass curtains or curtain cloth and from contact with clothing or other articles which have been washed with such fiberglass or in a container previously used for washing such fiberglass products if the container is not cleaned of all glass particles.
As part of its continuing review of its trade regulation rules, the Commission tentatively has determined that because of technological developments in fire-retardant fabrics, fiberglass fabric has been displaced by polyester and modacrylic fibers, and that fiberglass fabrics are now used almost exclusively for very specialized industrial purposes. Therefore, the Commission proposes to repeal the rule.
Page One, Issue Six
Fiberglass Curtains
Now days fiberglass curtains are manufactured only for industrial purposes.
