How to Properly Clean Your Shower Curtain

If you are in a hurry to get the bathroom clean and done with, there is a lot that can get missed. Even when you are not in a rush, it’s easy to forget about certain areas and items that need a thorough cleaning.

The shower curtain and liner are bathroom elements that are easy to overlook. As long as they are doing a good job at keeping water in the bathtub or shower and protecting the privacy of anyone who bathes and gets clean there, it’s easy to take them for granted.

Just like the base of the toilet or the door handle and light switches, though, the shower curtain and liner need a good cleaning on a regular basis. It’s easy and convenient to assume that the water from the shower will get the curtain and/or liner clean, but the truth is that the shower water is actually adding to the problem.

Method 1

What you’ll need:

  • 1/2 cup of baking soda
  • 1/2 cup of white vinegar

What to do:

  • Place your shower curtain and/or the liner in the washing machine and include two or three bath towels. Adding bath towels will help protect any plastic from being ripped and shredded when the wash is agitated. Set the washing machine to a regular cycle and add the 1/2 cup of baking soda.
  • Once the cycle gets to the first rinse, add the 1/2 cup of white vinegar, then let the cycle finish. When done, hang the curtain and liner up to dry. Fabric curtains can go in the dryer.
  • Repeat the cleaning process periodically to ensure that your shower curtain and liner are free of mold and soap scum buildup.

Method 2

What you’ll need:

  • 1/2 cup of chlorine bleach
  • 1/2 cup of laundry detergent

What to do:

  • Place the shower curtain and/or the liner in the washing machine and include two or three bath towels. As mentioned above, including bath towels helps protect any plastic from being destroyed. Be sure to use towels that are white or that you don’t mind having bleached.
  • Set the washing machine to a regular cycle and add the 1/2 cup of chlorine bleach and the 1/2 cup of laundry detergent. When the cycle is done, hang the curtain and liner to dry. If you have a fabric curtain, it can dry in the dryer.
  • Again, repeat the cleaning process periodically to keep mold, mildew, and soap scum away.

Method 3

If you’re worried about what washing your shower curtain and/or liner in your washing machine might do, don’t worry. You won’t have to live with a mildew curtain or you do not need to buy a new one every few weeks.

What you’ll need:

  • A Microfiber cloth or rag
  • Baking soda

What to do:

  • Dampen a microfiber cloth or rag and sprinkle it with baking soda. Use the cloth to hand-scrub the plastic curtain or liner and remove any soap scum, mildew, or mold.
  • Wet the cloth and add baking soda as needed until all of the contaminants have been removed. Then, rinse the curtain and/or liner thoroughly with warm water and hang to dry.

Although very fine, the grit of the baking soda will help loosen any soap scum and remove any mold or mildew spores.

Prevention

To protect your shower curtain and liner against mold and mildew, be sure that they thoroughly dry after every shower or bath. If possible, expose them to direct sunlight to dry them through and help kill any spores.

When it’s not in use, keep the bath or shower curtain closed around the tub so that there are no folds or creases for moisture to stay trapped in.

Shower curtains and liners should be cleaned once a month to prevent mold and mildew growth. If mold and mildew grows, it can result not only in discoloration of the curtain and liner, but could potentially cause health issues.

Although it may not seem like cleaning the shower curtain will make that big of a difference, you’ll be surprised at how much better your bathroom feels having it be fresh and clean.