Prevent and Clean Mold on Plastic Shower Curtains

Ridding your shower curtain from nasty mold and mildew is easy, provided you have access to a washing machine. Try this solution and your shower curtain will be squeaky clean with little effort.

Steps

  1. Take your shower curtain off the rod. This is easily done by unhooking the fasteners.
  2. Put the shower curtain in your washer with a few towels that need washing and add the usual detergent.
  3. Use hot water and the usual cycle for washing your towels and shower curtain.
  4. Do not use fabric softeners. These should not be used on towels anyway since they affect absorbency.
  5. Shake or drip dry your shower curtain.
  6. Rehang your sparkling clean shower curtain.
  7. After you shower leave your shower curtain open (not bunched up) so that it may dry without accumulating mold or mildew.
    • It's best to compact the shower curtain a little by opening both ends and also moving the rings midway toward each end toward the center. This distributes gentle bends across the shower curtain rather than trapping water by crumpling or folding it over on itself. Not only will the curtain still be fully exposed to air, but air will be free to slowly circulate around it from the sides and overhead to more rapidly dry the entire interior of the shower area. This works even better if you leave the bathroom door open a little after a shower.



Tips

  • White vinegar can be used as an alternative to bleach. It will kill mold and will be easier on those with chemical sensitivities.
  • If you put your shower curtain in the wash once a month you will avoid that nasty moldy build-up.
  • You may also wash your plastic shower curtain alone, without the towels if you'd like. It should not melt or warp on normal washing machine settings.
  • Remember that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!" To help prevent mold from building up in the first place, consider using an empty laundry basket or an Air-it-Out Shower Hook to hold the wet shower curtain away from the tub side and use air circulation to dry it out fast.
    • If you want to add a little bleach to the wash, you can do so but make sure the other things you put in with the shower curtain can take the bleach.
  • You can put your shower curtain in the dryer as long as you are very careful not to leave it in for more than a minute or two.
  • Being little more than heavy-duty trash bags, basic shower-curtain liners can be bought online for less than two dollars each. (Buy them several at a time or with other items to save on shipping.) You could just use them, preferably with S-shaped metal hooks rather than snap-closed metal rings for easy changing and optionally with a decorative outer curtain that will stay relatively dry and mold-free, and throw them away every month or so when they start to get moldy. This is very convenient and consumes a negligible amount of resources. Probably as much as a few plastic bottles, and less than heating the water in which to not-very-effectively wash a big floppy curtain that tends to crumple and "protect" itself from soapy water much as it has protected your floor.

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