How To Clean A Very Dirty Cloth Shower Curtain

How to Wash Your Shower Curtain and Liner

It's easier than yous might recall, especially when yous have our DIY cleaning solution.

Plastic shower defunction and liners may be affordable and easy to replace when they get muddy, but the cost adds up over fourth dimension. Instead of tossing them when they first to look a petty worse for wear, try cleaning your shower curtains and liners—doing and so is actually fairly simple and volition salvage you time and money in the long run. "Cleaning your shower drape can be a very quick and like shooting fish in a barrel task, so it'southward a much more price-effective pick than buying a new one every time whatever stain appears," says Lauren Bowen, managing director of franchise operations at Two Maids and a Mop. "Instead of spending coin replacing the pall every month, y'all tin simply spend a little extra fourth dimension in your bathroom cleaning routine and, as a outcome, can extend the life of your curtain for months to years longer."

bathroom with light blue tile

Credit: Pieter Estersohn / Getty Images

How to Clean a Cloth Shower Pall

Since your cloth shower drapery doesn't hang direct next to the water, says Bowen, it doesn't need a weekly clean. "Washing your curtain once every iii months is usually enough to keep information technology in good shape." The simplest way to wash your shower drape is in the washing automobile, only check the tag to ensure this method is safe beginning. Take the shower pall off the rings or hooks—this will be the about time-intensive part of the job—and set your washer to a gentle cycle, using warm water, the highest h2o setting and, "a couple of drops of detergent and a loving cup of white vinegar," says Vera Peterson, president of Molly Maid. "Once the cycle is complete, hang your curtain back on the rod to air dry."

How to Clean a Plastic Shower Curtain or Liner

A plastic drapery or liner, which takes the brunt of the spray during your shower, should be cleaned more often: "The platonic frequency for your liner [to be cleaned] is once a month to stay ahead of any mold growth, as information technology is the closest to all of the moisture," says Bowen. "If your curtain is made of plastic, you can all the same utilise your washer, but switch upward the settings to absurd water, and add together a bath towel or two in the load to prevent the defunction from wrinkling too much."

As an actress mold- and mildew-fighting step, yous can add detergent or a more than powerful cleaner: Bowen recommends calculation one-half cup of baking soda and ane-quarter cup of vinegar in the rinse bicycle, while Paterson typically adds bleach. "Make sure not to mix any of these cleaning items, equally they could cause a reaction to each other," says Paterson. "If you are specifically looking to kill mold spores or remove mildew, we highly recommend bleach every bit your washing product choice. This method helps remove any built-up mold or mildew, which is very common on plastic shower curtains that are constantly exposed to wet and warmth." After washing, remember to let your plastic curtain hang to dry, as it volition cook in the dryer.

How to Make a DIY Cleaning Solution for Not-Machine Washable Shower Curtains and Liners

If you don't have access to a washing machine big enough for your curtain or liner, or if the material does non allow for machine washing, Bowen suggests a DIY pick. "For a fast, like shooting fish in a barrel set, mix one-function vinegar to iv parts h2o in a spray canteen," she says. "On the side that hangs in the tub, which will exist particularly decumbent to mold growth, spray the solution and saturate the curtain completely. The vinegar will help intermission down mold and soap scum that has gathered on the drapery." Do the same for any other parts of the curtain that expect muddied, and then rinse with warm water. "For a more thorough, deeper make clean, you tin paw-wash the curtain in the tub," says Bowen. "Remove information technology from the rod and fill your tub or a large sink with water. Mix 1-quarter cup of baking soda and a splash of laundry detergent into the water, then hand wash your curtain. Air dry by hanging it back up on the rod."