Say Goodbye to Mold: 2 Ultimate Guides to Clean a Moldy Shower Curtain and Liner

Have you ever noticed some obvious mold and mildew when you pull back your shower curtain? This bathroom problem is very common, as most of you have faced before.

But today, no more fret! In this article, we’ll provide an effective step-by-step guide on how to clean a moldy shower curtain. What’s more, we’ll list another guide for cleaning moldy shower curtain liners too. Now, are you ready to give your shower curtain and bathroom a new and clean look?

Why You Need to Clean a Moldy Shower Curtain?

We all know it’s important to clean a moldy shower curtain. But why? Next, we’ll list 4 possible reasons.

• For health: Mold and mildew can bring potential health risks, especially for people with allergies, asthma, or weak immune systems.
• For aesthetic reasons: Mold and mildew can lead to ugly black or pink stains, which will make your shower curtain a total mess. Removing it properly can help solve the problem and keep your bathroom clean.
• Prevent further mold: Mold and mildew can easily thrive in a warm and damp environment, such as a shower curtain. If you don’t clean them in time, they will continue to spread and become quite hard to clean.
• Extend the shower curtain’s lifespan: Mold and mildew will continuously damage the shower curtain if you don’t clean them. So in order to extend the curtain’s lifespan, regular cleaning is needed.

How to Clean a Moldy Shower Curtain

Since most of you have both a fabric shower curtain and a plastic liner, we’ll talk about two step-by-step guides on how to clean them.

How to Clean a Moldy Fabric Shower Curtain

To begin with, let’s learn how to clean a fabric shower curtain step-by-step.

Prepare the materials you need

Before you start the cleaning process, you should prepare the materials and tools you need. Here’s a list of what you might need.

1. Bleach: Use it to create a 1:1 bleach and water solution, both for spot cleaning and general cleaning. But if you have a colorful shower curtain, you should use a stain remover.
2. Spray bottle: Use it to hold your 1:1 bleach and water solution.
3. Laundry detergent: Use whatever you have on hand to clean your shower curtain.
4. Baking soda: Use baking soda for scrubbing.
5. Rubber gloves: Use rubber golves or any other protective gloves to protect your skin if you clean by hand.
6. Clean towels or sheets: If you plan to wash by machine, you can use clean towels or sheets to help with scrubbing.

How to clean a shower curtain by hand

To clean a moldy shower curtain by hand, follow the following steps:

1. Use bleach and water to mix a 1:1 cleaning solution in a spray bottle.
2. Spray the cleaning solution onto any visible mold and mildew spots on the shower curtain.
3. Wait for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the solution to kill mold. For tough stains, you can wait for more time.
4. Put the fabric curtain in a tub or a larger place to hold it. Fill the tub with warm water to soak the curtain. Add enough laundry detergent. And how much laundry detergent to add depends on how dirty your shower curtain is. Wear a pair of rubber gloves and use a scrub brush or sponge to wash the entire surface of the curtain. Pay more attention to areas with tough stains.
5. If you still find some mold, you can repeat the washing process until the curtain is completely clean and free from mold.
6. After washing, rinse the curtain until the water runs clear.
7. Squeeze out any excess water from the curtain gently.
8. Hang the curtain up and let it air-dry completely before using it again.

How to clean a shower curtain with a washing machine

If you want to clean a moldy shower curtain more easily, you can use a washing machine. But most importantly, you need to check whether your fabric shower curtain is machine washable.

1. Repeat the bleach and water mixing step. Spray and wait for 10 to 15 minutes. For tough stains, you can wait for more time.
2. Place your curtain in the washing machine with some towels or sheets to help scrub away stains more easily.
3. Add laundry detergent to the machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
4. Set the washing machine to a gentle cycle with warm water, because warm water is better for disinfection.
5. If your washing machine has an extra rinse option, use the rinse cycle to remove all soap residue.
6. After cycling, hang up the curtain and dry it in the air completely. Instead of a machine dryer, air-drying is better to prolong the curtain’s lifespan.

How to Clean a Moldy Plastic Liner

Then let’s learn how to clean a plastic liner, which is also applicable to a plastic shower curtain.

Gather the material you need

To effectively clean a moldy plastic liner, you’ll need the following materials:

1. Bleach: Use it to create a 1:1 bleach and water solution, both for spot cleaning and general cleaning.
2. Spray bottle: Use it to hold your 1:1 bleach and water solution.
3. Laundry detergent: Use whatever you have on hand to clean your liner.
4. Baking soda: Use baking soda for scrubbing.
5. Scrub brush or sponge: They work well when you’re washing by hand.
6. Rubber gloves: Use rubber golves or any other protective gloves to protect your skin if you clean by hand.
7. Clean towels or sheets: If you plan to wash by machine, you can use clean towels or sheets to help with scrubbing.

How to clean a liner by hand

Follow these steps to clean a moldy plastic liner by hand.

1. Use bleach and water to mix a 1:1 cleaning solution in a spray bottle.
2. Spray the cleaning solution onto any visible mold and mildew spots on the liner.
3. Wait for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the solution to kill the mold. For tough stains, you can wait for more time.
4. Add a teaspoon of baking soda and laundry detergent to a scrub brush or sponge. Then scrub the dirty spots.
5. After scrubbing, rinse the liner with warm water to remove any remaining cleaning solution and soap scum.
6. Hang up the liner and air-dry it completely. You can also use a dry towel to wipe down any water marks.

How to clean a linet with a washing machine

Here’s a guide on how to clean a plastic liner by washing it.

1. Repeat the bleach and water mixing step. Spray and wait for 10 to 15 minutes. For tough stains, you can wait for more time.
2. Place your liner in the washing machine with some towels or sheets to help scrub away stains more easily.
3. Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of baking soda.
4. Add laundry detergent, and usually a tablespoon is enough.
5. Set the machine to a slow or delicate cycle with cold water. Never use hot water.
6. After the wash cycle, hang up the liner on a clothesline to air-dry it completely.

Extra Tips on How to Clean a Moldy Shower Curtain

1. With alcohol: Alcohol can not only remove mold and mildew but also disinfect and prevent their growth. Mix alcohol with water and spray it on mold spots. Wait for 10 minutes, then scrub with an old toothbrush. Finally, rinse with water.
2. With salt: Salt is available in every family, so this tip is quite easy. Soak the shower curtain in salt water for 30 minutes, and then use a toothbrush to scrub it with salt.
3. With vinegar: Mix vinegar with water in equal parts, and soak the curtain in it for 30 minutes. After soaking, wash the curtain with laundry detergent. If you feel the smell of vinegar is too strong, you can wash more times. Alternatively, you can use baking soda.

How to Keep a Shower Curtain Clean

With the above guides, you can easily clean a moldy shower curtain and liner. But if you learn how to keep a shower curtain clean, you don’t need to do the extra laundry. So it’s time for you to learn something about how to keep the curtain clean or how to prevent mold and mildew from building up.

1. The most important point you need to focus on is ventilation. When showering, you can use an exhaust fan for ventilation. After showering, you can open windows or doors for more ventilation.
2. Every time you finish showering, leave your curtain open to help it air dry more quickly. This can effectively control mold and mildew growth. Or you can use a dry bath towel to remove excess water from the curtain and the walls.
3. Damp shower walls may also help mold and mildew thrive. So you need to clean the walls. You can use a spray bottle to mix vinegar and water in a 1:1 ratio. Shake it completely, and then spray it on the walls. Spray more on moldy areas. After spraying, let the walls dry naturally. At last, rinse them with water.

Conclusion

With our step-by-step guides, you can clean a moldy shower curtain easily and effectively, whether you have a fabric or plastic curtain. By regularly cleaning and maintaining it, you can enjoy a clean shower curtain for many more years. So next time you find mold on a shower curtain, don’t toss the curtain!

FAQs

1. Can any type of cleaning product be used to clean a moldy shower curtain?

Not all cleaners are suitable for cleaning a moldy shower curtain. You’d better read the cleaning instructions before. For most shower curtains, some anti-fungal cleaners that are designed for bathrooms are great. Or you use natural alternatives, like white vinegar or baking soda.

2. How often should you clean a shower curtain?

There are no accurate answers to how often you should clean a shower curtain. You can clean it when there is a sign of mold. But we recommend you clean it at least sesonally. If many people share your bathroom, we recommend you clean it once a month.

3. How can you clean shower curtain rings?

Metal rings hold the curtain better, but plastic rings are more resistant to mold. No matter what your choice is, you can clean these rings with a mixture of vinegar, dish soap, and water in equal parts. Soak the curtain in it for 20 minutes. Then scrub the mold and rinse.

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