“You don’t need to toss that moldy shower curtain. Clean it and keep grime at bay with these tips.iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Just because your plastic shower liner gets mildew or mold doesn’t mean you have to throw it out. And that pretty decorative shower curtain won’t be a challenge to clean with our easy tips to help you stay on top of grime and dust before it gets out of hand.
Contents
- Washing Cloth Curtain
- Drying Your Cloth Shower Curtain
- Shower Liner: Maintenance
- Full Cleaning
- More Information
Washing Cloth Curtain
If you have a decorative cloth shower curtain, cleaning it is a pretty easy task to tackle. Check the tag (here’s hoping you didn’t cut it off!) and find out if you need to gently wash or take to the dry cleaners. If you can wash in your machine at home, throw it in with your delicates. Since it’s a decorative item, it may not be as sturdy as more functional products, so if you want the curtain to last it’s important to wash your shower curtain in the delicate cycle – and use half the amount of detergent you normally would.
Drying Your Cloth Shower Curtain
Of course, you want your shower curtain to be smooth and wrinkle-free after washing. You could iron the whole thing, but that’s a LOT of ironing. If your shower curtain is mostly cotton or all cotton, we like this trick. Put it in the dryer on low for 15-20 minutes (depending on the strength of your dryer) and remove while still damp. Hang it back up in the shower and by the next day it will have dried and the weight of the fabric will have pulled the wrinkles out. It’s okay to use the shower while it’s drying, the steam will actually help knock the wrinkles out.
Shower Liner: Maintenance
Let’s cut to the chase: shower liners get gross, fast. Double time if you have a big family! The key to keeping it gunk and mold free is daily maintenance. That daily shower spray you keep on hand for the tub and tiles? Hit the shower liner with it every day, starting as high as the water spray from the shower, hit it while you’re bathing. You’re already one step ahead.
Full Cleaning
If you’re seeing spots and gunk starting to build up on your liner, you can try scrubbing them with a little all-purpose cleaner, but to clean the whole thing all at once you’ve got to try this easy trick. Throw it in the washing machine. Yep, it’ll survive. Just give it a short wash in the gentle cycle with cold water. If you have kitchen rags or old towels, add them to keep the plastic from sticking to itself and tearing. Hang up to dry. Done!
More Information
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