This is more of a How To from a mistake I made. I hope this will spare you from repeating it.
The combination of body wash and dirt from our skin produces a film that sticks to your shower curtain liner, even after your shower. So after time, build-up of this grime, mixed with moisture can produce mildew.
Translation: Gross dingy curtain.
My cool shower curtain is plastic, with huge geometric circles on it in various colors. Since we use it as a liner and a curtain, it was definitely in need of some t.l.c. I’ve heard that bleach is the best at removing the grime, so I threw it in the wash with a little bleach, along with some of my white towels and anticipated the results. When I open the washer, to my dismay, I found little pieces of the ink everywhere. The bleach not only made the curtain mildew free, but it also had totally removed the print from the curtain. Oops.
Upon reflection, I released that the ‘bleach in the washer with a couple of towels’ trick was for white shower curtains, or for clear plastic/vinyl shower curtains. After a little hang dry, those turn out looking like the day you removed them from the package (minus the new plastic smell).
For plastic/vinyl curtains with a print, here are three safe ways to clean them:
- Place it in the washer w/ VINEGAR, not bleach, on a gentle or quick cycle. Hang dry.
- Take it down, lay it flat and hand wash with detergent, or vinegar/water mixture.
- Use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser while in the shower and spot clean. This is definitely my favorite, since it so easy and the results are immediate and amazing!
Next time you are finding yourself with the itch to clean your shower curtain, take a little time and customize your process with the type of curtain you have, or else you may find yourself with a totally unexpected result like mine!
Good luck and happy cleaning!