A shower curtain is an excellent way to maintain privacy and prevent water splashes in your bathroom. It can also serve as a decorative tool to improve the look of your toilet.
Unfortunately, shower curtains can get dirty and smelly. Many people assume this won’t happen because their shower curtain is, well, in the shower, but that’s just a misconception.
If your shower curtain has stains or spots of discoloration along with a funny odor, chances are it has mold growing on it.
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Today’s article is a complete guide on how to clean shower curtain mold using 6 different methods. We’ll also discuss why mold develops on shower curtains and how you can prevent it.
Why Is There Mold in Your Shower Curtain?
Mold occurs in environments where organic material resides along with persistent humidity. These conditions are exactly what fabric shower curtains offer, especially when made from natural materials such as cotton.
If you have mold on your curtain, you should check the ventilation in your bathroom. Adding a bathroom fan or fixing a bathroom fan can help. You can also open up a window. Mold can cause a lot of damage and be dangerous so ventilation in a bathroom is essential as it can grow behind walls as well. If you see mold on your shower curtain, it can indicate that something is wrong. A plumber can help you with this if needed.
How to Get Rid of Mold From a Shower Curtain
Now that you have a better idea of what causes mold to grow on a shower curtain, it’s time you learn how to remove it. Most shower curtains have plastic hooks that need to be removed if you want to take them off. You do this by pressing on the hook to open it. Here are 6 methods to help you clean shower curtain mold and mildew:
1. Use Laundry Detergent
Using laundry detergent to remove mold from your shower curtain is effective if you catch it early on. This is easy since mold stains are usually obvious if you simply check the bottom and the inner side of the shower curtain.
In this case, throwing your shower curtain in the washing machine with some laundry detergent will rid you of the problem. The result will be a shower curtain free of discoloration and spores.
Before you do this, you should check if it is mold or mildew. Mold can be dangerous and throwing away the shower curtain is often the best option as it is quite cheap. If there is no plastic coating on your shower curtain, it is often best to throw it away as the mold or mildew can grow in the fabric. While it might look clean, it can reappear.
Here’s how you can do it:
- Take the shower curtain down and put it inside your washing machine.
- Choose a gentle cycle with warm water and add an appropriate amount of detergent.
- Once the washing machine is done, take out the shower curtain and let it air dry outside.
- Make sure the shower curtain is completely dry before you hang it back up.
2. Use White Vinegar and Baking Soda
This method also calls for some plain white vinegar and baking soda as follows:
- Take the shower curtain down and put it inside a bucket with hot water.
- Choose a gentle soap with warm water.
- Stir the hot water, add half a cup of baking soda.
- Let is soak and add half a cup of white vinegar to the water.
- Once the washing is done, take out the shower curtain and let it air dry outside.
- Make sure the shower curtain is completely dry before you hang it back up.
3. Use Salt and Lemon
A mixture of salt and lemon can be the solution to your shower curtain mold as follows:
- Take the shower curtain down and fold it inward to prevent the spreading of mold spores.
- Bring the folded shower curtain outside then lay it flat on the ground with the moldy side facing up.
- Grab a cleaning brush and remove as much mold as possible with swift, firm strokes.
- Juice a whole lemon then add salt until you get a paste consistency.
- Rub the paste into the mold spots and make sure they’re saturated with the mixture.
- Allow the paste to work for about half an hour.
- Use a damp cloth to remove the paste.
- Take the shower curtain back inside and put it in your washing machine.
- Choose a gentle cycle with warm water and add an appropriate amount of detergent.
- Once the washing machine is done, take out the shower curtain and let it air dry outside.
- Make sure the shower curtain is completely dry before you hang it back up.
4. Use Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda
Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide are a powerful duo against mold. Wear protective gloves and goggles when you do this. It can affect the colors of your curtain. Here’s how you can use them to clean your shower curtain:
- Take the shower curtain down and fold it inward to prevent the spreading of mold spores.
- Bring the folded shower curtain outside then lay it flat on the ground with the moldy side facing up.
- Grab a cleaning brush and remove as much mold as possible with swift, firm strokes.
- Mix equal parts of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide until you get a paste.
- Rub the paste into the mold spots and make sure they’re saturated.
- Allow the paste to work for about half an hour.
- Use a damp cloth to remove the paste.
- Take the shower curtain back inside and put it in your washing machine.
- Choose a gentle cycle with warm water and add an appropriate amount of detergent.
- Once the washing machine is done, take out the shower curtain and let it air dry outside.
- Make sure the shower curtain is completely dry before you hang it back up.
5. Use Borax and Hydrogen Peroxide
You can also use hydrogen peroxide and borax to clean more stubborn mold spots. Follow the same steps listed above but instead of baking soda, mix equal parts of borax with hydrogen peroxide to create the paste.
6. Use Oxygen Bleach
If mold has infected a large part of your shower curtain, we recommend treating it with oxygen bleach as follows:
- Take the shower curtain down and fold it inward to prevent the spreading of mold spores.
- Fill a bucket with 7 cups of hot water.
- Add 4 tablespoons of laundry bleach.
- Place the shower curtain in the bucket and let it soak for about an hour.
- Squeeze the shower curtain gently then put it in your washing machine.
- Choose a gentle cycle and wash as normal.
How Often Should You Clean Shower Curtains for Mold?
To maintain the cleanliness of your shower curtain against mold and mildew, make sure you replace your curtains every 6 months. Make sure that the bathroom has enough fresh air by opening up a window or activating the fan after a shower.
Wrap Up
There you have it, a complete guide on how to clean shower curtain mold. All of the methods we discussed can effectively eliminate mold and mildew from your shower curtain, but make sure you choose the most suitable one depending on the severity of the invasion.
Sometimes a deeper mold inspection is needed to make sure that there are no other problems.
