How to Clean a Shower Curtain: Step-by-Step Guide

We know you’re itching to throw away that dirty or moldy shower curtain and shower liner. But see how cleaning them instead can actually save you time and money below.

Introduction

Ah, the bathroom. When properly cleaned and cared for, it can feel like an oasis of spa-like tranquility. But left to squalor, a bathroom quickly becomes the most dreaded area of the house, teeming with dust, hair, mold, mildew, and more. Of course you clean your bathroom, before it becomes the Mordor of mold, but do you clean your shower curtain along with the rest? An oft forgotten component of the bathroom, many do not clean their shower curtains or even know how to accomplish the task. Instead, many people simply toss out the offending shower curtain and replace it with a fresh one. But we are here to show you another and better way to consistently shower in a clean and sanitary environment.

Why Clean Your Shower Curtain and Liner?

Your bathroom is a highly humid environment, which is an open invitation for mold and mildew to creep into damp cracks, crannies, and crevices in and around your shower. And don’t think for a moment that your shower curtain or liner will be spared. The unsightly black stains that form are not only super gross but wreak havoc on those with allergies and reduce the appeal of your home for dwellers and guests alike. So, why not simply toss your shower curtain in the trash once it falls prey to ever-perseverant mold, moisture, and soap scum? Washing your shower curtain is a surprisingly easy alternative that will extend the life of your shower curtain by months or even years, saving you money in the long run. There’s also an environmental component to keeping your shower curtain on the rod and out of the landfill, especially if it’s plastic. Shower curtains and liners are often made from durable polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a fossil-fuel-derived plastic which is not recyclable in most municipal recycling facilities and has a lifespan of around 140 years.

How Often Should You Clean Your Shower Curtain and Liner?

Part of the appeal of cleaning a shower curtain is that you don’t have to wait until it’s unusably gross before reverting back to a spotless, like-new condition. You also don’t have to scrub everything spotless on a daily basis to stay ahead of mold. Just follow a simple regimen of cleaning tasks on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Daily: To prevent moisture and mold buildup on a daily basis, spread out the curtain and liner on the rod after each shower. By exposing more surface area to air, they will dry quicker and deny mold the cool, damp environment it loves. Weekly: Consider washing your shower curtain liner weekly. The liner falls on the inside of the shower perimeter, subjecting it to more water, mold, and soap residue than the curtain itself. Monthly: Washing a shower curtain, then, is a monthly affair. It isn’t as important to clean frequently because it rests outside of the liner.

Collect the Right Supplies to Clean a Shower Curtain

First, you’ll need to grab the best tools and supplies to wash a shower curtain. Luckily, everything on our list below is easy to find and affordable. In fact, you likely have most of these items in your home already. You’ll need:

A washing machine (optional, but recommended)
Mild laundry detergent
Distilled white vinegar
Baking soda
One or two bath towels

If you’re not using a washing machine, also gather:

A spray bottle
A large bucket or a tub

How to Wash a Shower Curtain

Is your shower curtain made of cloth material? Are you ready to clean it, save money, and be kind to the environment in one fell swoop? Whether your shower curtain is fairly new or already looking a little sad, giving it a quick tumble in the washing machine will have it back to new in no time at all.

Remove your shower curtain from the curtain rod, leaving the rings or hooks behind.
Check the tag or care instructions to make sure it is safe for washing machines.
Set your washing machine to the largest load size on a gentile cycle with warm water.
Place your shower curtain inside the machine along with your detergent of choice and a cup of vinegar.
Once complete, hang the curtain back on the rod to dry.

How to Clean a Plastic Shower Curtain

What if your shower curtain is made of plastic instead of cloth? And even if it is cloth, can you clean your plastic shower curtain liner? Yes! Just like with cloth curtains, most plastic shower curtains and liners are machine washable—albeit with different machine settings. The method to clean plastic shower curtains and plastic liners is the same. See our step-by-step instructions below.

How to Clean a Plastic Shower Curtain or Liner: Step-by-Step Guide

Remove your shower curtain from the curtain rod, leaving the rings or hooks behind.
Check the tag or care instructions to make sure it is safe for washing machines.
Set your washing machine to the highest load setting using cool water and a gentle wash cycle. It’s important not to use warm or hot water to avoid scraping a melted shower curtain off of the washing machine walls.
Place your plastic curtain or liner into the washing machine along with your detergent of choice and a couple large bath towels. The towels will help with scrubbing the plastic as well as prevent wrinkles in the curtain or liner.
Optional: If your plastic shower curtain or liner is particularly moldy or covered in mildew, try this extra spore-busting step and add a small amount of baking soda, vinegar, or bleach to the wash. In case you missed the volcano experiment in grade school, do not mix any of these cleaners due to the chance of an unfortunate chemical reaction.
Once complete, do not transfer to the dryer. This will disastrously melt the curtain and ruin your day. Instead, return it to the shower curtain rod to air dry.

Pro tip: You can prime a brand new plastic shower curtain and shower curtain liner and extend the amount of time before soap scum and mold take hold. To do so, run the new curtain and liner through the rinse cycle of your washing machine with a cap full of distilled white vinegar and hang it on the shower rod to dry. The slightly acidic vinegar will act as a protectant, keeping the shower curtain free of bacteria for longer.

How to Clean a Shower Curtain Without a Washing Machine

If you don’t have a washing machine at home or your curtain is not safe for machine washing, don’t fret. It’s easy to wash a shower curtain by hand, too. In fact, there are a couple of quick, reliable, and easy ways of doing so.

How to Clean a Shower Liner On the Rod

If you’re looking for a quick method for lighter, more frequent cleaning, it’s not necessary to remove your shower curtain or liner from the curtain rod. Fill a spray bottle with water and vinegar at a 1:4 ratio, then douse the shower curtain with your cleaning solution until it is saturated on both sides. The vinegar helps break apart soap buildup and black mold stains. As a bonus, it works as a protectant to keep your curtain cleaner for longer. Lastly, fill a clean spray bottle with warm water and rinse the curtain. Allow to air dry.

How to Clean a Shower Curtain Liner Off the Rod

So you want to take out the big guns but you don’t have access to a washing machine. You’ll have to take the curtain and liner off the rod for this method, but don’t worry, cleaning a shower curtain this way is still much easier than you might think. Fill a large bucket, sink, or even the bathtub with warm water, a few drops of laundry detergent, and a quarter cup of baking soda. Hand wash your curtain or liner thoroughly and then hang it back on the rod to dry. Remember to disperse the curtain evenly across the entire rod to maximize surface area in contact with air and reduce drying time.

How to Clean Shower Curtain Rings

While your curtain is in the wash, take advantage of this time to clean the rings, which can also build up moisture around the area where they snap together.

If you have plastic hooks or rings, spray your favorite bathroom cleaner on the corner of a cloth and wipe them down. If the rings are metal, you might be dealing with hard water stains along with the typical mold or soap scum. The premise here is the same as for plastic rings, except you may need to soak them in a mixture of water and vinegar for particularly stubborn hard-water stains.

Sustainable Bathroom Care at Public Goods

Cleaning your shower curtain and liner is one of many practices that make for the healthiest, cleanest, and most serene bathrooms. For the good of your mind and body, we recommend diligently keeping your bathrooms looking their best. At Public Goods, we believe in quality, plant-based products that look out for your own health as well as the health of our environment.