Did you know that you can wash your vinyl shower curtain in the washing machine? I know, me neither but you can!
Let’s talk about prevention first:
If you want to keep your shower curtain from getting moldy it’s all about keeping it dry. I know that sounds weird because it’s supposed to get wet when you take a shower. After you take your shower is when you can try to prevent mold from growing.
When you are finished with your shower, spread it out as much as possible so air can get to all of it.
Ventilate your bathroom if you can, open a window or let the fan run to pull moisture out of the air
After it has dried a little, let it hang outside the tub, mildew usually forms in those areas that cling to the tub
Make a spray, 1 part water , 1 part vinegar. After every show spray the parts they get moldy first, that’s usually down towards the bottom.
You can wipe it down with a dry towel, honestly I don’t have time for that. I’m guessing most people aren’t going to go that far to prevent mildew. I with you!!!
So how do I wash it?
Instead of throwing away your vinyl shower curtain when it starts to get moldy or slimy, try washing it in your washing machine first.
Toss it in your washing machine with 2 bath towels and a cup of vinegar. Use the gentle cycle on your machine or if you can control how fast it spins. Set it to spin as slow as possible. Don’t use hot water! I know you think of hot water because you want to kill anything that is growing on it. Hot water could melt your shower curtain, so you don’t want to take that chance.
More uses for Vinegar:
- A bowl of vinegar to clean your microwave
- All Natural recipe to keep your front load washer smelling fresh
- Love curry but hate how the smell lingers in your house
Let’s be honest, shower curtain liners don’t cost that much so if it does get ruined it’s not the end of the world. It can still be repurposed so go ahead and wash it anyway even if you are going to replace it. I’m going to share some repurposing ideas below.
If you just want to replace your shower curtain, don’t throw away the old one, wash it first then repurpose it.
Use it as a drop cloth for painting.
Put it under the kids craft table to protect your carpet or flooring. Or put it under a highchair.
Use it as a tarp or to line the trunk of your car.
If you are doing oil changes or car maintenance. Use it under your car if you don’t want oil spills on your garage floor.
Use it for camping, cover the nasty picnic table at the campsite. If you want to sleep outside, put it under your sleeping bag so it’s not directly on the ground.
Cut it into smaller pieces and use it to line the bottom of cabinets or drawers.
Get creative, I’m sure there are a million other uses and you can feel good that it’s not just sitting in a landfill somewhere.
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Your suggestions to recycle and re-use plastic and vinyl shower curtains are a breath of fresh air. I’d just finished watching a YouTube where a woman casually tells us all to just throw out the curtains and buy a new one each time, when it gets dirty because “fhey don’t cost that much” and washing something cheap is a waste of time. Horrifying, when you consider that almost every bit of plastic ever manufactured is still out there, undegraded… and I said so in Comments. Thank you for your good sense. I’d always washed my clear vinyl curtain in the top loader, but I bought a new LG HE front loader a few years ago and haven’t tried to wash the curtain in that, and the curtain is pretty grubby now. I’ve read all about how to do it today, but I’m sure I’ll still run over and watch it to make sure it works in the new machine, on my first time. You’re an inspiration. 🙂
Thanks, I totally agree with you, we need to reuse items as much as possible. Less plastic and waste in our landfills.