I used to throw my plastic shower curtain liners away and purchase new ones all the time. However, I figured out how to clean a plastic shower curtain and reuse it.
This little habit adds up and helps save money.
At first I added my shower curtain liner to my washing machine and washed it that way. It turned out okay, but there were still soap scum spots left on the curtain.
I’ve found that the best way to really get a plastic shower curtain clean is to wash it by hand in the bathtub. It is one of my routine household chores.
Here’s how to do that.
Supplies needed to clean a plastic shower curtain
- vinegar
- all purpose cleaner
- microfiber cloth (affiliate link)
- hand towel
- apron (optional)
- gloves (optional)
How to clean a plastic shower curtain
1. Spray the curtain with all purpose cleaner.
Before I wash the liner, I like to spray it with my homemade all purpose spray. This helps loosen up the soap scum.
2. Add hot water to the tub.
Close the stopper to your tub drain and add hot water to your bathtub. You’ll want to use as hot of water as you can stand.
Your tub doesn’t need to be full. Just add enough to fill the bottom of the tub a couple of inches.
3. Add vinegar to the hot water.
Add about a cup of vinegar to the hot water in your tub. I just eye balled it. It doesn’t have to be exact.
The vinegar will help disinfect and remove the soap scum buildup on your shower curtain. I love using vinegar to clean my home.
4. Remove the shower curtain.
After I removed the curtain from the hooks, I loosely rolled it up and placed it in the tub of water.
5. Wipe shower curtain clean with microfiber cloth.
Start with one corner of the shower curtain and wipe it clean with the microfiber cloth all the way to the bottom of the curtain. Then wipe the next section until you reach the edge of the curtain.
Using a microfiber cloth helps scrub the soap scum off. However, you may want to use a heavy duty scrubber if there is a lot of build up on your curtain.
Once you have washed one side, flip it over and wash the other side. Again, I found it helpful to loosely roll up the curtain so it wasn’t a big jumbled mess.
6. Hang the shower curtain back up.
Once you are done cleaning the shower curtain, you can hang it up on the hooks. If you have a clothes line outside, you may want to put it on there to air dry.
7. Dry the shower curtain with a towel.
I like to hand dry my plastic shower curtain with a hand towel. This way I can quickly see if there are any spots that I missed.
That’s it! It does take a little extra effort, but I really like cleaning my shower curtain by hand instead of purchasing a new one every few months.
How to wash a plastic shower curtain in a washing machine
If you are short on time or are not able to clean your shower curtain by hand, you can also wash it in the washing machine. These plastic shower curtains are made to last and hold up fine in the washing machine.
You can even wash shower liners with magnets in the washing machine.
- Spot clean any major stains on your shower curtain with all purpose spray and a microfiber cloth.
- Remove your plastic shower curtain from the hooks.
- Add detergent and 1 cup of vinegar to the washing machine.
- Place shower curtain in the washing machine.
- Run the washer on a gentle cycle with cold water.
- Remove the liner and allow to air dry. Do not put the plastic liner in the dryer.
You’ll notice that the washing machine did npt remove all the spots and stains. If you have time, you could quickly hand wash those areas.