Mildew-proof my shower curtain setup
March 31, 2022 9:21 AM Subscribe
My shower curtain liners are constantly getting small bits of mildew and mold growth. I am having to wash them once every week or two and would really like a better way!
I have a fabric shower curtain and a fabric-type liner. I reaaaallly hate the clear plastic liners and would like to avoid them if possible. My bathroom is small, but does have a ventilation fan that I run during showers and usually for about 10-15 minutes afterwards. I don't consistently leave the shower curtain pulled aside, or closed, because I don't know which is 'better.' When I see mildew/mold start to form, I wash the curtain in its own laundry cycle with vinegar or bleach, depending on how advanced it is. I have to do this minimally once monthly or it looks really unsightly.
Do I have to buy a specific liner type? A cleaning product? Leave the curtain and liner closed or open post-shower? I don't really have any issues with keeping other elements of my bathroom/home clean, so there's gotta be something I'm missing.
I have a fabric shower curtain and a fabric-type liner. I reaaaallly hate the clear plastic liners and would like to avoid them if possible. My bathroom is small, but does have a ventilation fan that I run during showers and usually for about 10-15 minutes afterwards. I don't consistently leave the shower curtain pulled aside, or closed, because I don't know which is 'better.' When I see mildew/mold start to form, I wash the curtain in its own laundry cycle with vinegar or bleach, depending on how advanced it is. I have to do this minimally once monthly or it looks really unsightly.
Do I have to buy a specific liner type? A cleaning product? Leave the curtain and liner closed or open post-shower? I don't really have any issues with keeping other elements of my bathroom/home clean, so there's gotta be something I'm missing.
I have the same problem and will be watching this thread! I have a plastic liner and it STILL molds. Closing the curtain after showering (to minimize bunching) does help, but the bottom still touches the tub so that area gets moldy / mildewy within a couple weeks too.
posted by blueberrypuffin at 9:34 AM on March 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by blueberrypuffin at 9:34 AM on March 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
Definitely keep the curtain extended.
15 min of fan after a shower may not be enough time for full ventilation, there's probably still a lot of humidity left in the bathroom -- can you keep the bathroom door open for an hour afterwards?
I've never tried them, but mildew protective sprays are a thing (primarily for outdoor furniture I believe).
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:52 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
15 min of fan after a shower may not be enough time for full ventilation, there's probably still a lot of humidity left in the bathroom -- can you keep the bathroom door open for an hour afterwards?
I've never tried them, but mildew protective sprays are a thing (primarily for outdoor furniture I believe).
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:52 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
An exhaust fan may not provide enough air circulation. Run a small fan pointed at the curtain for at least a few hours a day and that will help. You can also try spraying down the curtain and liner with white vinegar and letting it dry, but spot test that technique in case it affects the color of the fabric. Even with the vinegar you will probably still need an additional fan.
posted by corey flood at 9:52 AM on March 31, 2022
posted by corey flood at 9:52 AM on March 31, 2022
Seconding what pipeski said: I always make very sure to completely close the curtain after I shower, and it makes a big difference in whether the curtain gets mildewed. It eventually will at the bottom and I’ll have to replace it, but after 12 or 18 months if I’m fastidious about closing the curtain versus six to eight months if I’m not.
posted by holborne at 9:53 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by holborne at 9:53 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
One thing I have found that makes a major difference is to make sure the shower curtain matches the size of your shower opening. We have a small shower stall and used to get a size or two wider than the opening to make sure there was no leakage. But that means that even when you close the curtain, it is always bunched up, leaving perfect conditions for mildew. Once we switched to a curtain that is the exact size of the opening, closing it after the shower shaved at least a month off of mildew build-up. Probably more like two months.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:53 AM on March 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:53 AM on March 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
Try using a squeegee to scrape down your shower curtain liner and the whole interior of the shower. That pulls a lot of moisture out of the liner and the shower in general.
posted by radioamy at 10:23 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by radioamy at 10:23 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
After every shower I wipe the tub & tiles (or whatever is wet) dry with a towel and pull the shower curtain closed. Water/moisture causes mold and mildew.
posted by Polychrome at 10:46 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Polychrome at 10:46 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
If you have a washable shower outer curtain, consider skipping the liner entirely. A friend recommended this when I lived on the coast and I was initially horrified by the idea. But it worked! A single closed curtain dries much faster than two. My shower curtain was kind of a light twill that dried quickly, no seams or embellishments, though it did have a decorative print, and it machine washed beautifully when I freshened it up every few weeks or so.
A few notes. I lived alone, so it was just one shower a day. I don't use a ton of products besides soap and shampoo, so it wasn't terribly prone to discoloring from dyes or product additives. I was careful to draw the curtain closed every single time, and after it stopped dripping I'd drape it on the outside of the tub wall so it would be away from the shower stall damp. My bathroom was small with no window, so I'd leave the bathroom door open after the shower and sometimes during.
I know, I know, I was horrified at first, but it worked great, no one ever said a word about it, and I'd totally do it again if I lived near water.
posted by mochapickle at 11:05 AM on March 31, 2022
A few notes. I lived alone, so it was just one shower a day. I don't use a ton of products besides soap and shampoo, so it wasn't terribly prone to discoloring from dyes or product additives. I was careful to draw the curtain closed every single time, and after it stopped dripping I'd drape it on the outside of the tub wall so it would be away from the shower stall damp. My bathroom was small with no window, so I'd leave the bathroom door open after the shower and sometimes during.
I know, I know, I was horrified at first, but it worked great, no one ever said a word about it, and I'd totally do it again if I lived near water.
posted by mochapickle at 11:05 AM on March 31, 2022
Our bathroom fan has a timer for 45 minutes, so I think it's generally recommended to let it run a bit longer than you are - also check the extraction on your fan, they get quite dusty and clogged up, it's usually worth a open up and clean to clear the exhaust vent.
posted by euphoria066 at 11:39 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by euphoria066 at 11:39 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I have a fabric curtain and a polyester fabric liner. One thing that's helped me with this is to manually shake the liner out after my shower. I hold a little of the fabric in each hand about a third of the way down and lift the hem away from the tub. Then I shake it to remove the excess water. As others have said, I also make sure the curtain and liner are fully extended when I'm done.
posted by XtineHutch at 12:01 PM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by XtineHutch at 12:01 PM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I realize I should have included this important detail... My shower curtain rod is curved (convex, for more shower space), so when I pull the shower curtain closed, the inside liner is pulled taut against the side of the bathtub. That's why I had started to experiment with leaving it pulled back, thinking that the water trapped between the liner and bathtub side could be causing a buildup. Whether I leave it open or closed, the liner is touching the wet tub.
posted by rachaelfaith at 12:33 PM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by rachaelfaith at 12:33 PM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Seconding that you should try using just one curtain, not a curtain plus a liner. Doubling up is probably more than half your problem. A polyester fabric curtain should dry more quickly, doesn't require a liner and still feels like fabric.
Also, check to make sure that your fan is actually pulling air out of the room. Smoke from a blown-out match or incense stick can show you whether it is working or not. You need a strong air flow. Sometimes an undersized fan combined with a long exhaust path can mean there's very little air being pulled out, meaning it needs to run much longer.
posted by beagle at 1:59 PM on March 31, 2022
Also, check to make sure that your fan is actually pulling air out of the room. Smoke from a blown-out match or incense stick can show you whether it is working or not. You need a strong air flow. Sometimes an undersized fan combined with a long exhaust path can mean there's very little air being pulled out, meaning it needs to run much longer.
posted by beagle at 1:59 PM on March 31, 2022
Best answer: I clip a magnet to the bottom hem of the liner, right in the middle. After a shower, I draw the curtain fully closed, then push middle of the liner to the opposite side of the tub. The magnet catches on the far side, and the corners hang down, it ends up like a triangle shape. I think this helps increase air exposure to the liner. I still have to wash the liner, but not quite as often. Using a fan and doing this has been the best solution so far.
posted by hooray at 3:03 PM on March 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by hooray at 3:03 PM on March 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
Oh, I forgot to add, a lot of liners have built in magnets in the corners, but they are pretty weak. If your liner already has magnets, try pushing the corners to the opposite side, and let the middle hang down. Otherwise, I recommend oxo mini clip magnets, which are definitely strong enough for this.
posted by hooray at 3:07 PM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by hooray at 3:07 PM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: There's nothing I love more than a good single-variable experiment. Thank you all for the ideas! I look forward to not having to look at a slightly pinkish-grey shower curtain liner.
posted by rachaelfaith at 3:20 PM on March 31, 2022
posted by rachaelfaith at 3:20 PM on March 31, 2022
I have been trimming my shower curtain so that it hangs just a few inches lower than the top edge of the tub - a standard size was long enough that the liner touched the bottom of the tub and trapped moisture there. Once I started cutting off a few inches it stopped getting as mildewy.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 4:11 PM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 4:11 PM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
My contractor told us when we remodeled our bathroom that we needed to run the fan for at least a half-hour after a shower. I live in the PNW so we have a lot of moisture in the air already. I'm lucky to have a quiet one and a good timer switch, so some days I just push the 1 hour button and forget about it. Definitely going to try this magnet trick!
posted by purple_bird at 4:24 PM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by purple_bird at 4:24 PM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
We run a dehumidifier in the won’t-dry bathroom in the winter, instead of throwing all that heated air out of the house.
Along with trimming the liner as short as practicable, I find that regularly soaking just the bottom of it in vinegar helps a lot. Stool in the shower, bucket on the stool, vinegar solution in the bucket, curtain in the bucket. You don’t have to take the curtain down and you can use the shower in a hurry.
posted by clew at 5:28 PM on March 31, 2022
Along with trimming the liner as short as practicable, I find that regularly soaking just the bottom of it in vinegar helps a lot. Stool in the shower, bucket on the stool, vinegar solution in the bucket, curtain in the bucket. You don’t have to take the curtain down and you can use the shower in a hurry.
posted by clew at 5:28 PM on March 31, 2022
I flip the curtain over the rail to dry it, as that way it is the air and not touching the tub
posted by thegirlwiththehat at 11:20 PM on March 31, 2022
posted by thegirlwiththehat at 11:20 PM on March 31, 2022
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posted by pipeski at 9:27 AM on March 31, 2022 [8 favorites]