When doing a shower, water tends to splash to surfaces including the glass and the walls. This water that splashes causes these surfaces to attract dirt, and even deface the beautiful surface of the bathroom. To prevent this phenomenon, a shower curtain comes in handy. It is meant to prevent water from splashing around. It absorbs such waters and dries it on its surface. In the end, it gets dirty by itself instead of the walls. As a way of maintaining hygiene, these curtains have to be washed regularly.
The shower curtains attract dirt so easily due to its constant exposure to water. So the question is how do we wash them? What is the interval between the washing? To get more information on this topic, please read this article. It will provide you with up to date information on all you need to keep the shower curtain clean.
How to clean a shower curtain?
Basically, there are two methods of doing the cleaning. They are:
- Machine washing.
- Hand washing.
Each of the two methods has different ways of cleaning the curtain.
Cleaning the Shower Curtain by Use of a Machine.
If you are lucky enough to win a washing machine, then your work is much simpler. The steps to be followed when washing are as follows:
Remove the curtain and the lining from the wall.
This is in preparation for putting it into the machine. It is impossible to wash it using the machine while still hanged on the wall! Be careful not to place any metal in the washing machine. It will cause the machine to break down
Place the curtain into the washing machine.
Only one or two at a time will be able to clean well. If you place more than two in the machine, it won’t clean properly as there will be no space to turn them around. Too much of the curtains in the washing machine too will cause them to wrinkle, to stick to itself or even get torn.
Ensure that the curtains you are washing are of the same color to avoid staining the curtains with different colors. Throw in someone or two towels to help scrub the dirt off the curtains. The towels that you put in should be clean. This is to avoid staining the curtains while cleaning.
Add the detergent as well as the baking soda.
Measure the detergent according to the number of curtains in the washing machine. At this point, add some baking soda too. The amount of baking soda to be added depends on the number of curtains in the machine. The bigger the curtains, the more the amount of baking soda which should be added. The opposite is true. Don’t do more than what is needed as it will just amount to wastage.
Switch on the machine to start the washing.
For better results, set the machine to the highest cleaning level. Also, remember to wash your curtains with warm water. Warm water has a tendency of removing fatty stains with ease as the stains just melt on their own. Warm water too mixes well with the detergent easily. Sometimes, cold water acts as hard water, hence not preferable for cleaning at times.
In case of strong stains, use a bleaching agent.
When you do not wash your curtains for long, it may get tough stains. These stains may become difficult to be washed out using the detergents and baking soda alone. It is then advisable to use bleach for tough stains. Bleach should be added before switching on the machine.
Take about half a cup of bleach and add it in when water is filling up. This allows it to mix well with water before the actual cleaning begins. It is, however, advisable to use the bleaching agent only if the curtain is white, or transparent in nature.
During rinsing.
At the point when the curtain is being rinsed by the machine, you will need to add vinegar. The machine will switch to rinse mode, and this is the time you will need to add the vinegar agent. You will open the machine to add the vinegar and switch it on again to allow it to finish the washing.
Dry the curtains.
Hang it in a clean place probably back in the bathroom and allow it sufficient time to dry properly. If you desire, you can iron it. This is however not mandatory.
CLEANING THE SHOWER CURTAIN BY USE OF A HAND.
The procedure of washing is not much different from that of the machine wash. The steps are:
- Get a small cloth, the size of the face towel for ease of handling. Dampen the cloth by sprinkling some water on it. On it also sprinkle some baking soda.
- While the curtain is still hanged, scrub down using the dampened cloth. First, scrub gently to remove the light stains, leaving behind the tough stains for now. Ensure that you scrub all through the curtains without leaving behind any portion untouched.
- Take a new cloth and dip it in warm water. Then rub it again over the curtain to remove all traces of baking soda. Stains will also be washed out in the process. Rinse as many times as necessary until you are satisfied that all the soda is gone.
- Repeat the first process now to remove the more tough stains. Take a new cloth, dampen it and sprinkle some baking soda on it. Scrub it over the curtain until the stains are removed. Pay more attention to areas where you had left behind the tough stains.
- Rinse the curtain for the second time to rid it of the introduced baking soda and the new stains. Repeat the process as many times as possible until the curtain becomes clean.
- Leave the curtain to dry, preferably in the bathroom. Do not take it out.
Conclusion
Cleaning the shower curtain is very easy. You can wash it by hand or by the use of a machine. Vinegar and the bleaching agent are the ones responsible for removing the tough stains. Follow the above mentioned procedure for an excellent cleaning of the curtain. Remember not to dry the curtain under the sun. Rather, leave it to dry on its own in the bathroom.