This Simple Trick Helps Keep Your Shower Curtain Clean and Mildew-Free

The unfortunate reality about cleaning is that it’s never really finished. No matter how thoroughly you deep clean something, everything is bound to get dirty and need to be cleaned again. However, there are some things that seem to get dirty again the moment you turn your back and walk away, making it seem like they can never truly get clean. Shower curtains and liners are a common pain point in this department. They can get covered with water and mildew spots that seem to never go away, no matter how hard you scrub, and you may be tempted to just throw them out and get new ones.

However, if you’re looking to save money and reduce waste, there’s a way to get your shower curtain clean—and keep it that way much longer—without having to constantly replace it.

How to Clean Your Shower Curtain and Liners So They Last Longer

A Reddit user who was at their “wit’s end” with their shower curtain because it still looked gross after thorough cleaning, made a post asking for recommendations for better cleaning methods for shower curtains. Several Redditors commented with the same simple solution—and it really works.

The magic trick? Just throw your shower curtain or liner in the washing machine with a little bit of detergent and bleach on the gentle cycle with cool water. (One hotel housekeeper even confirmed this is the way to go.) If you’re dealing with lots of grime on your curtain, several Redditors also shared the helpful tip to add a couple of old towels into the load as well, since this will help scrub and dislodge the buildup on the shower curtain.

This method should work for most plastic, vinyl, and bleach-safe fabric curtains and liners. However, if you have a colorful or patterned fabric curtain that isn’t bleach-safe, you’ll probably want to skip this trick to avoid discoloring your curtain. It might even be worth swapping out your current shower curtain for a bleach-safe option so that you can use this easy cleaning method and won’t have to replace your curtain as often in the future.