Do Away With This Slimy Cleaning Chore Forever

Well, almost forever.  I'm talking shower curtains or shower curtain liners.  For years I took mine down a few times a year, standing on the tub side to unhook the 12 impossible to open hooks and risking a fall to the floor while I was wrestling with that big, ungainly piece of plastic.  Then I washed it in the washer with bleach and thought I was getting rid of all the bacteria and hopefully the sometimes colorful mold and mildew that so quickly forms from all the moisture and soap scum in a shower.  No matter how well I kept on top of cleaning it IN the shower, it always needed this, at least quarterly, super cleaning.

Then an RVer who came through Hidden Valley shared with me the vinegar trick.  I was skeptical and thought bleach would be much more sanitizing but it turns out that this vinegar trick has been all over Pinterest and google for some time...I was just in the dark.  It works like a dream and you don't even need to wear all white to avoid bleach splashes on your duds in the process.  But alas, the silly thing STILL needs to be wrestled down off the pole several times a year.  Till now (or even much earlier if you discovered this trick before me.)  Best of all this trick involves no harsh and mysterious chemicals.  This method will clean and prevent mildew from returning.

So how does it work? SO simply! After washing your shower curtain, you soak it in salt water to give it a layer of mildew resistance. That’s it. Here’s the step-by-step process.

What You’ll Need

 

– Table salt
– Laundry detergent
– Vinegar

How To

1. Wash your shower curtain in your washing machine. I use a mix of ½ the recommended amount of laundry detergent and 1 cup of vinegar, and add towels to the load for extra scrubbing.
2. Put the washed shower curtain in your clean tub. Cover with hot water, and add 1 cup of salt to the water as it runs.
3. Stir the water so the salt dissolves and covers the shower curtain. Soak for three hours, then hang to dry.

It's one extra step but it keeps the curtain clean for a year or longer with just a water spray down after use. The salt forms a barrier that fights and prevents mildew.

Have you ever tried this trick before? Do you have methods of your own for keeping the shower curtain clean? Share your tips with us.

Teri Blaschke is the RV Park operator of family owned Hidden Valley RV Park in San Antonio, TX and writer of the park blog “A Little Piece of Country in San Antonio.” Teri contributes to various other blogs with a focus on either travel or social media and how it relates to the outdoor hospitality industry but her passion is serving the RV travel community by providing a memorable RV camping experience and growing the Hidden Valley RV family.  Connect with Teri on Google+, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter@HiddenValleyRV  and our RV Country Daily Magazine