Shower Curtain Liners and Your Health

Hello Clean Popo fans and followers!

Before I get into Clean Popo's second blog entry, I just wanted to remind everyone that we are still offering discounted rates on cleaning services to those with flood damage from Hurricane Sandy. It has been a rough week, but together we are all pulling through!

I thought I would  use this blog entry to talk about something that most people not in the home cleaning service industry think about too often, shower curtain liners.

Mold and mildew love to grow in dark, damp, and warm environments, and your shower is no exception. Although rather benign looking, mold can trigger all sorts of asthma and allergy related conditions. This can be particularly hazardous for those with respiratory problems, young children, the elderly, and those with suppressed immune systems, but is generally not something that anyone should be around. Keeping your curtain liner clean is the great way to maintain a healthy, mold free home.

Shower curtain liners of all material types eventually begin to grow all sorts of nasty things, even if you can’t see them. Although some materials are better than others, the truth is your best defense against a moldy shower curtain liner and mildewy smelling bathroom is just to change it.

Even though all shower curtain liners will eventually need changing, some last longer than others. Generally the more porous nylon variety require changing more frequently, with the PVC and vinyl types lasting longest, especially when treated with moldicide and/or mildewcide. If your shower curtain has been treated with one of these chemicals, its life will be extended by quite a bit.  

Although it is undoubtedly recommended to change your shower curtain, between changings it is also important to clean your shower regularly using a cleaning solution that is made to kill mold. Even better than this, in some cases shower curtain liners can be put in a washing machine, and if possible this is a great solution. Just use hot water and a little bleach to ensure almost all of the mold is killed. For extra mold killing just leave the curtain outside in the sun. The power of the sun drying it will help to kill any residual mold. That being said, any discoloration caused by mold will likely remain.

Hope you found this helpful!

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