How often should you clean your shower curtain? Expert says a third of us never bother

A study has found that over a third of people have never washed their shower curtain - and only 9% of us do it enough. Let's be honest, we'd much rather have a lovely glass shower screen or even a walk-in shower - but for many of us, a shower curtain's the only option.

Knowing how to clean a shower curtain goes a long way in maintaining the hygiene levels in your bathroom and preventing mold.

The study, conducted by PlumbNation showed that we're pretty divided on this key stage of how to clean a shower. While a large proportion of us opt out entirely, a quarter of us do it at least once a month.

The fact many of the responses were at totally different ends of the spectrum reflects very different attitudes towards to this bathroom cleaning task. As for how often to clean a shower curtain, PlumbNation says it should be done twice a year.

This doesn't seem like too much to ask. But only 9% of people said they were changing or cleaning their shower curtain as frequently as this.

The study also touched on how often to wash towels (after around three uses) and replace toothbrushes (every three months). 'It is concerning that a third have never washed or changed their shower curtain and 40% of the population are happy to leave their towels unwashed after three uses,' says Jordan Chance at PlumbNation.

We asked cleaning expert Mrs D for her advice on how often to clean a shower curtain. She's of the opinion that every six months isn't enough.

'I recommend washing your shower curtain once a month if you use your shower regularly, or every other month if you don't use it that often,' she says. Her top tips are to wash it along with two towels - these will help scrub away dirt and mildew during the wash cycle.

'Add your normal laundry detergent, a cup of bicarbonate of soda to the drum and 5-10 drops of tea tree oil in the laundry detergent compartment,' she advises. Bicarbonate of soda helps deodorize the curtain and tea tree oil will kill bacteria from the mold and mildew.

Showering in the morning should feel refreshing and luxurious. A grimy shower curtain clinging to your leg is definitely not part of our ideal bathroom ideas. 

Time to stock up on some bicarb...