Shower curtain

Vinyl: Vinyl, whether clear or opaque, is easily cleaned. Wipe it down with a cloth and/or spray it frequently with soap scum remover, remembering the bottom of the outside, which normally rests against the inside of the tub. Vinyl can also be machine washed, warm or cold, with detergent and bleach. But stick to medium and heavy gauge, nearer the thickness of a blow-up beach ball than that of a thin poncho or windbreaker. Lighter weight vinyls can tear in the washing machine.

Vinyls won't seriously wrinkle. The heavier the gauge, the less noticeable the rumple, which is in any case less pronounced than the creases when you took it out of the package. Hang in the shower to dry.

Polyester: On the face of it, any polyester could be machine washed (cold, gentle cycle, tumble dry low, iron on low), foregoing bleach because of color fastness. Many polyester shower curtains recommend dry cleaning on the tag, however, because of fabric texture, dye or construction — not because of the fiber. Dry cleaning tends to apply to decorative curtains that leave all the water-containing function to the accompanying vinyl liner. Liners of man-made fabrics, like polyester and rayon can typically be machine washed.

Cotton: You can use this if you really want it – and you don’t mind sharing the stall with mold. (See Regarding Mold below.) Although cotton fiber is machine washable, it also has a tendency to shrink dramatically, which would change the way it fits over your shower space. Any color would take bleaching out of the picture, which leaves the cotton all the more hospitable to mold. Cotton shower curtains typically recommend dry cleaning, which does not produce anywhere near the shrinkage resulting from washing in water.

Regarding Mold: Mold needs food, not just a moist environment. And it wants natural fibers and materials, like those contained in cotton. Mold doesn’t like plastics as much — including vinyl as well as polyester, which is essentially woven from plastic fibers. Some vinyl curtains have fungicide added during the formation of the plastic itself, which means it won’t rinse out during washing. Hence, vinyls carrying this treatment claim on the packaging that they are mold and mildew resistant for life. Housekeeping Channel is not aware of any studies at this point, however, that show this specially treated vinyl is any less appealing to mold than regular vinyl.

You can find mold on a plastic shower curtain or liner, because over time, soil collects there — enough to provide food. Keeping a vinyl surface or polyester fabric clean will help prevent mold from colonizing there in the first place.

Shower Curtain Rings: On plastic rings, the little pegs that snap into place can fairly easily snap right off. Save yourself the frustration and go with metal. Nickel-plated brass and stainless steel rings are out there and will resist rust. Toss them in the flatware basket of the dishwasher to clean them occasionally.

Shower Rods: Metal can rust. Of the plastic models available, go with a smooth surface rather than one with ridges, which will collect grime and be difficult to clean. When wiping down the bathroom, just give the shower rod a quick swipe as well.