Controlling Mold on Cotton Shower Curtains

Green Living - Questions & Answers

......with Debra Lynn Dadd

After recovering from MCS by removing toxic chemicals in her home, Debra Lynn Dadd went on to become a pioneering consumer advocate for health and the environment. Author of Home Safe Home, she also has a popular website containing a directory with more than 1000 links to nontoxic and eco-friendly products, a Q&A blog with many MCS bloggers, recipes for using natural sweeteners, and more. Debra is also available by phone for consultations. She lives in Florida with her husband, who drives a car powered by vegetable oil. Visit her website at http://www.dld123.com.

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009:

Controlling Mold on Cotton Shower Curtains

by Debra Lynn Dadd

Q:

Hi Debra ~

I have a hemp shower curtain. We keep the bathroom ventilated as much as possible since the bathroom is small with an average size window that is usually open.

The curtain is only two months in use and is already having mold growth along the bottom edge. I live in Chicago so we experience humidity.

How do I remove the mold and what do I do to prevent it from growing?

Thank you.

"Moldy" in Chicago

A:

I have the same problem with my cotton shower curtain.

I have not come up with a solution. Does anyone know how to handle this?

I currently just keep replacing the shower curtain every few months, which is not the best idea, environmentally. In my last house, we installed glass shower doors, which cost less than $100. We're going to remodel this bathroom, so we'll install the glass doors in this house too.

>>

In the last issue, I posted a question asking how to prevent cotton and hemp shower curtains from molding. The web-business Home Environment--who sells 100% cotton duck shower curtains and shower curtains made from hemp--had the answer.

The best way to keep natural-fiber shower curtains mold-free is to pre-treat them before their first use with AFM X158, "a clear, odorless defensive sealer designed to encapsulate surfaces which would typically be subject to mold and mildew attack." Their website says "Hemp absorbs water up to 20% of it's weight, dries quickly, and resists mildew," but speaking to them on the phone, I found out that hemp can still mildew, depending on conditions, but because it dries faster, it mildews less than cotton. Pre-treatment with X158 should keep your shower curtain in good shape.

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