Living in Nova Scotia means living near the ocean (if you doubt me, take a peak at a map, ocean surrounds the province). Living in such a humid climate also means mold. Especially when our apartment bathroom has terrible ventilation.
Two years ago I finally bit the mold bullet and bought a hemp shower curtain. Up to that point I was frantically scrubbing our (supposedly) bpa free shower curtains and replacing them every few months, which over the long run cost money and was wasteful.
This hemp shower curtain cost 100$, but I figured it would last years, therefore would eventually pay for itself and instead of constantly scrubbing, I could just throw it in the cold wash every two weeks.
Unfortunately, only a year and a half later and there was mold growing all along the bottom of our supposedly mold-resistent shower curtain. Wtf?? I tried using eco-bleach, washing repeatedly to no avail. I cut off the bottom and then the shower leaked all over the floor. Awesome.
Despite this, I was in LOVE with my hemp shower curtain and the thought of going back to icky plastic grossed me out.
(our second hemp shower curtain)
So... we went back to p'lovers and purchased a second one. I know. It was a moment of eco-extravagance. I was absolutely certain, though, that this time we would do things differently. We would take better care of our beautiful hemp curtain. If that meant more work, than fine.
Six months later and our curtain is going strong. No signs of mold yet. We're doing things a bit differently though:
- We wash the shower curtain (periodically in hot water) every week now.
- After each shower we wring out the bottom and hang it OUTSIDE the tub to dry.
- Every other wash is with eco-bleach.
Anyone else have some mold difficulties with their hemp shower curtain? Or have other tips to keep the mold away?
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6 comments:
I had a hemp shower curtain for about 2 months and threw it out. I tried washing it frequently and leaving it outside the shower to dry but it still became covered with mold. I'm using a polyester one now - I figure it's better than vinyl.
Mine was great in the dry Alberta climate, but when I brought it with me to the humidity of Ontario, it turned into a mold factory. Disgusting. Here's my blog about its better days: http://bestsariah.blogspot.ca/search?q=hemp
@Cindy and @Sara- so glad I'm not the only one who had a mold incident!!! i'm really hoping we can keep it mold free- but this is the last try. There's no way I'm spending that money on another shower curtain.
Mold is kinda yucky, but as long as you can live with it its probably ok.
Green World
I just got a hemp shower curtain and love it. I was hoping I would only need to wash it once a month but your post is encouraging me to wash a little more often. Would tea tree oil in the wash help? It was quite an investment but I love it and hope it lasts! -- SustainaMom
@SustainaMom- hmm that is a great idea!!! tea tree oil :)
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