1

I am looking for something that I can add to bathwater to soak this shower liner to remove the lime/soap buildup.

I do not want to manually have to use a sponge for this job.

I do not want to replace the liner.

I have hydrochloric acid available and mix it to different strengths.

Thanks.

fixit7
  • 559
  • 5
  • 18
  • I don't get what bath water has to do with a shower curtain. When I take a bath, I don't need to use the shower curtain which is pushed to one end of its rail. But anyway, I just sluice off the curtain with the shower spray each time, and replace the curtain every couple of years. They are inexpensive, like £5-7 in my local supermarket.... but excuse me, are you using bath as a polite euphemism used by shy people who don't like to talk about body functions, as in "I have to go to the bathroom". – Weather Vane Dec 10 '22 at 20:29
  • I was thinking of using the bath water and some dilute acid to dissolve the scale/lime deposits from the curtain by soaking it in it. – fixit7 Dec 10 '22 at 20:35
  • You might cause other damage to other fittings by using acid. I suppose you could spray tthe inside of the curtain with limescale remover, but as mentioned the curtains are really cheap, and can be put in the recycling waste. – Weather Vane Dec 10 '22 at 20:39
  • 1
    I can understand "lime buildup", but "soap buildup"? I sense a problem of lack of hygiene there... Clean and wash things around you more often, maybe. Soap has the amazing property of being removable with water. – virolino Dec 12 '22 at 11:34
  • I sense a lack of tact and making assumptions. @virolino – fixit7 Dec 12 '22 at 13:36
  • @fixit7: will you please explain, what assumptions I made? What was wrong with my statement? It was your own statement that you have "soap buildup". Unlike lime, soap can be removed with running water - especially at the end of a shower. Please note that I made no comment on the info from your profile: "retired chemist" - that makes matters even worse for you. Why would you need our help for a matter in which you are (supposedly) an expert? – virolino Dec 12 '22 at 14:18
  • @virolino: Cheap soap can sometimes adhere to limescale, making the limescale slimy. I believe the OP is referring to this stuff which does not come off easily with running water. – Chenmunka Dec 12 '22 at 16:21

3 Answers3

2

I wash my shower liner in the washing machine. It removes soap and hard water deposits.

  • Add the liner and a large towel (for scrubbing action) to the washing machine.

  • Use the hottest water setting, bleach (the large amount for your machine), and laundry detergent.

  • Let it soak then run cycle normally.

I hang it back up in the shower to dry. Good luck.

This technique might work in the bathtub.

Okie girl
  • 21
  • 2
1

Dilute (5% or so) HCl should work, though it might corrode nickel-plated tub fittings. Better would be to use commercial lime/scale remover, agitated with a plastic utensil in a plastic tub placed inside the bathtub, being careful not to get the solution on clothing, floor (acid dissolves grout), skin or in eyes!

However, consider the economics of this. A shower-curtain liner locally costs US$3 to US$6. A bottle of lime remover (dilute HCl) costs US$1.30. How much additional use will you get from the liner after cleaning? Liners often tear while being installed or removed from hangers.

Perhaps a more useful plan is to repurpose the plastic liners. They can be put under crushed stone to prevent weed growth, they can be placed on a vehicle(or even a driveway) to ease snow removal, etc.

DrMoishe Pippik
  • 6,043
  • 11
  • 18
1

To clean my shower curtain liner, I used the following:

** Use in a well ventilated area. I had a high volume fan going.

  1. Purchased the picture item at a dollar type store for about $1.25. (The product contains sulfamic acid.)

  2. Mixed it in a ratio of 1:1 with water (the bottle with the blue colored liquid.)

  3. Sprayed the scale/soap ridden shower curtain liner

  4. Let soak for about 5 minutes

  5. Spray off with water or use a plastic cup and splash it on to wash residue down the tub drain

I now do a light misting after each shower.

enter image description here

The final cleaned shower curtain liner.

enter image description here

fixit7
  • 559
  • 5
  • 18