How to get rid of pink stain on shower curtain
The pink tinge is caused by airborne bacteria called *Serratia marcescens* that thrive in damp bathroom environments and feed on soap scum. Regular washing often fails to kill the bacteria completely, causing the discoloration to quickly return at the bottom of the liner.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Soaking in bleach water before running through the washerDid this help you?
- 2Soaking in oxiclean and hot waterDid this help you?
- 3Soaking in hot water and vinegar before washingDid this help you?
- 4Using a plastic liner on the inside of the tub and cloth on the outsideDid this help you?
- 5Spraying with hydrogen peroxide and letting it air dryDid this help you?
- 6Using Lysol spray after every showerDid this help you?
- 7Throwing the shower curtain in the washing machineDid this help you?
- 8Using a mild bathroom cleaner with a soft toothbrushDid this help you?
- 9Applying Bar Keepers Friend to make a paste and letting it sitDid this help you?
- 10Using hard-water or mineral removers safe for chromeDid this help you?
- 11Trying Flitz Metal Polish pasteDid this help you?
- 12Using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser with waterDid this help you?
- 13Spraying limescale remover, waiting 10 minutes, and wiping offDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I cant seem to get rid of the discoloration on this? Any ideas what product I could use to make this shiny again?”source ↗
“I have a cloth liner, and it does this.”source ↗
“We have the same curtain and the same issue.”source ↗
“Omg yes my hooks are metal. I didn’t even think about that. Thank you so much”source ↗
“All the hook holes of my shower curtain have a greenish grey color to them. Is this mold or just some dirt and discoloration.”source ↗
Where this came up
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