All of us like having an elegant glass shower door in the bathroom. It brings a touch of sophistication to our homes, don’t you think? However, these lovely cabins designed for our enjoyment may transform into quite dirty and smelly places over time.
There are a few reasons for that, but the most significant problems are the two of them – hard water and soap. They accumulate gradually on glass shower screens if left uncleaned. A result is permanent damage to the place made to offer you pure pleasure.
To make matters worse, in one moment, you will realize that all your efforts to clean up glass surfaces remain without positive results. Most of the people find a solution for that issue in the harsh chemicals such as bleach or ammonia, but I believe that you are smarter than that.
There are a few excellent and entirely natural cleaning preparations that will help you clean the glass shower door without any possible unwanted health risks to you and your dearest ones. Let’s start!
The Difference between Hard and Soft Water
First, let’s identify the reason for the ugly stains that appear on the glass door of your shower cabin. The primary issue is definitely hard water. Unlike soft water, hard one contains a lot of dissolved minerals, especially calcium and magnesium, as well as chalk and lime.
Unfortunately, most water in the US is hard, especially in cities. It picks up minerals and becomes hard while making its way through the ground.
Once these minerals come in contact with soap scum, they cause the occurrence of stains all over your shower doors. To avoid this inconvenience, you should clean the glass doors of your shower cabin as regular as possible.
What is Soap Scum?
Waxy consistent soap scum contains soap particles, calcium stearate, and minerals from hard water. They react with one another, and the result is the occurrence of persistent water-insoluble stains on the glass shower door.
NO! It is not time to replace a new shower door! There is a more convenient and less expensive solution. Firstly, you should clean the already accumulated soap scum. Then, try to find a few minutes to clean the glass doors after taking a shower. That way, you will prevent further buildup of dirt in the future.
How to Prevent the Occurrence of Soap Scum?
The primary issue with the most cleaners is the necessity of a quick final rinse after cleaning. Why? As I have already said, most of us live in a region with hard water. So, that final rinsing will leave soap scum, watermarks, and tiny particles of limescale on the shower screen after its drying.
The solution is so simple – use a squeegee. You probably use it for cleaning a windshield. If not, you can purchase this cheap piece of equipment in a local DIY store. Use your squeegee to remove excess water from the shower door after rinsing it.
Shower Glass Cleaning Supplies
I will give you a list of necessary cleaning supplies that will help you to make and keep your glass door radiant and transparent. You can find all the pieces online or in a home remodeling store.
- Spray bottle
- Glass cleaner
- Scrub sponge
- Squeegee
- Paper towel
- Cloth or microfiber towel
- Newspaper
- Cleaners – white vinegar, baking soda, dish soap, lemon, ammonia, peppermint, vodka, tea tree, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol
How to Clean Bathroom Shower Doors
Start with cleaning after taking a hot shower to let the warmth and humidity make removing soap scum more convenient. Otherwise, let the hot water runs to produce enough steam in the shower cabin.
Whatever cleaner you chose, pour it into a spray bottle, and spray the glass. The other solution is to dunk a sponge in the same solution and rub-down the shower door.
Shake the bottle to mix the cleaning solution and spray down the shower door. Use a sponge to clean the glass door, but be careful if you use commercial chemicals. In that case, you will need a proper ventilated in the bathroom.
Always start cleaning from the exterior of the doors and finish with the interiors. Pay attention to spots where shower doors overlap and spray them thoroughly. Let the solution stay for 10 to 30 minutes.
Then wash down the glass door with water and a clean sponge until rinse all the solution. Use a squeegee, cloth, microfiber towel, or paper towel to dry the doors.
Don’t forget to clean metal door tracks, shower head as well as a shower caddy if you have any. Also, wash all the used equipment thoroughly, especially if they were in contact with toxic chemicals.
In the end, you can apply baby oil or lemon oil to the shower door with a clean cloth. That way, you will prevent the additional accumulation of soap scum.
The Best Cleaning Solutions
1. Vinegar and water
Using white vinegar for cleaning shower doors in your bathroom is an inexpensive and practical solution. It will help you to keep the shower clean without any danger for the environment, you, and your family.
Pour a mix of one part white vinegar and three parts warm distilled water into a spray bottle and spray it onto the glass. Rinse it with warm water after a few minutes and wipe it off with a cloth, newspaper, or paper towel.
2. Vinegar and dish soap
Combine equal parts dish soap and white vinegar. Pour the mixture into a handled sponge dispenser and clean the glass door of your shower cabin.
3. Baking soda and water
Put a half-cup of baking soda on a cloth and wipe the previously damped shower door. Once baking soda comes in contact with water, you will get a scum-fighting scrub.
Rinse it off with warm water, and enjoy sparkling glass and fragrant bathroom. To better effect, you can rinse the glass with white vinegar or lemon juice.
4. Baking soda and vinegar
Make a paste of a half-cup of baking soda and white vinegar. Wipe shower door glass with the paste and wipe it off after approximately 10 to 15 minutes with a cloth or paper towel.
5. Vinegar, baking soda, and salt
Use a spray bottle to spray vinegar over the shower door. After a while, spread the paste made of baking soda and salt over the glass with a damp sponge. Rinse the door.
6. Lemon and water
Thanks to the extraordinarily cleaning properties of citric acid, lemon juice is an ideal option for cleaning your shower door. Plus, it smells fantastic.
Prepare two to three lemons and squeeze them to get the juice. You will need about three tablespoons of it to mix with a cup of distilled water.
Pour the mixture into a spray bottle, shake it to mix the liquids appropriately, and spray the shower doors. Wipe the glass with a dry microfiber cloth after five minutes.
7. Ammonia and water
Some DIY ammonia-based cleaners will help you clean the glass door of your shower cabin of these ugly streaks. Mix two tablespoons of ammonia with warm distilled water and pour it into a spray bottle. Wash the door with that spray and wipe it with a dry microfiber cloth after three to five minutes.
8. Peppermint and vodka
Mix a half of cup vodka with one cup of water and add ten drops of peppermint essential oil into the mixture. Pour it into the spray bottle and spray the glass door of your shower after every showering.
Alternatively, clean the door weekly. Spray your cleaner on all parts of the shower cabin and rinse it after 10 to 15 minutes.
9. Peppermint, tea tree, and hydrogen peroxide
The mixture of peppermint and tea tree is an excellent solution for removing mold and mildew from your shower cabin. You need one cup of water and a half-cup of hydrogen peroxide.
Add ten drops of peppermint essential oil and the additional ten drops of tea tree essential oil into that mix. Spray shower door and all other parts of the cabin with mold or mildew, and rinse it after 1 to 2 hours.
10. Hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol
Mix a half-cup of hydrogen peroxide with an equal amount of rubbing alcohol, and add one tablespoon of dishwasher rinse aid and one teaspoon of liquid dish soap.
Pour the mix into a spray bottle and add water to dilute it. Mix the ingredients gently to avoid making the foam. Use it to clean the glass door of your shower cabin as necessary.
11. Commercial cleaners
The water in the region where you live may be extremely hard. In that case, you can’t remove stains with homemade cleaners. Luckily, you can find a few non-abrasive cleaners on the market capable of solving the problem.
After drying the doors, you should use a commercial cleaner with a range of pH from 7 to 8. After a few minutes, wipe the glass with paper towels or a cloth. I highly recommend you to wear gloves during cleaning to protect the skin of your hands from chemicals.
Conclusion
The only way to prevent soap scum from forming on the glass door of your shower cabin is to clean them regularly. It’s up to you which technique or cleaner will you use. If you ask me, I always choose the winning combination of excellent white vinegar and lemon to get both shine shower doors and fragrant bathroom.
