If you have shower doors in your bathroom, you know how fast the ugly white soap scum occurs on the inside of the glass. It is a result of combining minerals from hard water, dirt, dead skin, body oil, bacteria, as well as wax, talc, and fatty acids from bar soap. Once soap scum hardens, you will discover how complicated it can be to remove it from the doors, shower door tracks, and a showerhead.
The problem is not only the fact that these deposits are ugly, but they are the basis for the development of the mold. However, you don’t need to be one of the people with a smelly and dirty shower cabin. There are many possibilities to take care of your glass door, and I will try to help you with that inconvenience. Let’s start together!
How to Prevent Soap Scum of Building-Up
As in most cases, prevention is a key. There is always a way to clean dirt, but preventing it from accumulating is a more comfortable option. I will list here easy to do activities that will save you time and effort.
Shower gel
Unlike bar soap, shower gel doesn’t contain organic fats. These fats form soap scum after mixing with mineral matter from hard water, dead skin, and other dirt.
If you prefer bar soap, you can purchase a fat-free one in a cosmetics store or beauty shop. Also, you can find or even make natural, talk-free soap or liquid soap as a better solution. Even a shampoo is a more acceptable option than soap if you don’t want to use synthetic gels.
All other options, except classic soap, seem to be a better choice because they drastically reduce the amount of dirt that is deposited on your shower doors.
Unfortunately, every product will leave some scum behind, but the amount of it matters. Reduce the dirt, and further maintenance will require just light cleaning.
Special conditioners
Avoid these products, especially if they contain oil. If you don’t want to replace them, you should count on cleaning your shower doors more often.
Lemon or baby oil
Do you know that these oils efficiently prevent the collecting of soap scum? Plus, it will make your bathroom fresh and fragrant.
Their applying is not complicated at all. The only thing you should do is to use a microfiber cloth and apply lemon oil over the glass as soon as you finish cleaning. After two to three minutes, polish the excess off it with a dry cloth.
Water
Since soap reacts with minerals from hard water, you can prevent the occurrence of soap scum by softening water. I know that installing a water softener requires an investment of money, but it is worth every cent.
That device will remove minerals from hard water and save you a lot of effort and time. And time is money, right! Anyway, if you look for a more affordable option, you can consider Epsom salts. Unfortunately, it is a suitable solution just if you use a tub. You can’t use it while taking a shower.
Spray bottle
Always keep the spray bottle filled with vinegar or baking soda solution in the cabin. That way, you can quickly spray shower doors after taking a shower.
Keep your shower cabin dry
Every time after taking a shower, you should dry shower doors with squeegee and towel. That way, you will remove most soap residues, so less dirt will build-up around.
Automatic cleaner
An automatic cleaner is an excellent investment for cleaning shower doors, handheld shower head, or rain shower head. With this useful device, you will clean your shower cabin quite effortlessly and reduce the amount of soap scum accumulating around.
Airflow
If you have a window in your bathroom, you should try to keep it open as much as possible. That way, you will encourage airflow, reduce collecting dirt, and prevent mold and mildew growth.
How to Remove Soap Scum from shower doors
No matter how persistent soap scum is, you can get rid of it quite easily and quickly. The great thing is that you often need just household ingredients to finish that task.
Don’t you believe me? I will show you immediately that I am completely serious. Try any of the recipes provided, and your shower door will be sparkling clean again.
1. Vinegar
Believe it or not, when you decide to get rid of soap scum making your shower doors ugly and dirty, you should go to the kitchen! There are a few practical recipes with vinegar, which will make cleaning in the bathroom quicker, healthier, and more comfortable.
2. White vinegar and grease-fighting dish soap
Grab a spray bottle and fill it with equal parts of grease-fighting dish soap and white vinegar. Spray your glass door, and rinse it with warm water after 20 to 30 minutes. Dry the surface with a microfiber cloth.
3. White vinegar and dishwashing detergent
Mix four cups of white vinegar with four cups of water and add one tablespoon of dishwashing detergent. Pour the solution into a spray bottle and spray dirty surfaces as needed.
After 15 to 20 minutes, scrub soap scum with a soft-bristle brush and rinse the door with hot water right away. Dry the area with a microfiber cloth to remove possible remaining traces of dirt.
4. Boiled white vinegar and dish soap
Make a cleaner of boiled white vinegar and dish soap. Let’s vinegar boil in a small pot and add the same amount of dish soap. Be extremely careful while mixing these ingredients because hot vinegar may burn your skin.
Pour the liquid into a spray bottle and spray it evenly onto the soap scum. Let it sit approximately half an hour or even overnight if the dirt is old and dried. Rinse the shower doors with warm water and dry them by using a microfiber cloth.
5. White vinegar and baking soda
Pour 0.5 cup of baking soda into a bowl and add 0.25 cup white vinegar until making a paste. Apply it to the shower doors, rub the paste with a cloth, let it work, and rinse it after about 15 to 20 minutes.
Rinse all paste thoroughly with warm water and dry the glass with a microfiber cloth. Use this combination as an excellent solution against hard water stains.
6. Baking soda
You need one cup of this deodorizing abrasive, one tablespoon of dishwashing detergent, and one to two cups of water. Mix them, make a paste, and apply it to the dirt with a soft-bristle brush. After about 15 minutes, you should rinse the glass with warm water and dry it to remove the remaining dirt.
7. Baking soda and borax
Mix them with water to remove soap scum from your shower doors. When you make a paste, apply it to the soap scum with a damp sponge and let the mix sit for 15 to 20 minutes. After that, scrub wet dirt with a soft bristle brush until the glass doors stay sparkling clean.
The other possibility is to apply dry ingredients directly to the doors previously moistened with water. The further procedure is the same.
8. Borax
It is a natural mineral usually used as a harmless cleaning agent. Since it is abrasive, you can use it as a very beneficial ingredient to remove soap scum from the shower doors.
I highly recommend this powder if you have a problem with mold and mildew in your bathroom. You will need about one cup of borax, two tablespoons of dishwashing detergent, and up to two cups of water.
Mix them until forming a paste. Then, apply it to the glass with a soft bristle brush. You should remove the paste after 15 to 20 minutes, but take care to do that before it dries. Rinse the doors with warm water and wipe it with a microfiber cloth.
9. Ammonia
It is a highly alkaline compound extremely effective against waxy soap scum. Use it just in case that dirt is thick, old, and dry.
Pour ammonia and water in a ratio of 1 to 3 into a spray bottle. Spray it over the soap scum surface and let it sit a half an hour. Try to loosen dirt with a coarse scrub brush while it is still wet. Rinse the glass until removing all the ammonia and dry it with a microfiber cloth.
Don’t forget to open the window or turn on ventilation since the ammonia odor is awful and strong. Plus, wear rubber gloves to protect your hands.
10. Cleaning eraser
I adore this product! It is absolutely magical if you need to remove smaller stains and dirt from the glass without using chemicals! However, it is not entirely practical using it for larger areas.
Purchase the cleaning eraser in a grocery store. Before beginning the job, you should soak it in clean water. Then, scrub the stained area in a circular motion until cleaning it.
11. Commercial cleaner
If you have a problem with persistent dirt, especially in corners and hard to reach places, a commercial cleaner is a good enough solution.
I prefer brands with alcohol because they won’t leave ugly stripes on the glass. Take care to pick out non-toxic products, and start working. Spray your shower door with the glass cleaner and wipe it off with a microfiber cloth after a few minutes. If you spot some dirt residues, you should repeat the process.
