While most homeowners love the look of glass shower doors, there’s no denying how dirty and grimey they can get — and seemingly overnight, too! Glass shower doors might look super elegant, but the truth is, they’re pretty high maintenance.
It makes sense though — anything exposed to high levels of moisture, mineral deposits, and soap scum will become dirty over time. So, in order to keep your shower doors from looking grimey, streaky, or constantly foggy, this blog is here to help.
Let’s dive into cleaning shower glass doors and the best products to use…
Popular Commercial Cleaning Products To Use
Before you dive into cleaning your shower doors and leaving them with a glorious sparkle, you’ll need a few necessary tools to make the job a whole lot easier. To start off, you’ll need a spray bottle, scrub sponge, a squeegee, and microfiber cloth, or some paper towel.
Next up, you’ll need a decent shower door cleaner. What’s the best cleaner for glass shower doors, you ask? Here are some of the most popular options:
- Rejuvenate Soap Scum Remover — this is a great all-rounder product that’s easy to use, and actually removes soap scum and grime without having to scrub. Always use this product in a well-ventilated bathroom
- CLR Calcium, Lime & Rust Remover — with this very affordable product you can dissolve away calcium and hard water deposits, soap scum, limescale, and grime. It also works well on fiberglass
- Bio-Clean Hard Water Stain Remover — this is a brilliant, eco-friendly product that works best on hard water stains
- Clean-X Repel — if persistent soap scum stains are a problem for you, this is your best product. It also leaves your shower doors with a protective layer to prevent soap scum buildup
- Hope’s Perfect Glass — this is a great multi-purpose glass cleaner that’s designed for a streak-free shine
- Clean Shower Daily Shower Cleaner — for a product that you can use to quickly clean down your shower on a daily basis, this is the formula to opt for
Now, we understand that you might want to keep chemicals out of the home, especially if you have young children. Thankfully, there are homemade DIY options that work perfectly well to leave behind gleaming shower doors:
A DIY Vinegar Solution
This is super simple to make and you only need two to three ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry/cleaning cupboard. To make a vinegar solution, mix white vinegar with a dishwashing detergent, such as Dawn, in equal measures.
Remember to slightly warm your vinegar beforehand.
Once you’ve made your mixture, pour it into your spray bottle and douse your shower doors (front and back) with the solution. Allow the mixture to marinate for about 30 minutes, giving it time to work through the scum and grime. After this, rinse off the solution with fresh, warm water and your sponge. Remove excess water with your squeegee, then dry off your shower doors with a microfiber cloth or paper towel.
Just an FYI: you don’t want to use a vinegar solution if your shower comprises natural stone as the vinegar might leave behind stains. Instead, swap out the vinegar for baking soda, mixed with dishwashing liquid in equal parts — it should be the consistency of frosting. Repeat the same cleaning process as above.
A DIY Lemon Solution
This is a fast, simple, and effective way to clean your shower doors (without any chemicals in sight). All you need to do is cut a lemon in half, dip it face down in baking soda, and scrub down your shower doors, front and back, with the lemon.
The baking soda and acid in the lemon should react together to create a sudsy type of foam. Allow this solution to work its magic for about 20 minutes, then rinse it off with warm water and your sponge. Once again, remove excess water with a squeegee, then dry off the shower doors with a microfiber cloth or paper towel.
Using a Daily Shower Spray
This is one of the best tricks in the book to keep the buildup of soap scum and grime at bay. With a daily shower spray, you can also avoid the need for regular deep cleans. To concoct your daily shower spray, simply mix one cup of water with a half cup of white vinegar, a squeeze of dish soap, and 10 drops of your favorite essential oil scent.
You can keep this shower spray in your shower or nearby. Spray it onto your shower doors after removing excess water with your squeegee to keep scum buildup at bay.
Top Tips on Cleaning Your Shower Door Tracks
If there is one spot in your shower that actually collects the most grime, it has to be the shower door tracks. And we get it, they’re not the easiest spot to clean. They are a target for trapped bacteria and mold growth, so your tracks definitely need some attention, too.
In order to give them a good clean, you’re going to need an old toothbrush, a paint scraper, and a razor blade scraper. You can use your toothbrush to scrub around the metal frame of the shower, removing grime and mildew buildup. Then, use your paint scraper to scuff away hard deposits of dirt on the metal part that meets the shower door.
After that, use your razor blade scraper to remove any lingering mineral deposits off the flat glass. Always use these tools with caution and hold your scrapers at a 45-degree angle to avoid scratching your shower door glass.
How Often Is Cleaning Shower Glass Doors Necessary?
As with most home maintenance-related things, prevention is always key. So the best way to keep your shower doors in great condition is to formulate a cleaning schedule for them. This way, you don’t have to spend an hour or two of back-breaking work in your shower.
It might sound excessive, but one of the simplest ways to keep your shower doors clean, day in and day out, is to squeegee them after use. By removing this excess water, you can avoid hard water deposits, the build-up of soap scum, mold, and mildew growth.
A cleaning schedule for your glass shower doors looks something like this:
- Every day — squeegee the shower doors after the last shower of the day and leave them open to air out overnight
- Weekly — wipe down your entire shower, plus the doors, with a sponge or cleaning pad and your chosen cleaning solution
- Monthly — deep clean your shower getting into all the small nooks and crannies. This is a good time to clean your shower door tracks, too
By using a daily spray you can also coat the doors with a protective film. Ideally, you want to do this after the last shower of the day — not after every single shower throughout the day!
In Need of Expert Home Cleaning?
If you just don’t have the spare time for deep cleaning shower glass doors, then allow Anita’s Housekeeping Referral Agency to find the best professional cleaners for you.
All our referred cleaning experts are experienced, background-checked, and top-rated. We can help you find deep cleaning, green cleaning, specialty, and move-in cleaning services. Request your booking with us today!
