How to clean shower doors (The Ultimate Guide)

Shower places are mostly dump. After some time, the moisture present in shower places combines with soap scum to form hard water deposits and scrum on the doors and other surfaces. When glass shower doors are filled with a layer of scum, your bathroom will have an unsightly look.

Knowing how to clean glass shower doors with hard water stains goes a long way in ensuring the general cleanliness of your house.  The following are steps on how to clean shower doors effectively.

Part 1: Making or choosing a cleaning product

This first part is about choosing the best cleaning product for cleaning your shower doors. 

Choose between homemade, commercial or non-toxic cleaners

Most commercially available detergents are highly effective. They are preferable in terms of keeping your tiles and shower doors clean. However, most of these products are made with hazardous chemicals that can cause allergic reactions, respiratory problems, and headache.

For this reason, it is important to do your research on the products and ensure that they are not only effective, but also safe to use. There are a few things to note here:

• Most companies do not disclose the materials they use to make detergents. However, check for labels such as ”Cautious” and ”warning”. Others that are likely to cause health problems are marked with ”Poison” or danger signs.
• Make sure to read the instructions given by the manufacturer on how to handle the cleaning detergent correctly.
• Buy environmentally friendly, plant-based and non-corrosive washing detergent.

Commercial cleaning solution

There is a variety of washing detergent present at any cleaning store or hardware. In case you are looking for the most effective detergent to remove serious soap scum, the following are important tips to note when buying a commercial cleaning solution.

• If the washing detergent has ammonia or chlorine, you are at risk of developing irritation on your throat, skin, eyes or nose.
• Ensure that there is enough air in the shower places, and arm yourself with a ventilator, rag or a mask over your nose and mouth.
• Protect your hands from dangerous chemicals by wearing gloves.

Make a baking soda solution

If you opt to make a homemade shower cleaner, look for a waterproof container and put one-half cup of baking soda. Add a little amount of water and mix.  The Mixture should be paste-like in texture. You can add more baking soda if it feels watery.

Baking soda is further referred to as sodium bicarbonate. It happens to be a mild alkali, and when mixed with water, it forms a solution which can easily dissolve grease and dirt. It is also deodorizer and eliminates the bad smell in your bathroom.

Before creating this solution, check on the size of your shower doors to decide the right amount. 

Use vinegar and dawn to clean glass shower doors

Wondering how to clean glass shower doors with vinegar and dawn? Put distilled vinegar in a glass container. The amount to put in the container will depend on the size of your shower doors. Note that vinegar is acidic and kills bacteria, fungus, and germs. There are a few things to note in terms of how to clean shower doors with vinegar.

• Even though using vinegar is the best way to clean glass shower doors, you should add soap into the solution and warm the solution in a microwave for the soap to dissolve.
• Adding essential oils to vinegar can give your bathroom a sweet fragrance.
• Vinegar is effective in preventing streaks in your glass.

Part 2: How to clean shower doors

Now that you have decided on the best cleaning solution, you may be wondering how to clean glass shower doors? Here are some steps to follow:

Step 1: Put your non-toxic solution into a spray bottle.

A spray bottle is at times referred to as atomizer bottle and can be found in any remodeling stores or hardware shop near you. Check online for better deals to save your money. You can choose to put a sponge in the non-toxic materials and rub it on your best shower doors.

Step 2: Take a hot shower

The humidity and warmth are effective in removing soap scrum. However, if you are not willing to take a shower, leave the water running.

Step 3: Spray down your dry shower doors

• Start by shaking the bottle to ensure that the solution is thoroughly mixed. Spray the interior and exterior of your shower doors.
• Ensure that the room is well ventilated in case you are using commercial products that have toxic chemicals. Leave all the windows and doors open for about an hour.
• Ensure you follow all the requirements set by manufacturers on how to keep glass shower doors clean.

Step 4: Rub-down the shower doors with your solution

You should keep in mind ways on how to clean soap scum off glass shower doors. If you are using a sponge, moist it and start scrubbing the shower doors.  Start by scrubbing the exterior part of the door before cleaning the interior part.

When doing this, check for areas where the shower doors seem to overlap and wipe the area. Scrubbing is important in removing grime and tough stains of scum.

Step 5:  Allow the solution to sit

Let the solution stick on the shower doors for a maximum of 30 minutes. However, this will depend on the last time the shower doors were cleaned and how tough the stains are.

Step 6: Clean the shower doors using a watery sponge

Use a clean sponge that has not touched vinegar, baking soda or any cleaner to wipe all the doors and surfaces. Ensure that there is no cleaning solution left on the surfaces.

Step 7:  Squeegee all moisture from the surfaces

Wipe the doors completely using a paper towel. This is critical if you are planning to add rain-repellant. Ensure you squeegee the walls and doors after every shower to avoid soap scum from forming. This helps to lessen the amount of time required to clean the doors.

If you don’t plan to use a squeegee, you can go for microfiber towels for all your doors and glass walls.

Step 8: Feel the metal trucks with any solution of your choice

Showers that have sliding doors must be fitted with metal tracks where grime and soap scrum collect. If the metal tracks have holes, plug them using a scrap cloth or a paper towel and pour your solution.  Let the solution sit overnight.   Wake up the following morning and soak everything using a rag or a sponge and later wipe the tracks.

Conclusion

It is the dream of every homeowner to keep their shower glass doors clean and scum-free. We hope that the above tips on how to clean showers doors will help you to remove scum and dirt effectively. The key is to use the right cleaning products and wash the glass shower doors regularly. Also, ensure that you take safety measure to avoid creating a toxic environment when cleaning your shower doors.