Do you have a glass shower door? If so, you know that it can feel like an uphill battle to free it from spots, stains, and soap scum. The good news is that you can take some simple steps to make your bathroom look its best!
With some readily available household supplies and regular effort, you can cut down on the number of deep cleanings you have to do and keep your shower sparkling. Check out these tips on how to clean glass shower doors for a spot-free, streak-free shine.
What Supplies Do I Need to Clean my Glass Shower Doors?
Luckily, when that dreaded time comes to clean your glass shower door, you only need a few things that are probably already in your bathroom cupboard. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Glass cleaner or all-purpose cleaner
- Vinegar
- Spray bottle
- Sponge
- Microfiber cloth or old T-shirt
- Old toothbrush
- Squeegee
Remember that the cleaning materials you’ll need will depend on how big the mess is.
10 Proven Methods for Cleaning Glass Shower Doors
Hard water stains are caused by the minerals present in hard water. These minerals attach to the surfaces they contact and leave a nasty stain.
What’s more, with their uneven surface, these spots make it easy for bacteria and other filth to accumulate on top. The good news here is that there is more than one way to deal with these. Here are 10 of the most popular approaches.
Method 1: Spray Lemon Juice
Thanks to its high citric acid content, lemon juice is a natural cleaner that works well to clean tempered glass shower doors from hard water stains and drops. To make your own solution at home, mix equal parts of freshly squeezed lemon juice and water in a spray bottle.
Apply the mixture to any stained areas, and then let it sit for about five minutes before wiping clean with a dry cloth or paper towel. Alternatively, just cut a lemon in half and rub your shower walls with it.
Method 2: Use Your Dish Soap
Dish soap is a great way to clean your treated glass shower doors. It will help remove any stains that have built up over time.
To do this, simply mix dish soap with some warm water and pour it into a spray bottle. Spray the solution onto your glass shower doors and use a soft cloth or sponge to gently rub away any hard water stains.
Method 3: Make a Vinegar and Dish Soap Mix
If there are more persistent stains, you can clean your glass shower doors with vinegar and Dawn. Here’s how to do it:
- Warm a cup of vinegar in the microwave and add one cup of Dawn.
- Fill a spray bottle with the solution and spritz the shower doors directly.
- Allow for the solution to act on the build-up for a few minutes.
- Scrub brush the doors.
- Rinse off.
Method 4: Spray Some Good Old Vinegar
Mix one cup of white vinegar with two cups of water in a spray bottle and shake it well. Spray the mixture onto the shower door, leave it for around 5 minutes, and then use a cloth or sponge to wipe it clean.
You’ll see, you don’t need much to clean your glass shower doors with vinegar when soap scrum is in question. But if you want to make your homemade spray a bit stronger, just mix an equal part of vinegar and water in your spray bottle, and voila!
Method 5: Grab Your Baking Soda
Surely, you have thought about this one—the most famous cleaner in every home. Baking soda is a popular cleaning agent, and it can be used everywhere, from your kitchen appliances like an electric grill to your bathroom sink.
Therefore, you can clean your glass shower doors with baking soda, especially if you have hard water stains all over your shower cabin. Just put a tablespoon of baking soda in one cup of water and pour it into a spray bottle. Shake it well, and spray away!
The mixture will help you dissolve hard water stains and leave your doors literally spotless. Plus, you can combine it with vinegar for sparkling results.
Don’t forget to wipe the doors out or use a squeegee to scoop the water.
Method 6: Combine Vinegar and Baking Soda
Just like cleaning the water spots from your tea kettle, you can use vinegar to clean your shower doors. Also, cleaning glass shower doors with vinegar and baking soda is very easy, but you’ll need two spray bottles.
First, follow the cleaning steps from the previous section and then spray the vinegar solution mixture over the baking soda.
Use a soft cloth or sponge to wipe it clean, and that’s it! The baking soda will help scrub away any tough stains, while the vinegar will take care of any streaks or film. That said, there are multiple ways in which you can clean glass shower doors without vinegar.
Method 7: Use Ammonia
If your glass shower doors are stained from hard water, you can make a special cleaning mixture. Mix one cup of ammonia with two cups of water in a spray bottle.
Spray the mixture onto the door and wipe it clean afterward. Be sure to open any windows in the bathroom while cleaning the shower to allow fumes to escape.
Method 8: Buy a Commercial Window Cleaner
Whether cleaning soap scum from glass shower doors or a more severe build-up, you can try a commercial window cleaner like Windex to clean it out. It can be sprayed onto the door and then wiped clean with a lint-free cloth.
Just make sure not to use paper towels as they’ll leave behind tiny particles that will only aggravate the build-up problem. Also, don’t forget to read the instructions on every of the cleaning products before use.
Method 9: Use Metal Polish for Cleaning and Polishing Out Any Scratches
This one is a surprising answer to how to get glass shower doors clean. But don’t worry. Just try using a metal polish which contains ingredients specifically designed for cleaning glass and stainless steel surfaces.
All you need to do is spray some on your shower door and let sit for about five minutes before wiping away any grime with a damp cloth (or paper towel). Finally, rinse off the solution with warm water.
Metal polish is a good way to clean glass shower doors without vinegar and get rid of scratches too. It may work better than Windex because it doesn’t contain ammonia, which can damage glass over time.
Method 10: Brush the Stains With Toothpaste
If you have nothing else to clean a shower wall stain with, you can use your toothpaste. Toothpaste contains abrasive ingredients that can help scrub away the build-up, especially from the shower corners.
Just put some toothpaste on a damp cloth and scrub the stained areas until they start to disappear. Be sure to rinse off the toothpaste with warm water afterward and dry off any remaining moisture.
How to Prevent Build-up on Glass Shower Doors?
Here’s a tip on how to clean glass shower doors with hard water stains with minimal effort: After every use, squeegee the shower doors off the water before it dries. This prevents spots from forming in the first place!
They’ll get wiped away alongside any soap film that might have settled onto the glass. Do this after every shower and wipe any remaining water with paper towels. If you want to save some time, just air out your shower cabin and open the window to dry the doors.
Hard water can cause a lot of problems in your home, including build-up and corrosion. A good way to prevent this is by installing an automatic water softener system so that you don’t have as many mineral deposits like magnesium or calcium on your shower walls.
How Often Should I Be Cleaning My Glass Shower Doors?
Most experts agree that cleaning glass shower doors should be done at least once a week, if not more often. If you live in an area with hard water and this causes a mineral build-up on your doors, then you’ll want to give them a deep cleaning every few weeks or so.
So, if you’re wondering how to keep glass shower doors clean, this is a good schedule to follow:
- Daily— After using it, wipe away water with a squeegee or paper towels.
- Weekly— Give everything within range (including panels) a mist of cleaner and wipe off.
- Monthly—Use a stronger cleaning agent and a brush for a thorough cleaning that includes shower corners.
Conclusion
Banishing soap scum, hard water stains, and mildew from your shower doors can become one of the easy chores if done properly and frequently.
We hope that our tips for making problematic glass shower doors shiny and picking the right tools and homemade cleaners will help you keep them gleaming for longer and with less effort.
FAQ
How to clean soap scum off glass shower doors?
The best way to remove soap scum from glass shower doors is to wipe it down right after taking a shower. This way, you will remove the soap while it is still soft, not giving it a chance to build up on your glass doors.
But if you don’t rinse it and wipe it with a microfiber cloth, or use a magic eraser foam and a squeegee right away, you might need a cleaning agent to remove the residue later.
You can do this with any commercial glass-cleaning sprays, but you can also make your own cleaning solution with lemon juice, vinegar, or baking soda. Avoid using harsh chemicals like bleach or ammonia because soap scum comes off fairly quickly.
What removes hard water stains from glass shower doors?
Cleaning glass shower doors with vinegar is a popular method for removing hard water stains. However, you can also use baking soda or lemon juice.
Commercial cleaners, ammonia, and toothpaste are also good choices. However, the best way to find out what works best for your shower doors is to test a few different methods and see which one gives the best results.
How do professionals clean glass shower doors?
The secret to cleaning your shower doors like a pro lies in one simple word—squeegee!
Typically, professional cleaners use a squeegee with a sturdy rubber blade. So if you want to achieve professional results, keep several of these on hand in your bathroom and make sure their rubber blade is in good shape.
How do I clean cloudy shower glass?
If your shower glass has turned cloudy, there are a few things you can do to clean it.
- Use a squeegee to wipe down the glass after each use; this will prevent a build-up of any kind on the surface.
- Wipe it with a sponge, soft cloth, or a towel to clean the cloudy glass door.
- Use one of the mild cleaning solutions like baking soda, white vinegar, lemon juice, or ammonia mix, and then rinse them off with cold water.
- Rub the door using dryer sheets.
Do dryer sheets clean shower doors?
Dryer sheets are a great way to clean your shower doors. You can use them on all glass shower doors, including those with hard water stains.
Simply spray the area with some vinegar and then wipe it down with a dryer sheet that has been sprayed with water. This will remove any dirt and build-up from the surface of the glass.
Can I use Windex on my glass shower doors?
The short answer is yes, you can use Windex on your glass shower doors. However, it’s not the best option. A glass cleaner that contains ammonia will work better and won’t leave streaks.
That said, if your shower doors have hard water stains or other mineral deposits, you’ll need a stronger cleaner like bleach to remove them.
In any case, don’t forget to read the labels of the chemicals you’re using to find out how to clean glass shower doors the safe way without damaging your shower doors.
