Many people struggle with glass shower doors. Whether you suffer from hard water, have moved into a home that has years of buildup from use, or countless other reasons shower doors become a sight nobody wants to behold, here are some tips for cleaning them.

Removing hard water buildup
The cheapest, fastest and least toxic way to remove mineral buildup is with a lemon. Get a lemon, cut it in half across the middle (not tip to tip) and rub the exposed interior on your shower doors. Depending on how much of the door has buildup, you may need a few lemons. Be sure to rub it in good. Let it sit for a few minutes. The acid of the lemon will eat away at the minerals. How long it needs to sit will depend on how well you soaked it and how strong the mineral buildup is. You may still need to scrub a bit to remove the remaining minerals--but you may not.

For chemical cleaners, CLR is wonderful if you have a well-ventilated area. I have used the yellow bottle designated for the kitchen and bath, but I've also used the gray bottle--which is not a spray bottle and therefore a little harder to apply. But this product cuts through minerals well. Again--depending on the degree of buildup, you may need to apply this product a few times to get the minerals to the point where it's not too difficult to scrub the rest away.

Removing soap scum
Again, starting with the cheapest, fastest and least toxic method: vinegar. Warm up some vinegar in a pot or microwave and apply it to the soap scum. This is easiest with a spray bottle, but in a pinch you can pour it onto a sponge and apply that way. Just be sure the sponge is wrung dry before applying the vinegar. Let the vinegar sit on the soap scum for a few minutes and you will be able to wipe it away.

You can also use ammonia (dilute this with water so that you have at least half water and half ammonia). Apply this to the soap scum, let it sit and wipe away the soap scum.

Removing the remaining buildup
To remove the last little bit of buildup might require a little extra effort--no matter what method or cleaner you used, no matter what the buildup is. The best abrasive for removing this is Bon Ami. This product is an abrasive that is safe for use in places you would never think to use an abrasive. It won't scratch your glass doors and will make quick work of removing the last of your soap scum or minerals.

Preventing future buildup
There are multiple products you can use on shower doors. These products will coat the doors and create a barrier between the doors and the soap scum and minerals that build up. Of course, it's critical that you only do this after the doors have been completely cleaned.

The first is RainX. This is traditionally used on car windshields (and it's wonderful for that).

The second is lemon oil--which is found in the furniture polish aisle. The major problem with lemon oil is that it can be dangerous because it makes your shower doors extremely slippery--so if you lean on them at all, you will slip and possibly fall. If you have a larger shower where this is not likely to happen, lemon oil is an excellent option.

The last one is one I have not tried, but has come recommended over and over again, is paste car wax. It's definitely going to be a bit more work to apply, but it should provide a good barrier. I'm not sure how it holds up over time and if it needs to be removed before being reapplied, but I believe it wears away (per my husband's family who is in auto collision!).

Many people insist that using a squeegy after each shower will prevent the buildup, but I promise you that this is not true. Wiping the shower doors down after each shower will certainly keep the bulk of your shower doors from showing water spots immediately and may slow the rate of buildup; but it will not keep the buildup from happening. You will, at some point, have to remove the buildup again even if you wipe it down after every single shower. My own shower is a testament to this harsh reality.

With these tips, having crystal clear shower doors should be easier than ever.