Glass showers are absolutely gorgeous. Design magazines often feature elaborate glass showers that are real show-stoppers in the bathroom. All that glass looks so clean and pristine, yet one shower will mar that sparkling finish. And, over time, keeping your shower glass clean becomes harder and harder.
The problem with glass showers is that there could be two reasons for a dirty look -- soap scum and water spots and stains. The first thing you need to determine is exactly what is causing the problem for your glass. Is it hard water or soap? Let's start with soap first.
Cleaning soap from your shower glass
Bar soaps have ingredients in them to help them maintain that square shape. Those ingredients when liquified, can become almost impossible to get off of glass. With time, the build-up can be extremely difficult. Usually, you can scratch the scum with your fingernail, which is the difference between soap scum and hard water desposits. If soap scum is the problem, a mild abrasive is a good answer.
My favorite abrasive cleaner -- and one that's safe for shower glass -- is Comet brand cleaner. Test a small area first to be absolutely certain that it doesn't scratch your glass, though. Try a small test patch and see if it comes clean. If not, try using ceramic stovetop cleaner. This is designed not to scratch and is a level below Comet in abrasiveness -- yet it does have some abrasive action.
Another cleaning product option is Kaboom! by the makers of OxiClean. This is a wonderful product that is non-abrasive and works wonderfully on soap scum (and lots of other household cleaning needs). Spray on and allow to sit. Clean with a soft sponge. Do remember to never use a scratchy side of a sponge to clean glass.
Once your glass is clean, how do you keep it clean?
--Avoid bar soaps. I prefer to use liquid soaps in the shower because they are neater, cleaner, and hair doesn't get stuck to it. It also doesn't have the waxes, talc, and other additives that make bar soap so difficult to clean and leave scum behind.
--Use a squeegee. While glass showers are gorgeous, all that beauty comes with a price -- and the price is upkeep. If possible, squeegee the water off the door or wipe it down with a towel set aside just for that purpose.
--Apply Rain-X. Rain-X is a product designed to help car windshields repel water. It does an excellent job in the shower as well. Find it in the automative section.
Cleaning hard water on your shower glass
Many times a glass shower has a haze and this can often be from minerals in the water, such as lime. If your shower has lime or other mineral deposits, you need a stronger cleaner. If the deposits aren't really old, you can try using Kaboom! or Comet and see if that helps. If not, then you'll need to use a cleaner specifically for mineral deposites, like CLR or Lime-A-Way. My personal favorite is Lime-A-Way. Do be careful that you don't get these cleaners on any metal attached to the door.
For impossibly hard water, consider using muriatic acid. This is a very strong cleaner and you should only work in a very well-ventilated area if you do use it. Like the other cleaners, be careful of using this product around metal or it can become discolored.
Once your shower is clean, take steps to keep it clean by applying Rain-X, using a squeegee after showers or wiping down the glass with a towel, or blocking the glass altogether with a shower curtain. Yes, a shower curtain defeats the purpose of having a glass shower, it's true. However, I was once in a rental house while my house was being built. Not wanting to have to scrub and work so hard at keeping my rental house shower clean, I installed a curtain inside the glass walls. It kept the shower clean and when I moved, all I had to do was take down the curtain.
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Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Real Home E-Zine -- the e-zine of clean and easy living for real families. Subscribe now and claim your FREE 30 Page Bonus Book Cleaning Keys for Housekeeping Success.Click here for more information.
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