We have brand new shower doors and they are starting to get cloudy already. We squeegee after every use, and use denatured alcohol in between. We have heavy minerals in our water and do use a filter. What is the best agent for cleaning mineral smudges and hard water?
By Ava from Chestertown, NY
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
I also have hard water and here's what I do:
First, to remove existing buildup, I spray the doors with a 50:50 mix of white vinegar and water, then rub that off with a paper towel.
Next, I save my used dryer sheets and when I'm taking a shower, I rub down the doors with a dryer sheet. This will make the doors look crystal clear and will help repel water and thus buildup.
Every so often I give the doors a spray of the vinegar/water solution (which I use to clean almost everything in the house) and a dryer sheet treatment. The same technique will keep the handles and faucet shiny and build-up free. For the outside of the doors, just the vinegar/water treatment is needed.
Janice
Wake Forest, NC
Get some CLR from the hardware section of any store. Works great. When you get it clean, buff it up with auto wax and buffer.
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
I have deposits on my clear glass shower doors that I finally got rid of with a commercial tub cleaner. I read on your web site baby oil works to avoid further build up. Can you use baby oil on clear glass door? It seems to me it would cause a build up. How often do you apply it?
Toby from Muskegon, MI
I used several tips to remove the soap scum build-up in hubby's shower. I tried everything from commercial solutions to vinegar and baking soda. The best thing and the one that really worked for me was Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Now that the shower door is sparkly clean again, I have a store-bought solution that hubby is supposed to spray onto the shower door each time he finishes his shower and does not have to rinse it off, and it's working well for now. However, I am so proud of the Magic Eraser, and I would suggest it to anyone for removing the scum if it does build up. Sorry I don't know a natural solution to tell you to make to spray onto the door to prevent build-up, unless it's vinegar, which was suggested to me. Good luck!
(03/01/2007)
By Rita
Spray WD 40 on a rag and wipe down the doors after they have dried. It works for me. (03/02/2007)
By Elizabeth
If you quit using bar soap and use shower gel you will no longer have that problem of soap scum. We still squeegee the shower walls and the door each time. I haven't had to scrub, but I do clean it once every other month, since we made the change. Clean it up and try it for 1 week. What have you got to loose except a lot of aggravation. I know the soap manufacturers are losing money on us. (03/03/2007)
By Vicky Ball
The thing that has worked for over 4 months for me is the auto glass product RidX which keeps water from sticking to the glass. (01/08/2008)
By onlyonejudy
My glass doors were horrible. I purchased CLR kitchen and bath cleaner from the supermarket (also sold in Target). You spray it on, wait 5 minutes, wipe with a sponge then thoroughly rinse. It took a few times to get it clean. Now once every other week I do it and it comes right off. (09/25/2008)
By Patti
A trick I learned from my housekeeper while living in Australia, on really bad doors (like mine were the first time) she applied masking tape to any metal parts and sprayed oven cleaner on the glass. It worked like a charm. Just be careful not to get it on any metal or coated/painted plastic parts as it will peel.
(11/11/2008)
By Kellcia
You should try Spray and Wash laundry stain remover. It works on all the stuff showers leave behind, especially soap scum on shower doors. (11/11/2008)
By susan
My husband just remodeled my bathroom and I now have clear glass shower doors. My sister says she had to buy some shower spray by Tilex to spray each time she takes a shower to eliminate water spots? Is there a more reasonable frugal way to eliminate this problem? I haven't used it yet, but I did buy a squeegee to use. My husband wonders if vinegar would work or a combination of that and water? I just love this website!
Thanks for any suggestions.
Starlight
I had an entirely glass shower enclosure that stayed spot free for years - immediately after showering, put that squeegee to work - the spots appear because they are left there to dry. If you squeegee them off, they can't spot! (10/03/2005)
Try a good quality car wax, RainX or I have even heard baby oil on the doors to prevent soap scum build up and help the water run off the doors. Be very careful not to get it on the sides or bottom of the tub. (10/03/2005)
By Donna
I agree that the squeegee will work really well. Another idea is to just wipe the door down with your towel after each use. I had a glass door in the shower at my last house and had virtually no maintainance because I wiped it each time. (10/03/2005)
By Katie
I swear I love these things: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser's. Try them once and I promise you wont go back to using anything else on your shower doors. They work with only water and makes everything shine.
(10/03/2005)
By Tracey
For new doors, treat them with Rainex like for car windshields and the water will fly off. It is still also a good idea to use a squeegee after each use.(01/30/2006)
By Walter Kessler
