Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors

By cash51 from Cleveland, OH

Archives: Tip: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Archived on 10/05/2009 Remove built up soap scum from glass shower doors with a pumice stone. Works great and can be done while you're in the shower! By Balber from Getzville, NY Report Spam or Abuse Request: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Archived on 07/27/2009 Does anyone have a miracle cleaner for soap scum on a shower door? I have tried everything on the market. NOTHING works on it. Thanks, Tena from Champaign, IL Feedback: RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors I use Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. They always work very well for me. I use them all over my shower and tub! (06/01/2007) By Robin RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Elbow grease and vinegar has worked magic for me! (06/01/2007) By Sarah RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors I was told to use Bounce static things those dryer sheets and wash the shower doors with that.And that's all I use to get the soap scum off my shower doors and my children love to clean the shower all the time.Try it it worked for me. (06/01/2007) By Bridget-Marie RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Lots of good ideas, I clean really, really well, and then put Rain-X on - the water repels off, and then keep a squeegee and use that daily. It really helps. And then more Rain-X (06/15/2007) By PolishPrincess Nasty Rings in toilet...GONE! We recently bought a home that has a well. The water was VERY hard, and the toilets were absolutely terrible! Other than the bowl itself being able to be cleaned relatively easy, there was still a harsh ring left behind even after the bowl was clean. To remove the ring on the inside of the toilet bowl at the water level line: get a pumice stone that you buy in the beauty department for rubbing on your feet or rough skin. They are pretty cheap and it is the ONLY thing I have found to do a bang up job. Wet the pumice stone and rub it back and forth on the ring. It will develop a greyish paste, but that only helps you. Clean as a whistle! (08/16/2007) By LoneWolf1038 RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors I use cerama-bryte smooth stove top cleaner. Works great but is a chore to remove once dried. Guess I need to try rain-x once the doors are clean :) (08/30/2007) By Jean RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors I have found that using rubbing alcohol works terrific for removing soap scum. Sometimes a soap scum will prevent hard mineral cleaner from working properly. Remove the soap scum first and then use a mineral cleaner if needed. Hope that helps. (09/10/2007) By _Basser_ RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors I never expected to see so many great ideas. Can't wait to try some of them. This is a relatively new house, but the shower door is just as messed up as in our other house, where we removed it and put in a curtain. This shower stall is 3 sides of glass, so I can't remove it. I am going to get the doors clean and put on rain x. My husband uses it on the cars all the time. Thanks to all. (09/13/2007) By Joan McKinley RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Ok so I am sitting here reading this thinking these are really inventive ideas. Being the lazy person that I am I chose the easiest suggestion using the Dawn on the shower door. WOW, IT WORKS! I just stood there in amazement with my jaw on the floor! How easy! Thanks for a wonderful suggestion! (01/01/2008) By Bob M Oakland CA RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors I just tried the Mr. Clean Magic Sponge. Amazing! Thanks. (01/31/2008) By Lisa RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Thanks so much for the advice! After scrubbing and scrubbing and even scraping with a glass scraper, I still couldn't get the scum off. I'm so glad I found this site- the Magic Eraser was really magic! I never would have thought of using it, but that's all I'll be using from now on! (02/01/2008) By Cindi RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Kaboom works, I promise. I tried a bunch of different things people posted before I found Kaboom. Your shower doors will sparkle. (02/22/2008) By Alison RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Having read the site, today I tested most of these ideas. None worked for me. I tried Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, Dawn dish detergent, lemon oil, white vinegar and even Goo Gone on different sections of my shower door, and none got rid of the soap scum film. I thought the goo gone and lemon oil were going to work, as the glass looked great. then I washed the oily stuff off. When the glass dried, soap scum film! if i wasn't renting this place, I'd buy new shower doors! Any other ideas? I didn't try kaboom, but with what I've tried, I don't have much confidence in it. Previously, I had tried Zuds and the Barkeepers Friend using a nylon scrub brush. No luck. (03/19/2008) By Lee RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors I tried the shampoo method and it didn't work - actually tried several times. I am going to try the Mr Clean magic sponge and let you know. If that fails, I will try the bounce sheets. Thanks everyone for all your ideas. I'm sure one of these will work. (03/25/2008) By Barb, Ohio RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors I've tried Lime Away, vinegar and water with lots of elbow grease and glass plus. It looks nice until it dries, then the fog is back. I'm going to try Mr. Clean's eraser since most of the comment recommend it. (04/06/2008) By decboomer RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Ok, I finally got it after I tried everyone's suggestions. I bought Kaboom shower, tub and sink spray. It said to leave on 1-3 minutes. I got in the shower with the scrub pad, thinking I would have to have to use some more of my elbow grease. I turned the shower on, and all the soap scum and mineral deposits trickled down the doors. Didn't even have to use the scrub pad. FINALLY! (04/11/2008) By Decboomer RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors *** You have to read this *** I've tried almost everything: kaboom, shout, water/vinegar mix, Mr. Clean eraser, dryer sheet (which left a small scratch in the glass), etc. I finally came across a suggestion: Mr. Clean eraser + a little dishwashing detergent. I thought 'what the heck'. I had already tried Mr. Clean eraser by itself, why not. Tried it. It was awesome. This is how i did it. Applied a little bit of dishwashing detergent to the center of a Mr. Clean eraser. Applied to my glass doors. Used a wet towel to wipe the soap off (in case you're wondering, the towel was white, although I don't think that matters.) Used another towel to wipe dry. It left the doors sparkling clean! No soap scum, no residue, no streaks. They looked exactly the way they did when we first installed them. (06/26/2008) By Shalymar413 RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Sno bowl is great. Cleans all kinds of toilet rings. Kicks but with out the harmful smells. Check it out, cheap at Kmart. (06/30/2008) By Becky RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors I tried Magic Eraser and dishwashing detergent and it worked!! It was so much easier than any other method I've tried and it looks great! I've used a squeegee on my shower doors after every shower since to keep it looking clean. Thanks for the great tip! (07/09/2008) By sspiceo RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors For those of you who have tried EVERYTHING and it still won't come off I can help! I also did everything listed about 10 different products when I realized its not soap scum its HARD WATER stain on my glass. Use Weiman's Stovetop Cleaner for glass top stoves. I used this with the scratch free scratch side of a 3m sponge a little moist barely scrubbed, wiped off with a towel and my glass is new again. this is after years of not cleaning the glass. (08/20/2008) By Syd RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors I clean vacationer homes, and I've found that oven cleaner works great on the glass at cleaning the soap scum. But, to not get the scum on there, DON'T USE BAR SOAP! In my home, we only use shower gel, and there is never soap scum on my shower walls, or even a ring in the bottom! (09/18/2008) By Chrissy RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors I was tired of the scum in the shower. I've always liked 409 but it just didn't cut it. Neither did bleach or ajax. I looked at this website and tried SHOUT for laundry spots. Oh MY! I sprayed the shower, used newspapers as suggested (they left black ink) I wiped it with a wet rag and voila, clean, sparkly shower. For the base I used some elbow grease with the scrub brush. It's white again. Forget the newspaper, use the rag! I've been telling everyone! Thanks all for your suggestions. (12/30/2008) By Mona RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Soap scum on clear glass shower doors.Nothing is working on here at all, honestly tried it all and nothing is working not the Bounce sheets, Dawn, Comet, rubbing alcohol, CLR, dish washing detergent, hot vinegar, nail polish remover, Vim, Windex, or magic pad. Maybe I have different shower doors than all of yous but really I don't know. The idea that soap is a fat, you would think dawn soap would work or grease cutter would work but well nothing works so far Help. (01/23/2009) By I tried everything here RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors I tried the Magic Sponge and shout. It did not work. My husband gave me pure chlorine and 200 grit sand paper. That worked with no scratches. You have to keep the chlorine off the frame. Rinse often. Make sure you have gloves on. (01/24/2009) By April, Lakeland, FL Editor's Note Be careful when using chlorine (bleach) as it can mix with other cleaners and make toxic fumes. RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors I have NEVER been able to clean soap scum off my shower doors. Until now, I just used Bar Keeper's Friend and a 3m green pot scrubber and it came off with no effort at all. This is amazing. All I did was apply, scrub and rinse and it was gone! (02/08/2009) By Amy RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Kaboom works great, after the doors are clean, wipe the doors down with Rain-ex, yes rain-ex it keeps the water and soap off for weeks for less cleaning =)( (02/25/2009) By Jaci RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Ok, listen up kids I'm only going to tell this once. I found the answer by mistake, just like all great finds. I was told to use newspaper and the glass cleaner in the can, which we have but could not find it. Looking around for something else I tried windshield wiper fluid and it didn't work. As I was walking back into the house low and behold there was the the answer to all this scum. "SIMPLE GREEN". I swear it works. I just sprayed it on straight and used a green wiennie (For anyone that has not been in the Navy, it's the green part of the sponge.) Then rinse and wipe dry. (03/21/2009) By seadog RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors It works! I read a lot of your tips and wanted to use what I already had in the house. I had Dawn dish soap. All I did was add some water to the soap in a bowl and washed with sponge and wiped the scum away, then followed up with dry towel. It flippen worked. I then just used some Windex for good measure. (06/06/2009) By dewildla Report Spam or Abuse Request: Getting Rid of Weeds in Rocks Archived on 05/30/2007 How do you clean soap scum from glass shower doors? Jack from Frankfort, MI Answers: RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors When you are taking a shower just use your hair shampoo to wash off the soap scum (you'll be amazed at this). You will be clean and your shower will be clean too! I got this hint off of "Flylady.net" It works on the glass doors well too! Good Luck and check out Flylady.net (it too is free). (04/18/2006) RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors For the ring around the toilet, do as I have learned. Before going to bed drop 1 denture tablet in the toliet bowl, go to bed and get up in the morning to a very clean toilet bowl. (04/18/2006) By Paula Jo Carr RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors I use Tilex! Spray right after your shower and walk away! No scrubbing! (02/15/2007) By Sharon L Report Spam or Abuse Request: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Archived on 02/15/2007 How do you get soap scum off of shower doors? I scrub it looks good wet but dries with a soap film. Andrea from Buffalo, NY Answers: Baking Soda and Dish Detergent Make a paste of baking soda and dish detergent. Apply this to your damp shower doors and scrub with a nylon pot scrubber. I have had good results with this method. (10/23/2006) By ShellR Kaboom I tried a product called Kaboom cleaner. It is the best cleaning product for soap scum and hard water stains. No scrubbing. I found it in Kmart for about $3. (10/24/2006) By marginy Chemistry Remember - like attracts like in chemistry. Soap is made from fats, therefore an oil will (slowly) remove the buildup. This doesn't help much due to removing one oil with another oil. I liked the Dawn dishwashing soap and dishwasher soap works even better. To be truely thrifty though, make a paste of wood ash (pH 11) and spred it over the soap buildup. Some of the soap will be removed with each treatment with no scrubbing. Add a little elbow grease and it's all gone with no toxicity. If that doesn't work, or if you don't have a woodstove, Comet powder works fine and it is cheap. Good Luck! (10/29/2006) By Hot Water Report Spam or Abuse Request: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Archived on 10/22/2006 Any good products for soap scum on shower doors and in shower? What about ring around the toilet? Kate from Maryland Answers: RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Onetime I called a professional cleaning service to evaluate cleaning my mom's home and they suggested cleaning the shower doors with Lemon Oil. They said that they would do that each time they came and it keeps them spotless. (04/18/2006) By Jenny Connard Tucker RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Try Dawn dishwashing soap for soap scum. My dh cleans toilets regularly so I don't really know. I have used chlorine bleach in the past with good results. Good Luck! (04/18/2006) By Faye RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Lemon oil on a dry soft cloth. Just wipe down the doors and the soap scum will disappear immediately. (04/18/2006) By Lahlbrand RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors One of the best ways to keep scum off bathroom walls is to stop using BAR soap. It contains paraffin (or wax) which is what coats the tiles and doors, causing the scum. Since we switched to liquid soap (cheap if you buy half-gallons at Walmart, Target, etc.), we have no scum problems anymore. Even the mildew-grout problem is much alleviated since the wax doesn't hold the water in the grout. I quickly (30 seconds) dry my shower after each bath so I don't have mildew. My DH doesn't dry his shower and bleaches the mildew a couple of times a year. (04/18/2006) By ccarnow RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors That ring around your toilet is most likely calcium scale. There are three effective ways of removing it, depending on how hardened it is. In the first two methods, you want to make sure the water level is above the ring. I recommend you first try Denture Cleaning Tablets and letting them soak overnight. Toilets are, with the rare exception of fiberglass models, made of Vitreous China, same stuff dentures are. They are also good for maintaining a clean bowl (I recommend using them once a week, generic brand ones are usually very cheap like 99 cents a box). If that fails to rid the ring, next try a 2 liter Coke, the full sugar kind and not the diet. The Citric Acid is of a higher concentration than with the tablets. Again, let it sit overnight. If by some stretch of fate that fails, the only other thing I can recommend is to cut off the water feed, empty the bowl as much as you can, and fill it with white vinegar and let sit overnight. That ring may mean some seriously hard water which also means you may notice a slow filling of the bowl after a flush. If so, you may want to cut off the water and empty the tank. Next, take an old towel or dry rag and dry where the bowl meets the rim (this is where the water enters the bowl. Then cover the little ports under the rim with duct tape, making sure it is sealed very well. Press down on the flushing lever and pour a gallon of white vinegar into the hole and let sit over night. The next day, when you remove the duct tape, you will notice all sorts of brown scale and crud washing away from behind the tape with the white vinegar. Turn the water feed on and flush about 3 times in a row. Your filling cycles should be much faster now. (04/18/2006) By Otakop RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors I had soap scum on clear glass shower doors. I tried everything. Still couldn't get a really clear shine. Then I used "Whink" which is a rust remover (contains some type of acid so wear rubber gloves). Squeezed on a sponge and wiped down the doors - then wiped off with a clean sponge. The doors look great. Now I use only glycerine soap or shower gel in that shower and use a squeegee on the door after each use. End of problem (04/19/2006) By c thomson nj RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors Mr Clean magic sponges work great. I keep one on the shower/bath to use quickly before stepping out. No effort at all. (05/02/2006) By Jron7667 RE: Cleaning Soap Scum on Shower Doors I spray my doors with Glass Plus (alcohol based glass cleaner), then I use a Mr. Clean Magic sponge. Soap scum comes off easily, (06/02/2006) By pat Report Spam or Abuse Request: Keeping Scum Off Shower Doors Archived on 09/15/2000 We just moved into a new house and have a separate shower from the bathtub. I'm looking for suggestions of cleaners I can use to keep the shower door clean of soap scum, either store bought or home made. Thanks, Jana Chvatal Answers: EVERY TIME 11/30/2000 Once clean, wipe it down EVERY TIME IT's USED with a Scotch Brite High Performance cleaning cloth. They really cut through scum. For already built-up scum, spray with Dow scrubbing bubbles and LET IT SET a while. Maybe even spray more and let it set if it keeps running off. Then work with the Scotch brite high performance cloth. It will take some work, but nothing like before these cloths were invented. They are TERRIFIC. Becky S. - Cincinnati By Becky S. Vinegar 11/30/2000 Clean soap scum, mildew, and grime from bathtub, tile, and shower curtains by wiping the surface with vinegar and rinsing with water. It sure beats buying the Soap Scum Remover. By Denyse fabric softener sheets 11/30/2000 I save up all my old fabric softener sheets and keep them in the bathroom. Before you get out of the shower, rub one on the damp door and you'll be amazed as the soap scum disappears. Then rinse. By Jann wipe down the walls 11/30/2000 Make sure you rinse the doors off and after you've dried yourself, use the towel to wipe down the walls and doors of the shower. By Linda 000 baby steel wool 11/30/2000 To remove scum on shower doors. I use 000 baby steel wool and then rinse off with a light vinegar wash. I use the 000 for "a quick spot remover" on the bathroom mirror. It cheap and I've never had a scratch mark caused by the steel wool. By Jan X-14 soap scum remover 11/30/2000 In response to the best way to keep your shower doors scum free, try X-14 soap scum remover, or Scrub Free soap scum remover (they also make excellent mildew remover that REALLY works :-) ). Both are available at the supermarket or Wal-mart/K-mart. By Dorothy RE: Keeping Scum Off Shower Doors 01/05/2001 I know I am responding to this really late. I am surprised no one has suggested this yet. What I do is take an ordinary squeegee, about six inches long, and ust squeegee the show doors and walls with this. Works like a charm! RE: Keeping Scum Off Shower Doors 05/07/2004 Put some vinegar in a squirt bottle and spray. Make sure windows are open so you don't get sick, wipe with a dry cloth. No scrubbing required then rinse and squeegee. You'll be able to look through the other side. By (Guest Post) RE: Keeping Scum Off Shower Doors 06/25/2004 Thumbs up on the Bounce Wipes. We have well water and the scum is unbeatable. I had to use it twice, but it's gone. I finished it off with a vinegar wash and rinse. I'm sold. It works. By FLORENCE S (Guest Post) RE: Keeping Scum Off Shower Doors 09/14/2004 Use vinegar and water regularly instead of these nasty products that are bad for health and that get washed down the drain and eventually get into our water system. Many of the manufactured chemical products that people often use and recommend using are made with chemicals that do not break down or that break down very slowly. This is not a natural or healthy thing for any of us and if we care about our children and our health, we ought to all be finding great solutions that are not bad for us. Vinegar and water works for so many things. Baking soda, lemon juice and often hot water and elbow grease gets the job done. I hope everyone has gotten the scum off of their glass and has done so responsibly. Good luck to you all! By Melinda (Guest Post) RE: Keeping Scum Off Shower Doors 11/09/2004 I too recently moved into a new house with a shower door. Before we ever took the first bath, I placed an extension rod with a clear shower curtain in the shower stall. You can't see the rod and can hardly see the clear shower curtain even when it's pulled. My shower door and enclosure still look brand new after a full year's use. When the shower curtain gets dirty, I throw it away and buy another one By (Guest Post) RE: Keeping Scum Off Shower Doors 11/09/2004 Put hot vinegar in a spray bottle and spray the damp surface liberally. Let it sit 10-15 minutes and scrub (in circles) with an old pair of nylons or a store-bought nylon scrubby brush. By Julie W.-Iowa (Guest Post) RE: Keeping Scum Off Shower Doors 12/18/2005 Once you have used one of the above methods to clean the shower door, let them dry thoroughly and then spray them down with RainX. follow the directions just as you would spraying the RainX on your car windshield. Really helps to keep the hard water stains from building up. By locsoc Report Spam or Abuse