How to Keep Shower Doors Clean
Shower doors can get dirty very quickly. The combination of heat and moisture make showers an ideal environment for mold and mildew growth. In addition to this, when soapy water (especially regular bar soap) splashes against shower doors and is not wiped off, soap scum builds up. Mildew growth and soap scum build up can happen no matter what material (glass, frosted glass, or vinyl) they are made of.
Light daily maintenance, combined with a quick weekly and monthly cleaning, can keep your shower looking as close to new as possible.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
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1
Spray the shower doors inside and out once a week with a vinegar and water solution or a bleach and water solution. The vinegar solution should be 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water. Make it stronger or weaker, depending on your needs.
Bleach and water solutions can be made using as little as 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. This is sufficient to kill most germs and should help kill existing mildew and prevent new mildew from forming.
Let the solution sit for 10 minutes. Then wipe it with a sponge. -
2
Completely rinse shower doors with warm water and spray them with Windex once a month. Rinse especially well before applying Windex if you've previously used bleach. Ammonia and bleach mixed can create very toxic fumes.
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3
Wipe down doors from the bottom to the top to dry the Windex. Using a soft cloth towel rather than paper towels will better prevent streaks.
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4
Squeegee the shower doors after each shower. This helps remove soap residue and prevents water spots and streaking on the doors in between weekly and monthly cleaning.
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5
Ventilate the bathroom well after each shower. In addition to using the squeegee and the weekly and monthly cleaners, more air circulating will cut down the chance of mildew forming on doors.
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1
Tips & Warnings
If possible, rinse the shower doors with plain water before using the squeegee--this will further cut down on soap residue dulling the doors. If your shower doors are the kind on tracks rather than hinges, remember to rinse out the tracks once in a while too. For shower doors with heavy soap scum buildup, an initial cleaning with a chemical spray-on, such as liquid Comet, or another product specifically for soap scum, may be necessary.
Remember--don't use any ammonia based cleaner on the doors if you usually use bleach, unless you rinse doors thoroughly first. Avoid using abrasive cleaners on glass shower doors--many will scratch glass.
