How to Prevent Soap Scum Buildup

Love your long showers and soothing soaks in the tub, but hate having to scrub soap scum off your shower walls and door and off the sides of the bathtub? Here's an easy way to prevent that pesky soap scum from building up in your sink, shower or bath.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Rain-X
• Liquid or gel bath & body soap

1. Thoroughly clean the soap scum from all surfaces on the inside of your shower, bath, and/or sink. This should be the last time you have to clean these surfaces this hard. Using a mildly-abrasive cleaner like Soft-Scrub or Ajax and a scrub sponge should make the task easier.

2. Allow all surfaces to dry completely. This is critical to the effectiveness of the next step.

3. Apply Rain-X, or an equivalent product, to all vertical surfaces. Apply it like a car wax: using a rag, rub it on with small overlapping circles to ensure full coverage--you'll see a haze on clear surfaces like the shower door. Once it dries, buff it off using another rag or towel. The product fills in all the small pores on the surface making it smooth so soap scum can't stick.

4. Trade in any bar soaps (except for Zest or Ivory) for liquid or gel body washes. Synthetic soaps--all liquids and gels are synthetic--don't create soap scum like true soaps do. As noted above, a few bar soaps, like Ivory, are also synthetic, so they're okay.

5. Enjoy your sparkling, soap scum-free bathroom from now on!

Tips & Warnings

• When doing the initial scrub, be sure to test out the cleaner on any clear glass/plexi-glass surfaces in a small spot first to ensure scratches won't occur.
• Rain-X is found in the car-care section of home stores. Generic brands of the same type should be just fine.
• Don't apply the Rain-X to the shower floor or the bottom of the tub because it may result in a slippery surface.

[veryirie]

on 5/20/2009 I had heard about this. Now I just have to get the soap scum off first and I'll definitely do this. Thanks!

[aimeek]

on 5/15/2009 I never thought to use Rain-X! Great idea!

[georgelarson]

on 5/15/2009 Good information for keeping soap sum at bay. Thanks.

[coffeefirst]

on 5/15/2009 This is awesome! I am tired of scrubbing soap scum in my shower, well water seems to also leave a residual film as well. I am excited to try this, great info!