How to Clean Glass Shower Doors

There are plenty of cleaning products designed to chemically remove mold and mildew. Others target hard-water stains and soap scum. Calcium, lime and rust remover is also available. These products are fine for tough jobs, but there are also more eco-friendly alternatives for your home.

Never use an abrasive cleaner or scouring pads while cleaning glass shower doors. Those products can scratch the surface.

Use distilled white vinegar to clean shower glass before trying heavy-duty products with chemicals.

• Heat 1/2-cup undiluted vinegar in microwave for 30 seconds.
• Pour warm vinegar into a spray bottle.
• Mist the area to be cleaned and allow to soak for five minutes.
• Wear rubber gloves and scrub area with a soft plastic bristle scrub brush or sponge.
• Rinse the area with water.
• Repeat for problem areas, if necessary.

Tip: For tough stains, add an equal amount of grease-cutting liquid dish detergent to the warm vinegar before spraying. Vinegar can etch some natural materials, removing the shine, and should not be left in prolonged contact with them. Rinse surfaces thoroughly.

Juice from lemons isn’t as acidic as vinegar. However, it smells better and still has cleaning power. Try lemon juice for lighter cases of soap scum buildup as you’re cleaning glass shower doors.

• Combine 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 cup of water in a spray bottle.
• Spray the area to be cleaned. Wait five minutes.
• Wipe clean with a sponge.
• Dry and buff with clean microfiber cloth.

Ammonia can help give glass shower doors a streak-free finish.

• Combine 2 tablespoons ammonia with 2 quarts of warm distilled water in a large spray bottle.
• Spray the door and wait three minutes.
• Wipe clean with a microfiber cloth. Buff any streaks with a clean dry cloth.

Safety tip: Use caution when working with ammonia. Open the windows and door of your bathroom so that it is well ventilated while you clean. Never mix ammonia and chlorine bleach. Combining the two creates toxic gases.

If you have trouble with some spots, you may have to try a different approach. These common products can also be used as you learn how to clean shower glass:

• Dryer sheets: They are made to soften fabric and eliminate static. Dryer sheets, whether new or straight from a load of laundry, can also be moistened and used to cut through scum on a glass shower door. Rinse the door well after wiping it with a dryer sheet.
• Multi-purpose cleaning pads: Used for "magically" removing marks on walls, they can also wipe away some hard-water stains.
• Penetrating lubricants: These products are used for loosening rusty parts or quieting a squeaky door. They can also remove stains caused by hard water.

An essential step in how to keep glass shower doors clean is adopting a regular cleaning routine. Plus, you’ll reduce the time you need to spend deep cleaning.

• Keep a window squeegee in your shower stall. After every shower, use it to swipe away water and residue from the door.
• Then, wipe the door down with a dry microfiber cloth.
• Finish up with a quick spray of daily cleaner.
• Keep the shower doors open to allow air circulation.

Daily glass cleaners are available for your shower door. To make your own version:

• Pour 1/2-cup rubbing alcohol and 1/2-cup hydrogen peroxide into a 32-ounce spray bottle.
• Add 1 tablespoon of dishwasher rinse and 1teaspoon of liquid dish soap.
• Fill the spray bottle with water. Gently swirl the liquid to combine.
• Mist onto shower doors after you use the squeegee.
• This cleaning solution can also be used for the shower head.

Products designed to repel water from car windshields can also help water roll off glass shower doors. If you clean with this kind of product, be sure to use it only on glass.

If soap scum and hard-water stains build up on your clean shower glass faster than you can remove them, try:

• Switching to a liquid body wash to reduce the amount of hazy film on a glass shower door. Ingredients in most kinds of bar soap add to the build-up of soap scum.
• Installing a water softener to reduce the mineral levels that cause hard-water stains.

Unless you have frameless glass shower doors in the bathroom, you’ll also need to clean the shower-door tracks. Soap scum and grime builds up in those metal tracks. It’s easy to see, but can be hard to reach. Let acidic white vinegar make cleaning a bit easier.

• Plug the drain hole or slit in the track with a paper towel.
• Carefully fill the track with distilled white vinegar and let it sit overnight.
• In the morning, use paper towels to soak up the vinegar.
• Then, use an old toothbrush to scrub stains and loosen debris.
• Wrap paper towels around the brush to get into tight corners.
• Wipe clean to finish the job.
• To slow the future build-up of stains, dry the water that collects in the shower-door tracks every day with a soft cloth or paper towel.