Making Glass Showers Easier to Clean
Recently I was in Las Vegas attending and speaking at a business conference. Because I was speaking there, I stayed in a gorgeous two bedroom, two and half bathroom hotel suite -- talk about feeling spoiled. The master bathroom was a shrine to marble, glass and granite. The glass shower was incredible but I kept thinking about the cleaning effort it required to keep that glass sparkling clean. Unfortunately, maintenance-free glass showers simply don’t exist. However, you can lessen the work and keep your glass shower clean easier with some simple solutions.
Sources of dirt
Glass showers have two ways of becoming dirty and dull and that’s from soap scum and water. The first thing you need to determine is exactly what’s causing the problem for your glass. Is it hard water or soap, or both? Bar soaps have ingredients in them to help maintain a square shape that can become almost impossible to get off of glass. You can scratch soap scum with your fingernail, which can help you tell the difference between that and hard water deposits. If soap scum is the problem, a mild abrasive is the answer.
Cleaning options
My favorite abrasive cleaner that's safe for shower glass is Comet brand cleaner. Test a small area first to be absolutely certain that it doesn't scratch your glass, though. If it does, try using ceramic stovetop cleaner which is designed to be used on glass. Another cleaning product option is Kaboom! by the makers of OxiClean. This product is non-abrasive and works wonderfully on soap scum. Spray on and allow it to sit. Clean with a soft sponge being sure to avoid using the scratchy side of the sponge.
Hard water
Many times a glass shower has a haze and this can often be from minerals in the water, such as lime. If your shower has water deposits, you need a stronger cleaner. If the deposits aren't really old, you can try using Kaboom! or Comet. If not, then you'll need to use a cleaner specifically for mineral deposits, like CLR or Lime-A-Way. Do be careful that you don't get these cleaners on any metal attached to the door as they can discolor it. For impossibly hard water, consider using muriatic acid. This is a very strong cleaner and you should only work in a well-ventilated area. Like the other cleaners, be careful of using this product around metal or it can become discolored.
Once your glass is clean, how do you keep it clean? The first step is to avoid bar soaps. I prefer to use liquid soaps in the shower because they’re neater and cleaner. It also doesn't have the additives that bar soaps do. The second maintenance tip is to buy a squeegee to squeegee the water off the door after each and every shower. Another stop-gap measure is to apply Rain-X, a product designed to help car windshields repel water.
The last and most reliable step for keeping your shower glass pristine is to use a shower curtain. A shower curtain defeats the purpose of having a glass shower, but it’ll prevent water deposits and soap scum. What’s my shower like? I have a tiled shower with a large glass door that’s away from the dual shower heads and only needs minimal upkeep. I designed it that way because a house should work for you, not the other way around. If you’re building or renovating and tempted to have a glass shower, think about how much time you want to devote to the upkeep of all that glass. Just remember that unlike my hotel room, there’s no daily maid service to take care of it except you.
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Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Real Home E-Zine, the Internet newsletter with real home advice, tips, and ideas for cooking, gardening, cleaning, and decorating for real families. Subscribers receive this FREE report, The 10 Habits that Help You Keep Your House Cleaner. For more information log on to www.kathryn-weber.com.
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