How To Clean Glass Shower Doors?

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Many people think that the best way to clean glass shower doors is to scrub them with a hard brush or scourer.. But this method can cause damage, especially if you have painted surfaces near the doors. What’s worse, most of the dirt and grime will still be on your shower door after you’re done scrubbing!

This question has come up so many times in my Facebook Group, that I thought it was time to clear up a few misconceptions and well-intended bad advice.

Table of Contents

Miracle Shower Cleaning Products

There are many products on the market that claim to be the next miracle in cleaning but will of course let you down because there is no such thing as miracles. Or they will require so much scrubbing that you’ll be exhausted and on a drip by the time you finish!

There is, however, science. And cleaning is a science. The way I look at dirt is not the same way most other people look at dirt. When I see something I want to clean, I think about how that muck got there. I look at what it consists of and then go on to reverse engineer the process.

The Science of Cleaning

For instance, a boiled over pan stain is tough to remove because it is burnt on food particles and water. But think about it, when it left the pan, it was liquid, now it’s solid. It became solid through heating it up and the liquid drying out. What would happen if we rehydrated and heated it back up? The muck would slide off easily, wouldn’t it? It does, this is how I clean quickly and effectively.

Makeup stains around a sink, how did it get there? It was once a liquid too. By applying hot, soapy water I am returning the dirt to its former state and therefore is a lot easier to remove.

Most dirt particles can be heated up with hot water and a dash of soap for added grime removing power.

Consider The Surface First

You also want to consider the type of surface the dirt has attached itself to. Porcelain and enamel surfaces are specifically designed so that bacteria and viruses will struggle to cling to them. You find most porcelain is in your bathroom, so from a hygiene perspective, that makes sense right.

But what if your stained surface is rough, say you’ve used too much abrasion in the toilet and stripped the enamel surface off.

You need to be a bit more cautious since the rougher surface makes it easy for bacteria and viruses to cling to.

So, How Do I Clean A Grimey Glass Shower Door?

The same goes for shower glass doors, think about what the dirt is, how it got there and if that process was reversed, what would it look like?

I’ll lay it out step by step and explain it along the way.

So the dirt was dispersed onto the glass shower doors while the glass was warm and wet.

Then the glass cooled down and cooled the dirt along with it.

The dirt is made up of body grease and soap scum.

What cleaning product cuts through grease? Dawn or Fairy Liquid of course.

What natural cleaning agent cuts through grease too? Hot water!

So the process looks like this:

1- Run the shower hot and spray all the surfaces with the head.

2- Fill the sink with hot, soapy water, use about 2 teaspoons of dish soap for this.

3- Turn off the shower.

4- Place a towel in the shower tray to prevent you from slipping.

5- Use a non-abrasive sponge or microfiber cloth and get it wet and wrung out in the hot soapy water.

6- Start wiping down every door and wall in the shower.

7- You may have to scrub a little on thicker residue.

8- After you’ve cleaned every surface in the shower including the glass door. Use a good quality, microfiber cloth to buff everything to a high shine and remove all the streaks.

You should be left with perfectly clear, sparkling clean glass shower doors as well as every other part of the shower.

Before and After, Glass Shower Door Clean

Where Else Does It Work?

This process works for cooker tops, extractor hoods, bathtubs, sinks, basically anywhere the grime started its life as a liquid.

There really isnt any need to use anything more than this. You dont need a squeegee, but it is an option if you prefer to use one.

Avoid using abrasive products like cream cleaners, pastes and homemade pastes at all costs, they will leave tiny scratches which will cloud the glass shower doors over time.

To clean glass patio doors or windows, see this video that I published on YouTube.

How To Clean Glass

And this video is a full shower room cleaning using a slightly different method but the same premise applies.

Shower Glass Doors Cleaning

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