Whether you’re a fan of showering in the morning or at night, your glass shower door can quickly look worse for wear. With continued exposure to water and rogue soap scum, limescale will inevitably rear its ugly head. Before you know it, your once-pristine glass door has a murky appearance, ruining the overall look of your bathroom. Even if you learn how to clean a shower head, your glass door will still need attention.
If you’re fed up with endlessly scrubbing at the glass, it might interest you to know that you can easily clear this limescale, and all it takes are a few household products. Put your bleach away because you won’t need it — and be sure that you don’t make this mistake when you clean with bleach. Here, we will take you through what to do step-by-step to clean your glass shower door, answering any questions you might have along the way. By the time you’re finished, your shower door will sparkle like new again.
Since you're already in the bathroom, check out how to clean a bathtub, how to get rid of mold from the shower or wherever you may find it. If your windows need a once over as well, check out our guide on how to clean windows.
Want to keep your bathroom limescale-free in the future? Here's 7 ways to prevent limescale in your shower.
How to clean a glass shower door with vinegar
White distilled vinegar OR baking soda
Dish soap (optional)
Empty spray bottle
Non-scratch sponge (optional)
Microfiber cloths
1. Fill an empty spray bottle with half water and half white distilled vinegar. Make sure you use white and not malt vinegar — malt will work just as well, but you won’t be thankful for the smell. If you’re dealing with a lot of soap scum on the glass, you can also add some dish soap to help cut through the grease.
2. Screw the lid on tight and shake to combine.
3. Spray liberally on your shower door, working your way from top to bottom. This vinegar solution will smell, so it’s a good idea to leave a window or the door open to your bathroom.
4. For everyday limescale, you can wipe the solution away immediately with a damp microfiber cloth.
5. For tougher limescale, you should leave the solution to sit for a few minutes and then gently scrub using the scouring side of a non-scratch sponge. You might need to re-apply, and it might take some elbow grease, but you should notice the watermarks start to disappear.
6. Once the glass is clean, rinse, dry and buff with a clean microfiber cloth.
How to clean a glass shower door with baking soda
1. Alternatively, if you have baking soda, you can use this instead. As a natural abrasive, baking soda is ideal for removing limescale. Dampen a microfiber cloth, tip some baking soda onto the cloth and scrub directly on the glass in a circular motion.
2. Then simply wipe away with a clean microfiber cloth and rinse the residue away.
3. For stubborn limescale, you can use the scouring side of a non-scratch damp sponge to apply the baking soda.
4. Again, make sure the glass is rinsed and dried afterwards to prevent more limescale from forming.
Your shower door should now be gleaming again. Here are some tips to keep it looking great.
How to prevent watermarks on your shower door
- Use a squeegee after each shower — Make sure you swipe in a downwards motion so the water runs the right way. We recommend the MR.SIGA Multi-Purpose Silicon Squeegee ($10.99, Amazon) if you don't own one. Alternatively, you can use a window vacuum cleaner and dry the glass at the same time.
- Buff the glass dry with a towel — It’s good practice to do this even if you’ve used a squeegee to get rid of any residual water. It takes just a few seconds to do this, but it will prevent watermarks.
- Leave a window open to vent the room — If you’re lucky enough to have a window in your bathroom, leave it open after showering to vent the humidity. This will help dry the shower out and will prevent mold and mildew from forming in your bathroom. Leave your shower door open for the same reason.
- Use a daily shower cleaner — You can buy shower cleaners which help prevent limescale and mildew from forming, such as Clean Shower ($19.99, Amazon). It’s worth mentioning that these are not cleaners, rather they’re designed to keep up with the shower’s maintenance and prevent limescale.
- Don’t leave damp towels hanging over the glass — It’s tempting to drape the towel over the glass door after wiping out the shower, but this traps moisture against it and will lead to limescale. Hang it on a towel rail instead.
For other cleaning tips, check out how to clean your shower curtain to make it look brand new, as well as how to clean grout on floor tiles to get rid of stains and how to clean every room of your home.
