# Cleaning a glass-walled shower enclosure



## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

I thought I'd pass this along, in case anyone else finds it helpful. 

One of my clients (I'm a housecleaner  ) just moved into a brand-new McMansion with a shower enclosure that is clear glass on 2 sides, including a glass door. In the beginning, I really struggled with getting the inside spotlessly clean (without lots of elbow grease!), but after experimenting with a few products, I came up with THE WAY!

The problem is that glass cleaners really don't do a very good job of dissolving soap scum. I initially tried using Windex on a Scotchbrite pad, but that still took lots of scrubbing. Here's a better alternative: Spray the glass liberally with Scrubbling Bubbles bathroom cleaner and squeegee it off. Agitate the squeegee with a scraping motion to loosen the crud, re-applying the Scrubbing Bubbles as necessary. After squeegeeing off as much of the cleaner as possible, apply Windex liberally and squeegee it off (wipe the squeegee between products). If any spots remain, spot-clean with Scrubbing Bubbles followed by Windex. 

A better idea, of course, is NOT to buy a house with a clear glass shower enclosure! AUGHHH! This had to have been designed by a man! I swear no woman alive would come up with something so danged difficult to keep looking nice. Grrrrr!


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## AnnieinBC (Mar 23, 2007)

I hate hate hate those things....lived once in a house with one. Just couldn't stand how hard it was to get clean. 

I much prefer a shower curtain....buy an inexpensive liner for the inside of the shower...replace once a year. I have a nice curtain on the outside that everyone can see.


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

Frosted glass wouldn't be so bad, as it wouldn't show the soap scum, spots and streak ... but clear glass is just yucky! Of course, it probably looked really pretty in the model house, eh? GRRRR! Isn't form supposed to follow function?!


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## jmtinmi (Feb 25, 2009)

Willow girl, 

You might want to try applying 'RainX' onto the glass doors. It is found in auto department and is for auto wind shields. When we have it on our windshield, we hardly ever use wipers because the water beads up and rolls away. This might save you having to scrub every time you clean there. 

I think they sell the product in wipe form, so you can try one glass wall as an experiment. If you don't like it, then use the rest to your windshield~~ it works great.


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

WOW! That's a neat idea. I'll have to give it a shot. Thanks! 

Along the same lines, if you fiberglass tub/shower surround, you can polish it with paste wax (like Turtle Wax, same stuff you use on your car) to make it easier to clean. Just make sure you get it really clean (I like Tilex Mold & Mildew product for showers/tubs) before applying the wax. And don't use it on the bottom; it'll make it slippery! 

I've done this at home, but not for my clients ... after all, if their bathrooms stayed really clean, they might not need me so often, eh?


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

i was going to suggest scrubbing bubbles.

the water here is VERY hard, with an orange stain/ sulfur smell component to make it more interesting.

the shower enclosure was seriously stained and i could not get it off with anything i tried. my DIL come over to give me a hand with a heavy cleanng and used those scrubbing bubbles and the stuff came off!! it took two times to get it all (after 3 years of staining) but now it looks like new.

i had never used it before. The Works works on the commode and sink but would not budge the shower stain.


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## okiemom (May 12, 2002)

I too have glass in my shower. Dh asked for it and I am now cleaning it. I found apple cider vinegar to be very good also. It could use a surfacant to help keep it in place.

Soap scum remover also work well but I hate the smell in an enclosed space. ACV is not as hard on your sinuses. 

I clean the shower just before I take a shower so I don't have to worry about getting soaked claening the shower. Works well. I too have been wanting to try rain-x just haven't gotten around to it.


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## Mistyf (Apr 4, 2008)

I have a full sliding glass shower, and waxed my glass with marine wax. This has really kept the water spots off of it. It also worked on the shower itself.


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## Dollarstretcher (Jan 25, 2010)

Thanks for letting us know-will have to try it.


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

We stayed in a vacation McMansion that had a similar shower. The instructions left by the property management company said to just use a squeegee as soon as you finished your shower. It did stay clean during the two weeks that we stayed there. It was located in Central Florida, so I don't know how hard the water is.


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## jmtinmi (Feb 25, 2009)

That is why they pay willow girl to clean, so they don't have to squeegee! But a great idea for at home use.


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## BetsyK in Mich (May 14, 2002)

I use the squeegee in my shower every time I use it. Finally went over the two glass doors with vinegar/water the other day, it didn't need it all that much.


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## COSunflower (Dec 4, 2006)

Willow Girl - I used to clean homes also and every time I watch HGTV and see these new homes with the all glass shower surrounds I CRINGE!!! What a pain to take a shower and have to sqee gee and then worry about water spots and soap scum!!! Just give me a good ole shower curtain.....


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## Marcia in MT (May 11, 2002)

We have glass sliding doors and tile walls. We use a squeegee every time after we shower, and I make a spray with vinegar, bleach, and dish detergent that we spray on the glass before squeegeeing. It really stays much cleaner, and we have very hard water.

For when I have to clean the whole thing, I've been using one of those "miracle erasers" on the surfaces after I shower, then rinse and squeegee. It doesn't take much elbow grease at all to wipe the sponge over the surfaces; it works by microabrasion and works quickly but gently. Especially if everyone has been good about taking care of the glass and walls after they shower!


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## Tricky Grama (Oct 7, 2006)

We remodeled our mstrbth 1 1/2 yrs ago & KNOWINGLY had the clear glass shower installed.  Wanted the tiny room to look bigger.

I thought I read it here but may have been Heloise, to use 1/3 water, 1/3 vinegar, 1/3 rubbing alcohol.

I'm not the neatest housecleaner by far but this has kept the glass looking brand new. We use a terrycloth towel to wipe it down after EVERY shower, this may be helping.


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

mirrored glass is what i had in the condo.all through the bathroom .on the wardrobe doors. all down the halls.at the front door. i hated it! so glad i dont have any of that here in this cosy little place.~Georgia.


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

> mirrored glass is what i had in the condo.all through the bathroom .on the wardrobe doors. all down the halls.at the front door.




Kill me now! LOL

This house with the glass shower also has a huge garden tub and two bathrooms with shiny white Corian double sinks. Chrome fixtures too, of course.

I hate McMansions! Grrrrr.


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## fellini123 (Feb 2, 2003)

We wipe our glass shower door with one of those microfiber towels. And there are no stains or soap residue. It said on the directions for the shower doors NOT to use harsh cleaning products as the door was coated with a cleaner and cleaning products would remove that a make it harder to keep clean. We have had ours for abotu a year now and it is perfect.
Alice in virginia


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## MontanaKJ (Aug 10, 2009)

Tried the Rubbing Alcohol/Vinegar mixture on my frosted shower door last night. It cleaned out my sinuses, but got the door SUPER clean!!


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## jmtinmi (Feb 25, 2009)

Willowgirl~~Have you tried the rain-x yet? Just wondering.....


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## sss3 (Jul 15, 2007)

Fill spray bottle w/whi vin and a couple of drops dish soap. Scum wipes right off.


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## blooba (Feb 9, 2010)

Vinegar/rubbing alcohol for glass with soap scum.
Barkeepers Friend for rust/lime deposits.
And yea rain-x for glass or any wax type product for the walls work perfectly


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