Whether you have an older shower door with semi-opaque "marbled" glass or a new enclosure with crystal-clear frameless doors, you know that water stains and soap scum can cover all of the glass within just a few showers. And that stuff is often very hard to remove. You think you've scrubbed it all off only to find ghostly outlines of the water stains still in place on the glass. The persistence of the water stains can be enough to make some people consider switching to shower curtains instead. But you don't have to go that far.
Why Water Stains Seem to Get Everywhere
First, why do those water stains seem to get all over the door? The shower spray is aimed down and not at the door, so how are those stains reaching even the top edge? This is partially due to water droplets spraying onto the door as the water from the shower hits your body, but it also has to do with you splashing about in the shower, too. As you wash your hair, splash water onto your face, and so on, some of that water flies up, out, down, etc. So, you end up with water droplets all over the door, and when that water evaporates, you end up with mineral stains left behind. If soap splashes onto the door, then after the water evaporates, you have both mineral stains and soap scum.
So Many Options, but Which One Works?
You'll find a ton of options for cleaning shower doors, but you don't want to spend your days testing out all of them. What might be a better approach is to look at how the options work and choose the ingredients that work the way you want them to and are easiest for you to apply. For example, white distilled vinegar helps soften mineral stains like scale, so you likely want to use that; many multi-purpose soaps help to clean in general. Baking soda, salt, and dampened dryer sheets are all mildly abrasive but shouldn't scratch the glass if you use a light touch. Other remedies involve commercially available cleaners like Pine Sol or using ammonia to get rid of those "ghostly" water stain outlines.
Keep in mind you should never mix bleach with ammonia; don't mix bleach with vinegar, either. These chemical reactions are very lethal if inhaled.
Cleaning Ahead
You don't want to take a shower and then wear yourself out by scrubbing the glass doors. But after a shower, squeegee off that extra water and lightly wipe down the doors.
Shower door companies can help you with all glass care questions. And if the glass starts to look not so great after a few years, see if the company can deep-clean it. With the right care, the doors should last for years. Contact a shower doors supplier near you to learn more.
Did you know that until the 1500s, most glass that was made had a cloudy look? Clear, colorless glass wasn't invented until the 1500s, and it didn't become popular until the 1700s when people started using it for windows. Clear glass is very common today, but not all of our glass is clear. We also use a good amount of colored glass and clouded glass as a population. And glass has a wider array of uses than ever before. There are entire buildings made from glass, marbles and other toys made from glass, and even fake eyeballs made from this hard material. Learn more about glass as you peruse this website, which we hope serves as an excellent resource.