How to Clean a Glass Shower Door: A Step-by-Step Guide

Clean your glass shower door like a pro! If you don’t know the first thing about glass shower doors or screens, you’ve come to the right place.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

Why you need to clean your shower door
What are the cleaning materials can you use and cannot use for glass shower screens
How to clean each part of your glass shower door
The best way to clean your glass shower door
How to keep your glass shower screen or door clean

If you’re ready, then grab those cleaning supplies and let Woodie’s help you keep that bathroom sparkling clean!

Why Do You Need to Clean Your Shower Door?

Let’s start with why you should clean your shower screen or door. If it’s being splashed on with water and soap all the time, it should clean, right? Wrong. Here are some reasons why you should clean your shower protectors:

Shower glass doors or screens get dirty because your water can be high in minerals such as calcium and magnesium carbonate. If they mix in with soap, they can leave soap scum on your glass.
Glass is porous and hard water and the minerals can seep in, causing corrosion or damage to the glass.
Your bathroom can be a breeding ground for mildew if not cleaned correctly. Shower doors, which are always damp, are a breeding ground for icky mildew!

How Often Do You Need to Clean Your Glass Shower Door?

Most experts recommend cleaning your glass shower door every three to four weeks. You have to take into consideration the number of people using the shower too! The more the people use the shower, the more often you have to clean it!

Now, some of you may also wonder, when is the best time to clean your glass shower door? The answer is after everyone has taken a bath! It’s because right after the last person has finished, the water has loosened up the grime. (Better if that last person taking a shower with warm water!)

What Tools Do I Need to Clean My Glass Shower Door?

Glass shower doors need special care. Here, we explore the different materials used to clean your glass shower door.

Cleaning a Shower Door with a Dryer Sheet:

Dryer sheets keep your clothes soft but did you know that you can also use it to clean your shower door? Yep, the chemicals in the dryer sheet actually soften the soap scum and these scented sheets also keep them smelling fresh too!

Step 1: Wet the dryer sheet with warm water.
Step 2: Scrub the scum off the shower doors. You can even use it on the sink and shower enclosure.
Step 3: Rinse the doors, enclosure, and sink with warm water.

Using dryer sheets is easy and they are also easily accessible. Just make sure to follow the last step because the chemicals from the dryer sheet can leave the surfaces looking cloudy.

Cleaning a Shower Door with Vinegar:

A potent ingredient in dishes, the acidity of vinegar can also break down scum. Distilled white vinegar is also great on stainless steel or chrome fixtures, as well as plastic shower curtains.

Step 1: Mix equal parts of water and distilled vinegar.
Step 2: Spray the solution on your shower doors and allow it to sit for five up to thirty minutes. (This depends on how difficult it is to dissolve the soap scum.)
Step 3: Wash away the solution with fresh water and a sponge.

Take note that vinegar may be cheap compared to commercial cleaners available, but it’s no match to hardened grime and dirt. It can also leave your bathroom smelling a bit funky after cleaning.

Cleaning a Shower Door with Baking Soda:

Looking for other things from the kitchen that can get rid of the dirt stuck on your shower screen or door? Try baking soda!

It contains mild alkali that can act as a cleaning agent, dissolving dirt and grease easily. It can also get rid of nasty smells by deodorising odour molecules.

Step 1: Mix one cup of baking soda and ¼ cup distilled white vinegar. It’s going to form a thick paste that will fizzle for a while. When it stops fizzling, it means it’s ready. If you have tough scum that’s hard to dissolve, add a bit of salt into the mixture to make the solution more abrasive.
Step 2: Use a sponge or microfibre cloth to apply the paste to the glass doors. Leave it there for at least 15 minutes.
Step 3: Wipe down surfaces with a sponge or cloth and plain water. Rinse and dry thoroughly.

Not only is this mixture easy to create, it also doesn’t take a lot of effort to clean your bathroom shower doors with it!

Cleaning a Shower Door with WD40:

Commercial cleaners like WD40 or Windex do well in getting rid of stubborn scum and grime buildup. There’s no preparation needed and you can simply use the solution as instructed on the bottle.

The only downside to using commercial cleaners is that they can do some damage to the surrounding metal of the glass door, such as tracks and handles.

Cleaning Different Parts of Your Glass Shower Door:

What if you only need to clean one specific part of your glass shower door? Well, you may need a different cleaning ingredient for each section.

Shower Door frame:

When cleaning your shower door frame, you must take into consideration the material it’s made of. Shower frames, usually made of aluminium, are prone to spots, soap scum, and dirt, just like your glass door. Commercial cleaners can be too harsh on metallic substances so it's best to have it cleaned with a distilled vinegar solution.

After rinsing off the solution and letting it dry properly, you can also apply a light layer of car wax to keep it shiny.

Shower Door Seal:

The rubber seal around your shower door is responsible for keeping water from leaking out onto the floor. The bad news is that it can also trap soap scum, and in consequence, bacteria.

You can use soap scum cleaners to keep this part clean or you may opt for borax, baking soda, and distilled white vinegar to clean this area. Use an old toothbrush to make sure you clean all edges and rinse the mixture off with warm water.

Shower Door Track:

The buildup on shower door tracks can be really bad and grime can be stubborn. One way to clean them is by using toothpaste and a toothbrush! You read that right! They’re not only good for cleaning your teeth, but also for your shower door track!

Just wash those door tracks with toothpaste and a toothbrush (as you would your teeth) then spray a mixture of water and vinegar afterwards. Leave it on for a few minutes then rinse the solution away with water.

Shower Door:

Have a clean squeegee or a microfiber glass cloth nearby for daily cleaning to prevent dirt buildup. You may use shower cleaners or alternative solutions from household items mentioned above.

After cleaning, consider using a water-repellant substance to further protect your shower door.

What is the Best Way to Clean Your Glass Shower Door?

Here are some important reminders when cleaning your glass shower door:

Use glass cleaner solutions instead of vinegar when your nose is sensitive to strong smells.
You can use the handheld showerhead to rinse off your cleaner of choice.
Use a commercial soap scum remover if dirt and grime won't come off by just using vinegar.
To avoid cross-contamination, make sure to clean the rest of your bathroom too!
Don’t put off cleaning! To remind yourself that it should be done regularly, keep a stack of cleaning supplies in your kitchen.
Don’t forget other parts of your bathroom too! Check your plumbing, tiles, etc. to make sure everything is working properly!

How Do You Keep Your Glass Shower Door Clean?

Learning how to clean your glass shower door should only be the first step! Make sure that your glass shower door stays clean by washing it regularly. You can have a microfibre cloth or squeegee within reach to clean stains from glass doors and walls. This prevents hard water from staining the glass.

Aside from that, you can also consider sealing your shower door with a protectant. There are commercial sealers available that prevent hard water damage.

Don’t put off repairs and upgrades to your bathroom since it can be a breeding ground for mildew and bacteria! Remember - it’s a room where you clean your body, so you have to make sure that it is clean too!

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