Table of Contents:
Shower
stalls can hold moisture longer than an open shower, leaving them prone to mold and mildew. Along with these, come odors. Keep all these problems away with this simple cleaning, effective cleaning solution from TLC using products you have right at home.
You Will Need:
- Ammonia
- Vinegar
- Baking soda
- Lemon oil
- Hot water
- Sponge
- Scrub brush
- Soft cloths
- Protective rubber gloves
- Bucket
- Spray bottle
Steps to Clean the Shower:
- Work in a well ventilated area. Open the windows and doors. If needed, turn a fan on to keep the air moving through the room.
- Wearing rubber gloves, make your own cleaning solution by mixing the following:
- 1 cup ammonia
- ½ cup vinegar
- ¼ cup baking soda
- 1 gallon hot water
- Pour the mixture into a spray bottle.
- Use a sponge to apply the cleaning solution the shower stall walls. (If the stall is tall or difficult to reach it all, use a mop with a sponge head.)
- For tougher areas, use a scrub brush with the solution to remove the built up residue.
- Rinse completely with water (removable shower heads are helpful for this).
- Allow the surfaces to air dry or wipe dry with a clean towel.
- Clean metal edges with a soft cloth and lemon oil. This will remove water spots and dirt.
Additional Tips and Advice
- Do not use any abrasive products or scrubbing pads on the surface of a shower stall. It will damage the surface.
- To keep soap scum away, wipe the walls of the shower down after each use.
- Keep doors open when not in use. This will allow the shower to dry and prevent mold and mildew.
- Another cleaning solution that can be used to clean soap scum from shower stalls is one part mineral oil with four parts water. Simply spray it on the surface and wipe clean with a sponge or soft cloth.
There is a product on the market called Gel Gloss and you can get it at any local hardware store. It is wonderful to spray on shower stalls as a Teflon-like coating that just runs the water right off the walls and I never have to worry about soap scum as long as I treat my showers every two weeks or so with this stuff. Works on a number of surfaces!
Shampoo is one of the best ways to clean shower doors. Try it!
WD-40 takes soap scum off of the shower doors completely.
Spray it on, wait about a minute and wipe it off. Amazing.
Try using oven spray cleaner. Works for my shower!!
If there is any black mold, wet the area with bleach and let it sit for 15 minutes or more.
For hard water deposits, spray the walls with distilled vinegar and leave it on for several hours or overnight. For the shower pan, cover it with old towels or rags soaked with vinegar.
I use Kaboom. You spray it on and let sit, come back and rinse. You may have to wipe it down the first time.
Best thing I found was concrete cleaner for the polyurethane floor of my shower.
White vinegar is great for removing hard water deposits and soap scum, but be careful not to let it sit on your faucets for more than a few minutes – it will eat the finish off.
Finally got the grime off the plastic shower floor with dishwasher powder, a scrub brush and some elbow grease. FYI: odorless oven cleaner did NOT work.
For cleaning showers, use cheap white vinegar and a microfiber cloth. This cleans the glass doors really well. For mold or stubborn spots, sprinkle with bicarb soda and then spritz with the cheap white vinegar, it will fizz and bubble as it’s cleaning. You can also put this down the drains each week to keep them smelling fresh and keep them from blocking up. Spraying your mirror with vinegar and wiping with a paper towel keeps mirrors streak free and clean. Vinegar helps kill germs. Once dry, it has no odor. If you like, add a drop or two of lemon essential oil to help boost its cleaning power and to leave a nice clean scent in the room.
Kaboom used to work really well. Spray and leave for about 10 minutes and come back and rinse, simple. You would even see all of scum run off the walls into the tub. I no longer recommend this product. I’m guessing they have changed their formula. The bottle looks the same, but says something about a new scent. I think they changed more than the scent.
I keep it this simple: One of those Mr. Clean Magic Erasers and a bit of Soft Scrub and my showers and tubs, as well as the hydro tub, are as white as the day they were installed. Using a scented Soft Scrub – really gives a nice clean smell; I happen to like the lemon. If you have not cleaned for some time, you might need two of those erasers.
The least expensive and most effective way I have found to get soap scum off of tub and shower surfaces is to wet the surfaces, apply Tide laundry powder to all surfaces, let sit for about 2-3 minutes and lightly scrub with a cleaning cloth. Tide is very good at dissolving the scum so a lot of elbow power is not necessary. Another benefit is that it doesn’t release a lot of fumes into the air while you’re cleaning.
Dishwasher detergent liquid or powder is also a great shower/tub cleaner for scum and bleach formula dishwasher detergents whiten enamel or fiberglass.
For the milder build up, plain white vinegar and baking soda (helps to polish without scratching) and a little elbow grease.
The cheapest all round cleaner is simply, a squirt of bleach ( the cheapo one will do), a squirt of washing-up liquid and water. Fill a spray bottle with this mixture and it cleans almost anything. And, as it’s so cheap, you can make a fresh solution each week.
I HAD soap sum build-up in my shower. I used WD-40 as told by Joni; just amazing, but does leave an odor for a few hours.