How to Clean Glass Shower Doors

Learn how to clean glass shower doors the easy way without the intense fumes of harsh chemicals. Using a diy cleaner for glass shower doors recipe, you will be so pleased with your sparkly clean glass showers!

There’s nothing quite like a clean bathroom with sparkly clean glass shower doors.

The problem is, cleaning a glass shower door can be quite the challenge! If not taken care of properly, instead of sparkly clean glass, glass shower doors can turn into a mess with soap scum buildup and maybe even mineral deposits and hard water spots.

 A spotty glass shower door in the article - 3 ways to clean glass shower doors @harbourbreezehome.com
Cleaning a glass shower door that has a built up of soap scum and water spots can be a challenge!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reasons why cleaning glass showers can be challenging

Over time and with lots of use glass showers can  develop a buildup of soap scum (from liquid soap, bar soap, and shampoo) and minerals from hard water. It isn’t  easy to clean glass showers (even with commercial cleaners with harmful chemicals) once build up is stuck on! The glass surface is going to need a deep cleaning technique to get it sparkling again.

But, don’t worry. This common issue doesn’t require an expensive solution. Just a few simple ingredients mixed together makes a great cleaner for glass shower doors. It will be sparkling again in no time!

When we lived in a rental house with 2  glass shower doors, I researched and experimented with various methods until landed on a quick and easy way to clean glass shower doors. I found it to be the best way clean a glass shower door – with little effort! And bonus -I find it also works well on our current fiberglass shower & tub unit, too.

How to Clean Glass Shower Doors

collage of a dirty glass shower door and  a clean glass shower with the test "how to clean a glass shower door the quick & easy way"
Cleaning a glass shower door can be easy with a simple homemade cleaner for glass shower doors

Supplies needed for removing soap scum off glass:

  • Spray bottle
  • White vinegar
  • Dawn dish soap
  • Damp sponge or soft clean cloth
  • Old toothbrush

Step by step instructions for how to clean shower doors

Step 1.Mix up the best cleaner for glass shower doors with simple ingredients in a spray bottle.

spray bottle of best cleaner for glass shower doors
The best cleaner for glass shower doors is a simple recipe you can make right in a spray bottle from the Dollar Store.

I discovered the most effective cleaning solution is a simple recipe you can make on your own. Here’s how:

In a spray bottle, mix equal parts warm white vinegar and Dawn dishsoap. (1 cup of warm vinegar plus 1 cup Dawn dishsoap is what fit in the size of spray bottle I had.)

Step 2. Splash water on the shower door to get it wet. (Use the shower head or a bucket of water.) Then, spray the vinegar and Dawn mixture onto wet shower doors and let it sit for 30 minutes.

If the stainless steel shower door track needs cleaning, too, spray it down and scrub inside and outside it with an old toothbrush.

Try to make sure the spray solution is covering all of the surface. If you need to, use a wet cloth and rub it around in a circular motion so all the glass is coated well with the solution.

Let the mixture sit on the doors for  30 minutes before you rinse it  off.

Step 3. After 30 minutes has passed, rinse off the mixture. If the door no longer has spots, use a squeegee to take the excess water off the door, and wipe down with a dry microfiber cloth. (Norwex products carry my favorite microfiber cloths.)

a man cleaning a glass shower doors
When cleaning shower glass, spray the cleaner on and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before rinsing it off.

If your glass shower door has tough stains and a lot of build up, it may take a few applications to cut through all the build-up. 

Here was our dirty glass shower door before cleaning with the vinegar and Dawn solution:

Dirty glass shower door with spots and streaks in the article - 3 ways to clean glass shower doors @harbourbreezehome.com
Here’s the glass shower door before cleaning it.

And here is the after (the picture is taken through the glass):

a clean glass shower door with no streaks
Clean glass shower doors after using homemade cleaner for glass shower doors!

How to keep glass shower doors clean

Now that you’ve gone through all the work of getting the shower glass clean, you may be asking yourself what to do to prevent it from being such a big job in the future. (I know I sure did!)

The secret to keeping the shower glass walls sparkling is to dry the glass off before the water spots dry in the first place. An easy way to do that is to keep an inexpensive squeegee in the shower to use after each use. Or have a towel handy to dry it off after use.

Hard water stains are a bit more difficult to deal with. A water softener may help with that issue. 

clean glass shower doors that are sparkly and streak free!

 It just takes a few minutes, and it stays sparkly clean!

Get more time saving hacks for your home:

 

How to clean glass shower doors

For more tips on cleaning:

Linking to: I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Coastal Charm

 

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Original post was updated March 2022

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20 Comments

  1. Nr 3 works great on tubs too! I feel like I’m in a commercial when I wipe the grime away. Such a satisfying feeling. 🙂

  2. I have the same problem Rita!! I will be trying your #3 and see how it works. I have been told to use Rain X car wax once they are clean and the water runs off better. I guess we will see!! lol

    1. I use rain-x on all my glass in the house. Works great on the mirror also and keeps it from fogging up from hot shower water 🙂

  3. Magic Eraser works well too. They had a bathroom one that was great but I haven’t seen it lately so have been just getting the heavy duty type.

  4. When we first bought our house, the previous owners did nothing to keep water spots off the shower doors. I searched the internet and tried all kinds of mixtures for attempting to get the water marks off. Do you have a good trick for removing the hard water spots once they have not been done in years, Since we moved in, we have used a squeegee after every shower, but I still cannot remove the old water marks left before, thanks for your help,

    1. Hi Angela, Try using a razor blade to get rid of the hard to remove waterspots and soap scum that remain on the glass. I have done that many times. Even when I regularly use a squeegee, over time there’s always some buildup on certain areas of the glass. I think I will try using one of the suggestions above to see if I can eliminate the need for the razor blade in the future.
      Good luck!
      Gail

  5. Hi

    CCan I substiture any dishwashing liquid for the dawn. I am from South Africa. We do not have Dawn here.

    Thanking you for your lovely tips.

    Rgds
    Anastasia

  6. Figuring out how to clean a glass shower door without there being a ton of streaks has been the bane of my existence since we got rid of our tub. These tips have helped SO much! Thank you!!

  7. Cleaning glass shower doors is the thing I hate most! With a big family, they are always grungy. I’m going to try your method. Thank you!

  8. Cleaning glass shower doors with a family is like the cleaning version of “The Song That Doesn’t End”, haha! I am going to try some of these tips!

  9. Thank you so much for covering this topic! Figuring out how to clean a glass shower door, thoroughly and without losing my mind has been a challenge. This post was super helpful and I love the natural, DIY solutions.

  10. I have been wanting to learn how to clean a glass shower door in a more natural way. Can’t wait to try these tips!

  11. Hi Is there anything else I can use besides Dawn. I live in New Zealand and we don’t have that brand of dish soap here. Thank you for the great recipe.

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