Having a shower glass partition is nice (heck, maybe it’s even classy), but there’s a catch. Sooner or later, you’ll have to know how to clean cloudy shower glass. It’s a problem that you won’t escape, but fortunately, it’s also a problem you can solve easily enough.
What’s the Problem?
The main problem here is the soapy buildup, which basically accumulates over time. The problem gets worse if you also have hard water issues, and your regular shower water has too much mineral deposits.
These things don’t just make your shower glass look hazy. The buildup can eventually lead to etching on the glass surface. This is a type of permanent damage on the glass for which there’s no solution. The only thing you can do about it is to keep it from happening in the first place.
Daily Cleaning
Preventing the issue of etching on the glass surface means preventing the buildup of the soapy water on the shower glass. In other words, you’ll have to clean and wipe down the shower glass after every time you use it. Yes, it’s a tedious exercise, but it’s either that or have hazy shower glass that eventually gets permanently damaged.
To do this properly, it’s best if you prepare a shower spray that you can use daily. There are several methods you can use.
Using Hydrogen Peroxide
Gather the following ingredients:
- ½ cup of hydrogen peroxide
- ½ cup of rubbing alcohol, which acts as a natural degreaser
- 1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap
- 1 tablespoon of dishwasher rinse aid
- Mix all these ingredients in a 32-ounce spray bottle. Use the opaque type of bottle and not the clear one. Hydrogen peroxide breaks down when it’s exposed to light. You can use the bottle the peroxide came in with.
- Now fill the mixture with some water, and then cap the bottle.
- Very gently, rock the bottle back and forth. The goal is to mix everything together without resulting in foam. Once you’re done, it’s ready for daily use.
- So, when you’re done taking a shower, first use a microfiber cloth to wipe down the shower glass lightly.
- When you’re finished with that, use this hydrogen peroxide mix and mist the shower glass lightly with the spray.
Using Bar Keepers Friend:
More specifically, you’re repurposing the powdered version of this Bar Keepers Friend.
- Wet the surface of the shower glass.
- Shake the cleanser.
- Pour into a nonabrasive sponge.
- Scrub carefully.
- Once that’s done, rinse thoroughly with water. You can also use vinegar for this step, if you need something stronger (and if you don’t have a stone tile).
- Wipe it down with a squeegee, or a microfiber cloth.
Daily Spray with Essential Oil:
This is another cleaner you can make yourself. It doesn’t have any harsh ingredients, either.
- Gather the following ingredients:
- 1 cup of water
- ½ cup of vinegar (if you don’t have a stone tile)
- A little bit of dish soap
- 10 to 20 drops of your preferred essential oil
- Mix everything in a spray bottle and keep it handy for daily use.
- Squeegee the shower glass when you’re done with your shower.
- Spray the shower glass with this afterwards.
Cleaning Your Cloudy Shower Glass
What if you haven’t been doing your daily cleaning for the shower glass? If that’s the case, then you probably have to deal with the cloudy issues.
The good news is that you can just first get rid of the haze due to the mineral buildup. Once you’ve done that, then you can probably get by with just wiping down the shower glass with a microfiber cloth or a squeegee. For better results, you can use several of the cleaning solutions that are known to work on shower glass.
Cleaning off the haze from the shower glass can be done easily. In fact, you have several different methods to choose from. You can try each one, and see which of them gives you the best results.
Using Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Salt
You don’t really need any fancy cleaning solution that comes with a rather high price. You can mix fairly common household items like vinegar, baking soda, and salt to deal with even stubborn mineral buildup.
Here are the steps you need to take:
- Put in some vinegar into a spray bottle.
- Spray the vinegar onto the shower glass.
- Let the vinegar sit for a few minutes.
- While you wait, mix equal amounts of salt and baking soda. That will end up with some sort of paste.
- Rub this paste over the shower glass, using a damp sponge.
- Rinse the shower glass well.
If you have stains due to mineral buildup, this solution should take care of the problem. But it’s not your only possible solution.
Using Avon Original Skin So Soft Bath Oil
- Use a scrubbing sponge to apply the Avon Original Skin So Soft Bath Oil to the shower glass.
- Once that’s done, let it sit for about 15 minutes.
- After waiting, rub the shower glass with a scrubbing sponge (one that’s specifically meant for use with glass).
- Use a microfiber cloth to polish things off.
Preventive Measures for Soap Scum Buildup
It’s true that it takes a longer time to clean off the soap scum from shower glass. It’s not all that easy, either. You’re better off taking an ounce of prevention, instead.
No More Bar Soap
One way to do that is to use furniture oil on the shower glass. This can help prevent soap scum buildup.
Another way is to basically stop using bar soap altogether, though this may seem a bit extreme. The main problem with bar soaps is that just about every one of them counts talc as an ingredient, and talc is the main culprit behind that soap scum buildup.
Maybe you can go with a bar soap which doesn’t contain any talc. Try a Dove bar soap, or one of those “natural” soaps that you can easily find online. Just make sure to check the ingredients list to confirm that you’re getting a bar soap that doesn’t have talc.
Of course, you can just go with liquid soap instead. It’s quick and easy, and less soap scum to deal with afterwards.
Squeegee Method
Another simple way to prevent soap scum buildup is to just use a squeegee after every time you take a shower. That may work, but if it doesn’t then there is another method you can try.
Using Lemon Oil Furniture Polish
The lemon oil furniture polish will act as a barrier that keeps the soap scum from building up on your shower glass.
To use this method, first clean the shower glass with any of the methods we’ve already listed. Then follow that up with the following steps:
- Put some of the lemon oil furniture polish on a soft rag.
- Use this to wipe down the shower glass.
- Wait for 2 minutes as you let the oil sit.
- Use a dry cloth to polish off the excess oil.
The result is a slight film of oil on the shower glass. This slight film will act as a sort of buffer against the future buildup of soap scum.
A Long-Term Solution by Using Commercial Products for Windshields
The goal of your long-term solution is to prevent the soap scum and hard water from even sticking to the surface of the shower glass. If they don’t stick, they don’t build up, which sounds logical.
However, the solution here involves buying either Water Armour or Rain-X. Granted, these are not specifically designed for the shower glass in your bathroom. They’re actually meant for the windshield of your car.
But they work by wicking away the water (which is soapy and contains the mineral deposits) away from the glass surface. They should therefore work on the shower glass too.
Here are the steps, which are actually simple:
- Clean the shower glass first.
- Spray the Water Armour or Rain-X on the shower glass surface.
- Be very careful—you need to keep the spray away from the shower floor, the bathroom tiles on the wall, and any metal attached to the shower glass.
- Reapply every 3 to 4 weeks.
That’s all there is to it. With this treatment, you may not even need to squeegee your shower glass after each time you take a shower.
Final Words-How To Clean Cloudy Shower Glass
It’s true that shower glass needs a lot of maintenance. People install them in their showers because they look great, but that’s only true if they’re actually clean. If they’re cloudy, then they’re a bit icky.
So, do your daily maintenance, and clean off the mineral and soap scum buildup whenever it gets noticeable. Do that, and your shower glass will look great!
