Glass shower doors are amazing — when they’re in good shape. They’re beautiful. They let natural light into the shower. They make the whole thing more inviting and relaxing. They also show every last bit of dirt, grime or deposits that hit the glass. Cleaning them can feel like a pain.
It doesn’t have to be that way. There are a few things you can do to make the cleaning process much easier. When you do, you’ll keep your glass crystal clear. You’ll get all of the perks from your glass door without having to devote your life to scrubbing. Here are a few tips to help you make that a reality.
Use Prevention
Everything about showering will make your glass door dirty and/or cloudy. Your skin has oils that get spread across the door and build up over time. Soap can turn into soap scum and leave gross residues. Even the water has calcium and other hard chemicals that leave deposits after a shower. Preventing this buildup makes cleaning easier.
The first thing you want to do is rinse and dry your shower door after use. If you have an adjustable shower head, give the door a quick rinse at the end of the shower. Then, use a squeegee to wipe the water away when you’re done. This will dramatically slow the buildup of gross stuff on the glass.
You can also get a shower spray that is made to be used after each shower. A few quick pumps of the spray bottle help to dissolve the deposits and keep the door clean.
The last thing you can do for preventative care is to keep up with your water softener. It’s certainly not worth investing in a water softener just to make it a little easier to clean your glass shower doors, but if you have one, keeping it in optimal shape will go a long way. Water softeners reduce the amount of calcium that comes out of the pipes. That means you’ll get less buildup on your glass door. Make sure the water softener has plenty of salt and gets all of its routine maintenance.
Stay on a Schedule
The hardest thing about cleaning glass is that problems build up over time. Soap scum, residues and everything else gets worse the longer you go between cleanings. If you clean once a week, the lack of buildup will keep your glass clear perpetually. If you skip a week, it will be a little harder. Skip a month, and you’ll have to put some elbow grease into the equation.
Make the Glass Sparkle
When it comes to scrubbing the glass, there are a few things you can do to get better results. Go ahead and get the glass wet to start (a spray bottle of water is easiest as it won’t put out too much water and leave the whole place soaked).
Once the glass is wet, you want to give it a soak with your cleaning agent. If your cleaning solution is water-based, you can skip the first step altogether. For those looking for an affordable and natural cleaner, distilled white vinegar is excellent. Do not dilute the vinegar.
When you apply your cleaning solution, spray it liberally and let it soak for about five minutes. Follow up on that by scrubbing with something that is safe for glass. Sponges are great; glass-safe brushes are fine. After you scrub, rinse with water. Repeat the process if necessary.
Kill Mold and Mildew
Vinegar is a cheap and clean way to keep the glass clear, but since this glass is for a shower, mold and mildew might get a foothold. While vinegar can kill these things, it’s not the strongest choice. You want to thoroughly annihilate fungi when it starts to grow. For that, bleaching agents are best.
You don’t want to use pure bleach as it is likely to leave streaks on the glass, and it can be harsh on you. Instead, look for a glass cleaner that has bleach or chlorine in it. This will ensure that you kill all of the spores when you clean. That prevents the mold from growing back as fast as you can scrub it away.
If you want a glass shower door that is so beautiful it inspires you to put forth all of this effort, then you can get it from Advanced Auto Glass. We handle all of your glass needs for your car or home. Contact us if you would like to explore your options.
