When we put our Florida home on the market last year, we had to do a few things to make it more attractive to buyers. One of the things my realtor advised us to do was give the grout & caulk a thorough cleaning before we put the house on the market.
Unless you routinely scrub your grout and caulk it gets dirty and even becomes covered in mildew. In our new house my husband ended up recaulking the main bathroom because it was just so dirty.
Scotch-Brite has a very cool brush made just for cleaning grout! Just use a few squirts of your favorite cleaner and scrub with what my kids call- the giant toothbrush. This only takes a few minutes and if you do it once or twice a month your grout and caulked areas will stay super clean and free of mildew- yuck!
Now that the grout is nice and clean it’s time to focus on those shower doors and walls. There are several bathroom cleaners which will cut through soap scum and mildew during the weekly cleaning, but there is an easy way to keep the walls spot free throughout the week.
Simply using a squeegee after you shower every day keeps the glass very clean. I didn’t actually think it would work until I started doing it myself and I couldn’t believe the difference.
If you can find a squeegee that mounts right on your shower wall it makes this so much easier. My last squeegee laid on the shower floor and I would constantly step on it when I was in the shower.
Using on the squeegee on the glass daily keeps the grime off and makes weekly cleanings easier. I highly recommend buying one of these if you haven’t already.
My last tip for a clean shower is let the cleaners work! My husband was the main bathroom cleaner for many years. His technique of spraying the cleaner in the shower and then walking away for 10-15 minutes works really well. It cuts down on the scrubbing and amount of cleaner you need to use. He’s saving time and money, what’s not to like about that?
Did you know that you can also use products like Rain X on your glass shower doors to repel the water? This works really well and makes keeping your glass shower sparkling so much easier.
Jamie @ A Chandelier Life says
My husband has been using a squeegee for years. It does work but after so many weeks the glass needs a good scrub, especially near edges and bottom. Two things I find work great. First is just good old baking soda, it takes any residue right off. The second miracle I’ve recently discovered for bathroom cleaning are the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers for Bathrooms. I don’t like spending money on things like this usually, but let me tell you it works on showers and tubs and it works quickly.
Tonya says
Soap is supposed to get you clean, yet it leaves awful scum all over the glass and the walls. Why? It’s a PETROLEUM product. We just had both of our showers refinished and the company stressed to us to NOT use bar soap in the shower, but if we did, to remove it after each use and rinse the walls and glass. Liquid soap does not have the lingering scum effect. What a difference that has made! The weekly cleaning is so easy [I use the spray and walk away for about 30 minutes method, too. 🙂 ]
Carlie Kercheval | So You Call Yourself a Homeschooler? says
This is RIGHT on time for us! We just moved into a home that all the showers are glass – and LOTS of it. Thanks for the tip! I can tell that it also makes a difference when you have a water softener as all that salt spots things even more :/
nan mann says
What do you use to cut through hard water deposit on the glass? I clean for a lady once a month and it’s a battle in her shower- Windex does nothing and I haven’t found anything that works. Any suggestions?
DebbieLB says
nan mann, we have very very hard water in rural Kansas, and I use either vinegar–undiluted, or CLR to cut the hard water deposits. You might suggest the squeegie because it will make your job easier if the family will use it after each shower.
Heather says
I have this problem with mine as well, I tried everything from hot vinegar, to barkeepers friend, CLR, and a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and I finally had to accept that maybe the glass is just etched too deeply and I will not be able to fix it.
Becky says
Heather and Nan Mann- I use a 1:1 ratio of hot vinegar and Dawn. Spray it on, wait a bit, then wash off. I hope it works as well for you as it does for me! We have VERY hard water in Florida.
lyna says
Thanks for the tip Becky, will W/M generic of Dawn work as well…..much cheaper? I too live in Florida and i just used a simple trick that a friend told me about sinceI could NOT remove the soap scum on my glass shower doors. A razor did the trick, it just flakes off into a fine powder, now, I need to be able to keep it clean!
C says
I would use the regular blue Dawn. It works well.
Jocelyn Melum says
We had a lot of hard water spots and I was SOOOOOOOO frustrated with trying to get it cleaned. While I was searching for a razor blade, my husband came up and suggested a MIRACLE HARD WATER CLEANER! I don’t know why I didn’t think about it! LIME AWAY! LIME AWAY attacked the hard water right away! You must wear gloves and use a sponge that you can throw away. Just put on a generous amount, walk away for about 30 minutes then using the scrubby side of the sponge and lightly scrub the area and rinse! All done and crystal clear!
Jen says
Would RainEx work on the interior of the shower doors???
Toni Anderson says
Yes, it actually works great! Thanks for the reminder!
Charisse says
Spot X is great for the hard water spots. Scrub it on and let it sit for 10 minutes, then rinse. Might take more than one application if the water spots have been there for a long time.
Quinn B says
We have a glass shower and cleaning the glass is the hardest part. I take Baking Soda and make a wet paste in my hand. Rub it on to the glass and then wash off with a sponge. A little elbow grease might be required and make sure you squeegee the water when you are done but It takes care of the soap spots pretty easily. Baking Soda, Household vinegar and a little bleach can really work magic in the house.
Sally Newman says
For me waterarmour.ca works the best. I applied it almost 2 years ago and the water still beads up and runs off. Just a little sponging a couple of times a month and it is spotless! Check it out!
Bonnie Hood says
Finazzle Soap Scum Remover is by far the best of anything I have tried for soap scum removal. Their grout cleaner (comes in white and colored tile versions) is also excellent. Finazzle removed residue that was left after I had tried everything else I had read about. I find this at a local specialty hardware, but it can also be purchased online. This is one product I would not be without.
Louise says
I have found a combo of treating the glass with something called Water Armour and the occasional squeegee works wonders! The water armour treats the glass so the water just beads off and prevents mildew. Plus when the kids ‘forget’ to use the squeegee, no problem. It’s a bit of work to apply but it has been almost a year since i applied it. I found the stuff on-line at waterarmour.ca