This month’s featured reader question comes from Kathryn, who posted in the Ask Anna Facebook Group:
“How do I get my glass shower clean? I want it really clean before I try putting on Rain-X.”
How to clean glass shower doors, here’s what you need:
- Magic Eraser
- Squeegee (for continued maintenance)
1. Use a Pair of Pantyhose to Clean Glass Shower Doors
If you are anything like me, then you don’t squeegee your glass shower doors nearly often enough! Water and soap scum build up and before I know it, it’s been months since I last cleaned them. Well, when I got around to cleaning them most recently, I decided I’d try out a tip I’d read on a Facebook thread a while back. It was to use a pair of panty hose to scrub away soap scum. I had an old pair and thought it was worth a shot! Initially, as you can see in the photo above, it was working decently. But as I worked my way down the shower doors, it became tougher and tougher. There was heavier build up near the bottom and the panty hose just wasn’t cutting it. Here’s a before shot of the shower doors:
And here is after scrubbing with the panty hose:
Definitely an improvement, but still not clean. This is probably not the method you want to use if you have months worth of build up, but if it’s only been a week since you’ve cleaned them it will likely work just fine. Read on to see how I got them really clean!
2. Use a Magic Eraser to Clean Glass Shower Doors
When the panty hose didn’t quite get the job done, I resorted to my tried and true Magic Eraser to finish up. Followed by a rinse and squeegeeing, this is how the shower doors turned out:
Perfectly transparent! To keep them looking good, I recommend squeegeeing after each shower. This will help tremendously! Then a quick scrub with a Magic Eraser every few weeks should keep them nice and clean.
Kim
Did you know this is one of my most popular posts!? To see more of the posts people love click on the titles below:
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I’ve found that dryer sheets work really well to get the build up off shower doors too!
http://joyfulhomemaking.com/2011/12/bathroom-cleaning-tips.html
They can be used dryer sheets! Saves you even more money when it’s something you already use and would normally throw out afterwards.
Great tip Kim! Pinning 🙂
Thanks for pinning Becky!
Vinegar, water and dawn in a spray bottle. Soak down the shower, let it sit for 10 minutes and then just wipe away. No scrubbing required.
“dawn”? I am from danmark and english is not my first language, så dawn to me, means daybreak. Can you perhaps explain what dawn means in this context? I would really love to use the trick 🙂
“Dawn” is a type of dish soap that can be purchased here in the USA. Here’s a link http://www.dawn-dish.com/us/dawn/buyonline
What is the recipe for the vinegar / dawn solution?
I just mix vinegar and dawn half and half in one of those dish scrubbers. shake it up and scrub down the glass. I just leave it in the shower to do whenever I have time after my shower.
What is the ratios for using the vinegar and dawn and water? I would love to try this.
skip the water. half and half dawn and vinegar.
Vinegar and microfiber cloth works really great too!
I find that if I squeegee the glass, followed by wiping it after every use, it stays pretty clean without ever getting a build up. I do the same with the shower walls to keep scum from building up on the tile too.
I do the same. We have old hand towels just for this purpose. We squeegee every time and then wipe down the shower with the dry hand towel including the floor of the shower. Our shower doors rarely ever have soap scumb. We also use liquid soap to wash with.
For cleaning mirrors and bathroom counter , I use a mixture of alcohol/a few quirks of dish detergent(any brand) and fragrance oil. The real helper here is using it with the Nano Towels. No streaking. Just let dry. These are the best things since sliced bread. Have one for the kitchen and gave one to my husband for the car and one keft to use while the oypthers are in the wash. Great for floors too.
Oops. Made some spelling errors(not my doing- it was the iPad!)
Meant to say a few squirts of detergent.
While the others are in the wash. And one left to use.
Jeeze.
Love the tip about cleaning glass shower doors with old pantie hose..who knew?
After you have the doors clean, put RainX on them or Turtal Wax and the soup sum just slides off.
thanks for the hints, my mom used this idea to clean her oven years ago. thanks
I have a stainless steel stove top. How do I get the burner rings clean? I’ve tried everything but nothing seems to work. They get burnt on stains and don’t look very nice. Thanks.
Funny you ask me this because my friend just texted me this weekend and gave me a great tip that she tried and it cleaned off gunk she’d had stuck on their for years! Here’s what she said, “I used an Ava Anderson dishwasher pod, soaked in hot water and poured it on my stovetop for awhile. Without scrubbing, crusty stains from years ago started coming up! Amazing!” She used an Ava Anderson dishwasher pod (here’s the link- http://bit.ly/1x1LDcl) but if you don’t want to buy those you could probably use another good dishwasher pod, I like the Finish Quantum pods – http://amzn.to/1E0aTV9. Let me know how it works out!
I have used baking soda on a damp rag. It took some scrubbing but most of it came off. Wipe off with a clean cloth.
Peroxide and baking soda make a paste let sit for 30 minutes to an hour depending on the amount of grime. It works great.
What’s Magic Eraser? I’m from Argentina and we can’t get it. Are there any home- made products to use instead?
Hey Analia,
This is Monique, Anna’s assistant. Magic Erasers are a sponge-like cleaning product that can clean most things. Here is a link that explains a little bit more about it and offers an alternate recipe for making your own! Enjoy!
http://www.passionforsavings.com/2014/04/diy-magic-erasers-homemade-magic-eraser-recipe/
Loving all your ideas – any help in cleaning an old crock pot (its ceramic)
Thanks Carol! Here’s an old post I have about cleaning a crock pot – https://askannamoseley.com/2011/03/how-to-clean-a-crockpot/
I use a clear shower curtain to protect my shower doors, sure saves a lot of scrubbing.
I tried it. It works. Thanks! I have used Magic Eraser (1 cut in half to economize) to keep my stainless steel sink like shiny new for 6 years now.. The cleaners leave too much residue, Just wet the sink, moisten the eraser, and scour the direction of the pattern in the stainless steel and rinse. No other product needed. And you won’t believe the brown residue left on the Eraser that was just sitting on your sink!
I clean my shower doors with a new, soap filled Brillo pad. It great on baked on stains on my glass dishes in the kitchen and it’s great on glass shower doors in my bathroom!
Dear Anna,
Hi! Actually my problem is that we have salt water and that leaves rough stains n marks on the glass shower door. Even water marks. Can u please suggest as to what can be done about it.
Thanking you,
Richa.
Hi, Richa. I’m Anna’s assistant, Bethany. This is not something we’ve ever run into because we don’t use salt water in our homes, but here are a couple posts that Anna wrote regarding removing water stains: https://askannamoseley.com/2011/03/reader-question-getting-rid-of-tough-water-build-up/ https://askannamoseley.com/2015/08/how-to-clean-glass-shower-doors-the-easy-way/You can try these and ideas first and if those don’t work, you may want to check on Pinterest to see what others do for salt water stains. Hope these posts help you!
You can use dryer sheets to clean your shower doors.
I love the idea using the magic eraser for the glass shower doors, however, my problem is a little different. I actually have mirrored closet doors in my bathroom and months of buildup and yuck from hairspray and who knows what. Any recommendations on how to get them clean? I’ve tried the vinegar and Dawn solution but it didn’t get them clean at all. I’m at a loss! Thank you!!
Hi, Lora! This is Anna’s assistant, Bethany. Anna has written some great posts about how to clean mirrors here https://askannamoseley.com/2013/04/green-cleaning-cleaning-with-lemons/ and here https://askannamoseley.com/2013/02/washing-windows-and-mirrors/ Hope this helps!
Rubbing alcohol and stop using hairspray or go outside to spray it on.
Help! I have cushion on my porch furniture with mildew stains on them. I used a brush and dish detergent last yr a lot of work and made through the season. But now they are really so much worse. I went to buy upholster fabric– oh my word. Then I priced replacing the furniture…well I just thought maybe I can paint them. Help me please.
Hi, Peggy! I’m Anna’s assistant, Bethany. I sent you an e-mail, so please be on the lookout for it in your inbox. Thanks!
I am a housekeeper I use a hand held steamer and magic eraser squeegee perfect every time my steamer I use on Windows awesome, micro. Stoves everything!!!
Forget all of this. I use the Billy Mays method. Remember him, the guy who was the face of Oxyclean. USE KABOOM FOAMTASTIC. You spray it on and wash it off. It is better than any hand scrubbing I could ever do ever. Try it once and you will never go back.
Didn’t work for me!
What is magic eraser??????
Hi, Joan. This is Bethany, Anna’s assistant. Magic Eraser is a type of sponge that you can use to clean a variety of surfaces. You can find it in most grocer stores, Walmart, Target, etc., or you can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Clean-Magic-Eraser-Original/dp/B0071SCSO0/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1457644846&sr=8-3&keywords=magic+eraser Hope this helps!
Hi,
Just wondering with the Magic Eraser………any particular size Eraser, use on dry or wet glass ?
Once you get all that yuck off, throw away your bar soap and you won’t have the problem any more. Use liquid soap and not one with oils in them or you will have oily ring in tub.
How do I clean the rubber around my glass door
Hi, Ginny! This is Anna’s assistant, Bethany. Can you please clarify what the issue is on the rubber around your glass door? Is it a mold issue or something else? Feel free to e-mail us or you can reply here so we can help! Thanks!
My shower doors too are held in place with a rubber gasket. How would they be cleaned to match the shiny glass?
Lynn
HOLA…POR FAVOR QUIERO SABER QUE ES ..UN BORRADOR MÁGICO?
ATTE
Hello, María! I’m Anna’s assistant, Bethany. Magic Eraser is a type of sponge that is used to remove stains from a variety of surfaces. You can find it in most grocery stores or online. Here’s a link to Amazon for more information: http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Clean-Magic-Eraser-Original/dp/B0071SCSO0/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1460363761&sr=8-3&keywords=magic+eraser Hope this helps!
I’m having a really hard time with my wood floors, nothing seems to work!
Hi, Cathy. I’m Anna’s assistant, Bethany. Can you please clarify what you’re having a hard time with in regards to your wood floors and we will see if we can help! Thanks!
Hello Kim, I have a shower with tiles wall and I have a built up of water and soap scum on it. Can you tell me how to clean it, I have tried cleaning vinager and other products, an nothing have work. Can you please help me, thank you!
Shower Doors…….I have tried everything you can think of….what really works….Old English. put on a dry cloth, wipe the doors….they look great…
Try powdered laundry detergent (I use Tide, small, travel-size box-a little goes a long way). Scrub with a wet sponge. Your glass will shine!
I only need to do this once a year since I squeegee after each shower. It is great for the worst water scum build-up.