The bathroom in our home is cleaned weekly, but even after a good cleaning, soap scum and hard water stains are still seen on the glass. It can be frustrating to wipe down the doors with cleaner and still have them look cloudy and speckled. Hard water has minerals in it and as the water splashes onto surfaces it begins to evaporate leaving the minerals behind. Then when you wash your hands, the soap sticks to the water deposits, creating a thick residue that is difficult to wipe off with just any cleaner. Knowing the right products, means you can have your shower looking new again.

One of the healthiest and safest products you can test on your shower is something found right in your kitchen cupboard. Grab a spray bottle and fill it with vinegar and baking soda. Vinegar’s acidic base will immediately begin breaking down the dirt and soap scum and you won’t have to worry about fumes or children around the home. Another safe product is dryer sheets. It might seem strange to use these, but after getting them damp and rubbing them along the surface, the soap will break away with a little extra scrubbing. For thicker build-up and water residue, stronger cleaners are recommended. Lime away is the cleaner Martha Stewart swears by and it works great at getting rid of both thick scum and heavy water stains. Magic erasers are my go-to for getting difficult areas clean and preventing scratching the glass. After choosing a cleaner, try using it immediately after a warm shower or bath. The hot water and steam helps soften the soap and will save your arms from a lot of heavy scrubbing.

Once I have spent time scrubbing off all the soap scum, I try to prevent heavy build-up by wiping down the shower after each use. A quick spray of a vinegar solution helps the shower stay sparkling clean every day. I understand wiping down the shower can be difficult to fit in a tight schedule, so buying a rain repellant can prevent water minerals and soap from sticking to surfaces. Regularly cleaning off water residue will prevent soap from sticking to it and make it quicker to wipe down. The thicker the scum, the harder it will be to clean in the future.

Check out these links for more advice on getting soap scum and water build up off your shower, tubs, and sinks.

• How to Clean Soap Scum – Soap build up on the shower and tub is difficult to scrub off but after using these tricks, your shower will look new again.
• Cleaning Products Tested – This cleaning guy searched the web for what cleaning products would get rid of soap scum and hard water stains. After his search, he had a long list of what the best methods were to make his shower shiny again. Learn from his experiment, and use what products worked for him.
• Benefits of Green Cleaning – Read about the benefits of cleaning with green products.
• A Soap Scum Experiment – One of the best ways to find the perfect cleaner, is to experiment with several different options. This blogger’s son needed an experiment for school and decided to try four products out on the glass. It was a surprise to me which cleaner did the best job.
• How to Remove Soap Scum and Hard Water Stains – This blogger used dryer sheets to get her shower and bathroom faucets shining again.
• Vinegar and Baking Soda Cleaner – Read about the chemistry of vinegar and baking soda and how combining them will get rid of soap scum. After your shower is clean again, try out his method of preventing soap and water build up.
• Green Cleaning Products – Green cleaners not only protect the environment and your family, but they can also save you money. Learn about the ingredients you need to make your own household cleaners.
• Natural Home Solutions: Removing Soap Scum from A Glass Shower Door – Take a look at this glass shower before and after using homemade products. Depending on what you need, a soap scum prevention spray or soap scum cleaner, there are three different recipes you can try out so your shower will always shine.
• Remove Stubborn Soap Scum – Not every cleaning method works to get rid of soap scum because the hardness of the water can vary depending on where you live. This article goes over how to get rid of hard water stains and soap scum and what methods will work best for you.