Make Your Glass Shower Door Sparkle With This Vinegar Combo

In the process of getting all cleaned up in the shower, your shower door can become quite the opposite. When it comes to cleaning a glass shower door in particular, there are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind so your walk-in shower door looks as good as new.

Removing stubborn hard water stains and soap scum can be such a chore, but a cloudy shower door can put a damper on the evening of self-care you had in mind. Thankfully, you can clean a glass shower door in no time with a vinegar cleaning solution made from items you probably already have under your bathroom or kitchen sink.

Our experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Care & Cleaning Lab have also tested shower cleaners and overall bathroom cleaners if you want to supplement our DIY recommendation. These products can help with upkeep of your shower door and maintain its sparkling shine in between weekly or monthly cleans.

Continue reading to learn how to clean a glass shower door with vinegar and to gain advice on maintaining your door’s gleam post-shower. We also recommend the best cleaning products to have on-hand in case of more difficult stains.

How to clean a glass shower door

What You’ll Need

• Distilled white vinegar
• Water
• Dishwashing liquid
• Spray bottle
• Sponge
• Microfiber cloth

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1. Combine ingredients: Add equal parts distilled white vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
2. Add dishwashing liquid: Pour 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid into the spray bottle.
3. Let sit: Spritz solution onto shower door and let sit for 15 minutes.
4. Wipe clean: After 15 minutes, use a microfiber cloth to wipe clean. For heavy build-up scrub with a delicate scrubber or eraser-type sponge.
5. Dry: Rinse and buff dry.

How often should you clean your glass shower door?

The best way to keep your glass door spotless is to wipe water away with a squeegee on a daily basis. We recommend the Casabella Silicone Squeegee as it grabs water in a single pass and has over 1,500 reviews on Amazon. Not only will a squeegee remove water, but it can also wipe away mold and mildew.

You can treat your shower with the vinegar solution on a weekly basis, and use shower cleaners per manufacturer’s instructions whether that be monthly or more frequently.

How to remove hard water stains

If you notice cloudy spots on your shower door, chances are these are hard water stains. These stains are caused when water contains high levels of “hard” minerals such as magnesium, calcium and iron. After you shower, chalky white stains are left behind as the water dries. Fortunately, you can easily remove hard water stains with the same vinegar solution mentioned above. It is important to stay on top of this shower treatment as hard water stains can become permanent if left unremoved.

How to remove soap scum

Soap scum forms when oil- or grease-based ingredients react with minerals in water. You can use the same distilled vinegar, water and dishwashing liquid combination to remove this chalky, white residue from your shower door, or opt for CLR Brilliant Bath Foaming Action Cleaner. This 2020 Good Housekeeping Cleaning Award winner can remove soap scum and hard water stains. A double win!

For a DIY solution, you can mix baking soda with water to form a paste. Or you can use a scrubber like Good Housekeeping Seal star Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Bath.

What doesn’t clean a glass shower door?

While homemade vinegar solutions and shower cleaners targeted for doors can clear up hard water stains, soap scum and leftover residue from your most recent shower, there are certain cleaning products that are best to skip for cleaning a glass door.

One popular concept is using dryer sheets. However, if you use fresh dryer sheets to clean your glass shower door, you will likely deposit the fabric softener from the sheets. You could use used dryer sheets as a DIY cloth if you don’t have a microfiber cloth on hand. Bottom line: Keep this handy laundry product by the washer and dryer unless you want to repurpose used ones.

More tips to keep your glass shower door clean

Now that you know how to clean your glass shower door on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, here are some expert tips on how to maintain your shower door’s shine:

• Wipe away water, mold and mildew with a squeegee every day.
• Keep your shower door dry.
• If you live in an area with high levels of magnesium and calcium minerals in your water, treat your door with cleaning solutions that target hard water stains.
• Deal with tough stains and problem areas using specific shower cleaning products. Opt for CLR Calcium, Lime & Rust Remover to remove hard water stains, limescale and rust stains.
• Treat your glass shower door with a protectant such as EnduroShield Glass Treatment Kit. Our Lab tests found the product successfully repelled water so future cleaning is easier.

Updates Editor

Elizabeth Berry (she/her) is the Updates Editor at the Good Housekeeping Institute where she optimizes lifestyle content across verticals. Prior to this role, she was an Editorial Assistant for Woman’s Day where she covered everything from gift guides to recipes. She also has experience fact checking commerce articles and holds a B.A. in English and Italian Studies from Connecticut College.