How To Clean Soap Scum Off Glass Shower Screen

How do you remove soap scum off your shower doors and then keep them looking good?

This is a question I've had myself, and thoughtothers might be curious, too.

You'll discover that it's super easy to remove soap scum or hard water stains. And if you use a common automotive product it's even simpler to prevent them from coming back.

Here are the supplies that you'll need for this quick project

Baking Soda
White Vinegar
Scotch-Brite Non Scratch Scrub Sponge (6 pack)
10 inch Window Scrubber
12 inch Window Squeegee
Rain-X 2-in-1 Glass Cleaner Plus Rain Repellent
Spoon and Small Container (I bet you have these)
Paper Towels
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You'll be able to use these items for other projects like cleaning your home and car windows.

The cleaning takes about 29 minutes but 15 of it is letting the baking soda & vinegar sit on the shower door glass (plenty of time to sit and watch half of a Pawn Stars episode).

I guarantee that you'll be happy with the results and cleaning your shower doors will actually be somewhat fun-hey, I even surprised myself during this process!!

So let's get to it 🙂

How to Safely Remove Soap Scum from Glass Shower Doors

I was a chemistry major in college and therefore love chemical reactions (I'm a proud nerd and yes, Star Wars is my favorite movie).

Vinegar is really acetic acid and this is why it's such a thorough cleaning solution.

The acidity helps cut through dirt and grime (are these two things different?).

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate.

When you combine vinegar and baking soda they form carbonic acid.

Carbonic acid is unstable and immediately decomposes to carbon dioxide and water.

The fizzing you see when baking soda and vinegar are combined comes from the carbon dioxide, NOT the carbonic acid.

The CO2 is safe and this is why a baking soda/vinegar cleaning solution is a family friendly household cleaner.

After the CO2 fizzes off you'll have a dilute solution of water and sodium acetate.

Enough chemistry, let's get to cleaning your shower doors 😉

Using Vinegar and Baking Soda to Clean Shower Doors

Here's the complete video of how to clean soap scum off shower doors.

But we also include a step-by-step process with detailed instructions.

When you're done viewing the video scroll down this page for additional info that you shouldn't miss.

Place about 1/2 cup of baking soda in a plastic container and pour enough white vinegar on it to form a pasty mixture.

Use a spoon to mix the baking soda and vinegar.

How to Clean Soap Scum Off Shower Doors-Make a paste with white vinegar and soap scum

You'll immediately see fizzing, but again, this is just the CO2.

Once the fizzing stops take the Scotch Brite sponge and scoop up some of the paste.

Wipe the paste on the shower door glass.

Yes, the paste will get all over the shower floor but it's not that bad to clean up.

I just scooped it into the plastic container with the spoon.

You can let the paste sit on the shower doors for 10-15 minutes (go watch your favorite TV show or catch up on sleep-the latter is my preference).

How to Clean Soap Scum Off Shower Doors-Wipe paste onto the doors with a sponge

Use a window scrubber and water to thoroughly clean off the paste mixture.

Then dry the shower doors with the window squeegee and a paper towel.

Check to make sure the soap scum is completely gone.

I was super excited when I didn't see any hard water stains or soap scup left on my shower doors.

It was like I discovered the cure for baldness or something else that was more important-like how to get kids to eat green beans.

Prevent Soap Scum from Coming Back

As you can see cleaning soap scum off your shower doors isn't that bad but who wants to do this all the time.

I'd rather be playing catch or bicycling with my daughters.

This is where Rain-X 2-in-1 glass cleaner can help.

I use this automotive product on my car windows to help water bead off during rain storms.

How to Clean Soap Scum Off Shower Doors-Use RainX to prevent more soap scum The protective film that Rain-X provides can be utilized in your shower, too.

This is what will prevent the soap scum and other deposits from sticking to the shower door glass.

Spray the Rain-X onto the shower glass and wipe it off with a paper towel or microfiber cloth.

I like to use Rain-X once per week to clean the shower doors. That along with Wet and Forget Shower makes cleaning a breeze.

This easy task helps stop the hazy film that makes your shower doors look so bad.

And it takes all of 3 minutes. I've got 3 minutes to spare for this 🙂

What's Next

Hopefully these tips help you with your shower doors.

If you're looking for more cleaning tutorials in the bathroom these will come in handy

The Best Way to Clean Grout – EVER!!

How to Clean Stinky Sink Drains

Also, grab our free guide if you're doing a DIY bathroom remodel – it shares how to remodel a bathroom in 10 days or less

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Cheers,

Jeff Patterson

Soap Scum