How to: Clean a Shower Screen
So, you’ve woken up in the morning and have made your way to the shower to start your day, only to see the buildup of grime and soap scum on your shower screen.
It’s a situation nobody enjoys, and one that can be off-putting enough to ruin your morning outright. Therefore, it’s time to open the cleaning products cabinet and get to work on cleaning your shower screen, as well as preventing this situation from arising again.
What You’ll Need
There are many different ways you can go about cleaning a shower screen, ranging from high chemical product use to a more natural approach with some elbow grease thrown in.
A popular way to clean a shower screen is through the usage of vinegar, as diluted white vinegar can scrub off hard water stains with no issue. If you feel your screen has more buildup than the average screen, mixing vinegar with baking soda is great for a deeper clean, scrubbing off thicker soap scum and limescale.
If vinegar and baking soda isn’t your style, the use of dishwashing detergent and water works well with some hard scrubbing thrown in. Eucalyptus products are also shown to tackle buildup well, with an Aussie mum showcasing how she used the natural ingredient for her DIY cleanups here.
It’s also great to prepare a clean spray bottle, a microfibre cloth and a squeegee (the latter being the key item here).
The Cleaning Process
Now that you’ve sorted out what you’ll be using to scrub that shower door, it’s time to put these words into action and get that shower screen sparkly clean.
To start off, you’ll want to rinse the screen off with some non-hard water, as the hard water produced from the shower itself is the one causing this influx of calcium and other mineral buildups on the screen, known as limescale.
Once you’ve rinsed the surface, take the cleaning products that you’ve prepared (i.e., vinegar or other cleaning solutions) and fill the empty spray bottle about halfway. You’ll then want to fill the rest of the bottle with warm water to help dilute the product used.
With the spray bottle prepped, you’ll want to spray as much of the surface area as you can on both sides of the screen. Once sprayed thoroughly, leave the product on the screen for roughly 10-15 minutes (or even longer if you feel the need).
After the time has passed, grab your washcloth and wipe off the product and grime on the screen. Be sure not to wipe in circular motions, as it will only do more harm than good in the long run. Instead, wipe in one direction, parallel to the next you do.
Finally, you’ll be rinsing the screen once more with non-hard water and grab the aforementioned squeegee from earlier. A squeegee works wonders on a shower screen as it will effectively remove all excess water from the surface, providing less chance for limescale and soap scum to buildup again.
Preventing Buildup
While you can’t rid of limescale and soap residue buildup on your shower screen entirely, there are ways to lessen the blow next time you need to do some shower screen cleaning.
As mentioned earlier, a squeegee is great for preventing further buildup, with it being able to wipe away excess water and prevent any buildup from occurring in the first place, meaning it should be a staple in anybody’s bathroom cleanup.
You can also reduce cleaning time by investing in some grime prevention products specifically catered for glass surfaces against the hard water effect.
Switching your soap bars for a liquid soap or shower gel with a lighter formula will also produce less mess to stain your shower screen.
Lastly, be sure to dedicate a time during the week to a quick clean of the shower screen and door, as a regular clean will be much quicker than one that’s been building up for weeks or even months.
