Well water, soap, and age had left a permanent fog on the shower doors. There was also a cruddy hard substance at the bottoms of each door. Nothing would remove this cement-like crud. Nothing would remove the fog. As a last ditch effort before purchasing new doors I tried something I've not found anyone mention.
First I removed the doors to the yard and leaned them up against a wall. I sprayed them with WD40 and let em sit. An hour later I rinsed. There was a gooey fatty substance on the glass now. But the cement crud was releasing it's hold. With help of a razor blade I got it off.
Now I needed to deal with the goo on the glass. You must have gloves for this step. I laid down the door on the tailgate of my truck. I took liquid Cascade dishwasher detergent and a 000 piece of steel wool (non-soap kind). I added generous amounts of Cascade to the glass and scrubbed. The soap will turn yucky the more you scrub. I added a little water as needed. I let it sit for about 3 minutes then I rinsed and turned over the doors repeating the process. As they dried I could now see what I had missed so I repeated the process and armed with the razor blade was able to get the remaining stuck on crud on the edges off.
They look beautiful. I saved myself the cost of new doors. It probably cost me five dollars all together in product and took a couple hours of work. It was well worth the effort.
By Jeannie from New Mexico
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Tilex has left drip lines down my glass shower doors. I have tried Dawn and vinegar, glass stovetop cleaner, and Windex all to no avail. The lines are like a gray shadow running straight down.
Help! thanks.
One of the best products I've ever used is a magic eraser that you can get at any dollar store in the bathroom cleaner aisle. They aren't expensive and they work on ALL kinds of stains.
What tool do you use to clean BETWEEN glass shower doors where soap, shampoo and shaving cream get caught?
If they are standard shower doors, they should lift out and I just used a 8/1.00 toothbrush and some dollar tree spray foam. They have holes in the sides so they drain back into the tub, so if you want you can get down and dirty with some soapy water and it won't leak out on the floor side.
Use CLR and use a drinking glass cleaner for your kitchen. The kind with the plastic handle and soft sponge head. This fits nicely between the doors and the CLR works magic
My husband and I use a squeegee every time we use the shower, but it leaves rubber marks on the glass that are hard to get off. This is a brand new squeegee. What are we doing wrong and what is the best daily way to keep the shower door clean?
By Debbie
Does anyone out there have any suggestions for cleaning glass shower doors? I have tried about everything under the sun, but have found nothing that works without using a lot of elbow grease. Please help.
By wilma from Jacksonville, NC
Wet down the doors, use a "magic eraser" with baking soda, rub that in, then spray vinegar (I keep some in a spray bottle) over the baking soda, let sit for 5-10 minutes, respray again and wipe with magic eraser. Rinse. Should sparkle and no harmful vapors. Hope this helps!
Hi! I'm from J-ville, too! The very best way to clean shower doors is with a used dryer sheet. They are just slightly abrasive, and leave a nice smell, too.
My grandmother has glass shower doors and uses a squeegie to "wipe" them down after she showers. She says it saves her lots of work trying to scrub them. I've also heard friends praise how well the Magic Erasers (or generic equivalent) work on glass shower doors.
Have you tried Oxyclean? Make up a spray bottle of it and after your shower spray it on and in the track area and watch the grime disappear.
Kate
A cleaning friend uses dish soap, slick as a whistle and looks really good.
Can you tell me what to use to keep, my shower door sparkly clean? Thanks.
By Brenda M.
My glass shower doors are stained. I have tried all types of cleaning products, but nothing has worked so far. Can someone out there help?
By Elena
How do you get glass shower doors to sparkle?
By Peggy
I have frosted glass shower doors. I use Scrubbing Bubbles on the inside which works great. When I used it on the frosted side it looks like the spray is still there. Can anyone help me get this off?
By christine from Sanford, ME
You're seeing the chemical residue left behind so just rinse really well after cleaning with a water only rag and wipe dry.
Best way is to keep a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser in the shower and wipe it down before you get out and dry it. This keeps it from the build up. Also I found a great product called Greased Lightning very cheap and works great on everything!
What is the secret to cleaning and shinning glass doors for a shower? I clean and do not get to squeegee them after a shower. I have tried the stuff you use on car windshields, oiled them to repel the water, etc. Help.
By Terri Simmons from Dallas, TX
Use vinegar for everything else will give the vinegar heated and eraser a try and the Dawn. Thanks for the tips!
Use soft scrub! Put a little soft scrub paste on a regular dishwashing sponge and gently scrub it all over the door. Then I let it dry up and rub it off with dry paper towels.
I live in an apartment and the previous tenants didn't ever clean the shower doors. They are extremely stained. I have tried lemon juice, vinegar, and Lime Away, but nothing seems to work. Please help!
By Rick B.
My shower doors are old and the glass gets grimy even when I have scrubbed it clean with ammonia. Then I tried using a dryer sheet which kept it clean for a little while, but now it is back to looking terrible. I tried Turtle wax, but again with hot water and a lot of use (5 people in the family), this does not work for long either.
By Maggie T. from Fraser, MI
