If you’d like to know how to get water spots off shower doors, you aren’t alone. Most parents understand how difficult it is to have a bathroom with glass shower doors. Little finger and handprints all along the glass that always reappear.
But it’s the hard water stains and soap residue that’s the real problem – making the shower doors look foggy and unappealing.
Fortunately, there are different ways to clean the hard water stains off your shower doors to get them sparkling again, and we’ll show you how.
What Causes Water Spots on Glass Shower Doors?
Water spots occur when soap scum forms on the glass. Soap scum is a combination of soap talc, hard water and body oils.
Hard water from your faucet contains different minerals including calcium and magnesium. When water passes through the pipes underground, it picks up lots of minerals along the way. These minerals are actually good for us when consumed, however, they aren’t so great when it’s time to clean.
These minerals, when mixed with soap scum, stick to the glass after the water has dried. This creates a hard crusty layer on your glass doors.
If you ever notice white crust on your dish rack or other places, it’s from the minerals in hard water. This crust is called limescale and is usually difficult to clean. However, before you decide on softening your water, you may want to try different methods to clean glass shower doors.
How to Get Water Spots Off Glass Shower Doors
Here are some of the best tried and tested ways of getting water spots off glass shower doors.
But before we get started, if you have natural stone or travertine on your shower walls or floor, do not use any type of vinegar, lemon or ammonia. These products are acidic and will dull or burn the surface of the stone.
White Distilled Vinegar
White vinegar is acidic and usually works well to clean soap scum. It’s also a natural cleaning solution that can be safely used around kids and pets. To clean water stains off your glass doors follow these steps:
- Pour white vinegar in a wide bowl – you’ll likely need a lot
- Soak a hard bristle sponge in the bowl of vinegar
- Wet your shower doors with warm water to soften the stains
- Take the vinegar soaked sponge and scrub the entire surface of the doors – re-soak the sponge when necessary
- Allow the glass to dry. Once dried, the crust should start to flake off
- You can then rinse the glass with the shower head and dry with a microfiber cloth
If the soap scum is very thick, you may need to scrub the glass very hard, applying a lot of elbow grease to remove it. You can also try mixing the vinegar with dish soap to create a tougher cleaner.
You can do this by mixing equal portions of white distilled vinegar and dish soap (Dawn is recommended here) in a spray bottle. Spray the glass with the vinegar solution, wait 5 minutes and wipe off with a sponge or microfiber towel.
Lemon Juice
If you don’t like the smell of vinegar, you can use lemon juice instead. They’re both acidic which makes them great natural cleaners. You can do this by squeezing 3 lemons in a spray bottle with 1 cup of distilled water.
Spray the entire surface of the glass and let it sit for 5 minutes. Use a soft microfiber rag to wipe the glass.
You can also use baking soda and lemon to clean your shower doors. Cut a lemon in half and dip it in baking soda. Rub the lemon on the entire surface of the glass while squeezing it. You may need a few lemons to do this. You can then rinse the glass with distilled water.
Lemon oil can be used as a way to protect the glass from residue. Rubbing lemon oil on the glass surface can reduce soap scum from sticking to the interior of your shower doors. Lemon oil also leaves an impressive shine.
Baking Soda Paste
Another natural method to try is using a baking soda paste to clean water spots off glass shower doors. You can do this by mixing baking soda and a small amount of water until it forms a thick paste.
Simply rub it all over the glass doors with a soft cloth. Wait for the paste to dry. Then rinse the shower doors with vinegar. You can do this by placing vinegar in a spray bottle and spraying the doors down.
If you’d like, you can swap the water for vinegar to make a baking soda/vinegar paste. Rub it on the glass and let it sit for 20 minutes – then rinse it off with warm water.
Magic Eraser
If you’ve ever used a Magic Eraser then you know how effective it is. All you need to do is wet it and it cleans pretty much anything.
The best way to use a Magic Eraser on your shower doors is right after you’re done taking a shower. The hot water and the humidity from the shower enclosure will loosen the soap scum a bit so you can wipe it down with the Magic Eraser. Easy as that!
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Borax
Borax isn’t just used to make slime for your kids, you know? You can use Borax as a paste to clean your shower doors as well. Mix the Borax with a small amount of water until you have a thick paste.
Use a sponge to apply the paste all over the glass in a circular motion. You can use distilled water to rinse it, or if you use tap water, be sure to dry it with a dry cloth immediately.
Bar Keeper’s Friend
Bar Keeper’s Friend is known to work on hard to clean areas. This means it can get water spots off shower doors. Keep in mind, though, that it does contain toxic chemicals, so be sure to protect yourself and anyone around you.
Wearing gloves and a face mask is recommended when using Bar Keepers Friend. Also be sure to keep doors and windows open and children and pets away.
To use Bar Keeper’s Friend, apply it to your doors with a damp sponge and then rinse off with warm water. Wipe down your shower doors to prevent water spots.
Before using Bar Keeper’s Friend on your shower doors, be certain that your doors aren’t made of fiberglass. If they are fiberglass doors, be very gentle when cleaning them, because fiberglass scratches easily.
If your doors have layers and layers of soap scum, it’s best to apply Bar Keeper’s Friend with an abrasive sponge. Then wipe it off with an equal mixture of vinegar and dish soap before rinsing the doors.
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Dryer Sheets
Dryer sheets are abrasive while also featuring a softening agent that helps break down tough residue and dirt. They are used to clean all sorts of build up around the home.
They can also be used to remove those stubborn hard water deposits from your shower glass doors. To do this, try rubbing your shower doors with the dryer sheet until all the water spots have been removed.
If this doesn’t work, try wetting the dryer sheet and rub the shower door once again. Once you’re done, spray glass cleaner and wipe with a paper towel or microfiber cloth.
Ammonia
Ammonia can be used, however, it isn’t always recommended due to the dangerous fumes it creates. If you decide to use ammonia, be sure to keep windows and doors open, and wear gloves and a mask.
Mix 3 parts distilled water and 1 part ammonia together in a spray bottle. Spray the glass doors and scrub with a brush immediately. Rinse the doors with warm water and dry right after.
Never use or mix with bleach when using ammonia. These are harsh chemicals and they can cause dangerous fumes in the air.
Traditional Cleaner
If you’ve tried every method and nothing seems to work, you can try out traditional cleaners that remove hard water stains. We love natural cleaners, however, some jobs require a little more elbow grease and tough cleaners.
You can try these recommendations to remove soap scum and water spots off glass shower doors:
- Chomp! Shower Door Cleaner
- Bio-Clean Hard Water Stain Remover
- Rejuvenate Scrub-Free Soap Scum Remover
These cleaners, and all the methods above, can also be used to clean the tracks on shower doors. Soap scum, mold and mildew easily get trapped inside the edges of your shower doors, so be sure not to forget about them.
You can use an old toothbrush to scrub the tracks with any of these cleaners, or methods. You can even use a razor blade to clean out the gunk between the tracks.
How to Keep Glass Shower Doors Clean?
After you’ve successfully removed those stubborn water spots off your shower doors you need to be able to maintain that shine, so you don’t have to ever go through that tough cleaning process ever again.
Keep Your Shower Dry
After each shower, open doors and windows in the bathroom to allow the humidity to escape. If you have an air vent in the bathroom, leave it on while you shower so the water can escape from there. You can also leave it on for a little while after you’re done.
If you have a squeegee, you can dry off the glass after each shower. Be sure to do this immediately before the shower doors dry on their own. Be sure to clean the rubber blade of the squeegee after each use to prevent limescale from building up. Leave the shower door open so the humidity can evaporate.
An alternative to using a squeegee is a microfiber cloth. You can use this instead to wipe the doors dry after each shower. Allow the cloth to dry afterward and wash weekly.
Use a Daily Shower Cleaner
You can purchase your own shower spray online or at most retailers. These products prevent water stains and soap scum from building up. These shower cleaners are made to be used daily for a regular cleaning routine. Simply spray them on dry shower doors.
If you’d rather not use a store bought shower cleaner, you can make one right at home. You can do this by mixing 1 cup of distilled water, ½ cup of white distilled vinegar, and a few drops of dish soap. You can add around 15 drops of essential oils to the mixture to keep it smelling nice.
Mix all the ingredients in a spray bottle and spray daily on dry shower doors.
Use a Different Soap
Bar soap is known to include talc and paraffin wax. This is the main cause of soap scum. Try switching to a soap that doesn’t contain talc or using liquid soap with special ingredients that help prevent soap scum.
Soften Your Water
Hard water is the main cause of water spots on shower door glass. Softening your water can solve the problem, and it may even fix some other plumbing issues around your home.
Hard water doesn’t just cause water stains, it clogs washing machines, dish washers and toilet pipes. If you’ve ever noticed your hair feeling dirty even after washing, this is caused by mineral deposits in hard water. It also stays on clothing making them feel rough.
If you’re dealing with these issues due to hard water, a water softener may be your best choice. However, if hard water is only causing water stains and limescale, then it isn’t quite worth the heavy spend.
Takeaway: How to Get Water Spots Off Glass Shower Doors
Depending on how much your glass doors are covered in water stains will determine how hard it is to clean. If all else fails, you may need to contact a professional glass cleaner or even replace the doors. (Although, we hope it doesn’t result in replacing your doors and you’re able to get those water stains out with one of the methods above.)
A professional may be able to buff and polish the glass to remove the soap scum. They may even be able to apply a waterproof treatment to prevent water, dirt and limescale from sticking to the glass.
Water stains are difficult, so don’t be discouraged if one method doesn’t work for you. There’s plenty of ways to remove hard water spots, so don’t give up.
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