Those filmy shower doors are not doing anything to the bathroom decor, and you may have noticed that a once-over with soap and water does not get rid of the soapy film or hard water stains. It is possible to prevent the soap scum by showering with liquid soap rather than bar soap, and if you squeegee the glass, then you are never going to have hard water deposits. Those are good strategies for the future, but now that the damage is finished, you may need to try some cleaning hints.
Start With the Soap Scum
You might already have some bathtub gloves, but should youn’t, you can buy a set for a few dollars. They’re made of nylon or fiber mesh and made to be somewhat abrasive, which is a handy feature for cleaning glass and metal — just jump in the shower, lather up the gloves with liquid soap and wash off. The gloves get into tight corners, but you may need the support of a toothbrush. When you turn on the shower and rinse the glass, then the soap scum ought to be gone, but the task isn’t finished.
Acid to the Rescue
The glass may appear crystal clear after rinsing and washing it, however, hard water marks often reassert themselves when the water disappears and the glass dries. The marks are brought on by the vitamins that make the water “hard .” Soap will not emulsify these deposits and loosen their bond, so it is useless to attempt to scrub them. Instead, you need to dissolve them with an acid. That may sound extreme, but you also need only a mild one, and you also have two good candidates in the kitchen — lemon juice and vinegar. In a pinch, you may even utilize a delicious soft drink — the tanginess means the soft drink includes an acid — typically phosphoric or citric acid.
Misting to Remove Minerals
Whether you choose vinegar or lemon juice, it is best to use it full strength: simply pour it straight from the bottle to a spray bottle. If you’ve just rinsed the glass, then wait for it to dry; then generously mist it with the sprayer. The acetic acid in vinegar or citric acid in lemon juice both need time to get the job done. Ideally the glass ought to stay wet for 10 to 30 minutes; you may need to mist one or two additional times to avoid the glass from drying out. After scrubbing with the rubbed and rubbed with the shower head, the hard water deposits should be gone.
A Glue for Stubborn Stains
The most troublesome parts of a shower door to wash are the metallic frame, the hinges as well as the handle, and misting may not get the work done unless you repeat it many times. There is a better means to do it: Make a paste using borax or salt and distribute it on the stain with a toothbrush. It may take one hour or more for the paste to work, but when you return and scrub the stain with the toothbrush, then it should come right off. If not, just repeat the therapy until it does.
