Cleaning Opaque Glass Shower Doors

Glass doors on a shower are a sleek modern look, but the build up of shower residue on the inside can be unsightly even on opaque glass. Shower doors come in many forms and they all need to be cared for in a similar manner to keep them looking like new, cleaning, protecting and preventing are the keys to great looking glass doors.

• Cleaning. The white filmy residue, soap scum, on your shower doors is caused usually by bar soap and is hard to just rinse off, while spots on the doors are created by mineral deposits from the water. In many cases these can be a little difficult to just wipe off, you may find yourself spending quite a bit of time on the task, but there are a couple of ways to make the process quicker, the first being a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. This product can be used to rid your glass doors of build up with much less scrubbing than normal bathroom cleaners, the generic equivalent found in many dollar stores works just as well and is more cost effective, so is the second method. If you would rather use something you have at home baking soda might do the trick as well, applying some baking soda with a wet sponge and using a little gentle scrubbing will also work to cut through the residue.
• Protecting. There are products used in car detailing that you can also put to use in your shower to protect your glass and even your tiles from deposits of these kind. One such product is called Clean Shield, it comes in a cream for your glass doors (or a gel for your tile or shower walls), be sure to read and follow the instructions for use to promote better results. This creates a barrier between the surface of the glass and the water letting it bead and roll off.
• Preventing. As mentioned above, soap scum is a result of bar soap and can easily be avoided by using liquid soap in the shower, liquid soap rinses more completely leaving much less residue than bars. The best method, however, for preventing build up of both soap scum and mineral deposits is to squeegee your shower after each use.

Before you apply any barrier type product to your shower be sure it is completely clean, and completely dry. Mild bathroom or shower cleaners can be used after the application of these. These techniques when used together will keep your shower cleaner longer and make the "deep" cleanings much easier.