How to Clean a Shower Screen

Every time you shower, hard water and remnants of your personal shower products splash onto your glass screen. After a week of showers, your screen will turn cloudy and dirty, and may even be hard to clean.

If you're scrubbing until your arm hurts but still seeing streaks, this guide is for you. You’ll get to know the most common causes of these stains and learn the best way to get your shower screen sparkling clean.

What causes shower screens to get cloudy or stained?

Your shower is exposed daily to a mix of soap, water and dirt that clings to the screen and looks cloudy and streaky. When dealing with stubborn stains that just won’t go away, the most likely causes are buildup and cleaning mistakes.

Hard water and soap scum buildup

Hard water contains high levels of minerals, mostly calcium and magnesium. And while it’s completely safe, it leaves behind chalky white spots and streaks once the water evaporates. This then combines with your soap to form a sticky film we call soap scum.

It may not seem like much at first, but a little goes a long way when left unchecked. This buildup of minerals can become deep-set and hard to get through. In which case, you may want to take a deeper look into removing calcium buildup in your bathroom.

Cleaning mistakes

Using the wrong cleaning solution can make things worse and cause damage to your glass or tiles. Avoid using abrasive scrubbers that can scratch the glass and protective coatings, giving the dirt and grime a place to latch onto.

How to clean glass shower screens

Let’s go through a step-by-step and get your shower screen spotless.

1. Gather your supplies

Even the toughest stains can be treated with products you already have at home. You’ll need:

• Spray bottle
• Baking soda
• Squeegee (optional)
• Microfibre cloth or sponge
• Light acid, such as white vinegar or lemon juice

1. Start spraying

Fill your spray bottle with your choice of lemon juice or white vinegar. The natural acids break down soap scum, limescale and grime, without the need for harmful chemicals. Spray down the shower screen and let it sit for 10–15 minutes.

1. Scrub gently

Sprinkle the baking soda onto your damp sponge or cloth, then gently scrub the screen using circular motions. There’s no need to push hard against the glass; the baking soda granules provide just enough abrasiveness to tear through grime without damaging your shower screen.

1. Rinse and wipe down

Rinse it all down with warm water and dry with a microfibre cloth. If you want to keep your shower screen clean for longer, use a squeegee after showering to prevent new water spots.

1. Dry completely

Give the area a final wipe down with a dry cloth, getting into all the nooks and crannies so there’s no moisture left behind to solidify into future soap scum.

The best way to clean shower screen stains

If you’ve finished cleaning but still see streaks, you might need to spend more time soaking the area in acids or using a slightly more abrasive product to scrub with.

Try soaking a few paper cloths in vinegar and sticking them to the glass for 30–60 minutes. Mix lemon juice with salt and lightly scrub the areas again. If your glass still looks foggy, you may be dealing with etched glass and not just a simple stain.

Preventing future buildup in your shower

Regular cleaning will keep your shower screen clean, but we have a few tips you can use to prevent buildup from getting out of control.

• Attach a hard water filter: This lowers the concentration of minerals in your water, leaving less white marks behind.
• Use a squeegee: Keep one close by in the bathroom and it’ll soon become a quick post-shower habit that’ll lower residue buildup.
• Switch to body wash: Traditional soap bars fall apart and form soap scum faster than body wash.

Get that shower screen as good as new

A clean bathroom makes all the difference. With these steps, your shower screen will be spotless and stay that way for longer.

Remember that prevention is always better than dealing with a problem when it gets worse. Make sure you check for shower mould every now and then, and wipe down your shower handles and accessories too.

When it’s time for something new, check out our range of shower tapware to find what you need in a colour you love.