Benefits

Shower cleaning refers to the process of cleaning and maintaining the cleanliness of a shower area. This involves removing grime, soap scum, and dirt from shower walls, floors, doors, and fixtures. Regular shower cleaning helps prevent mold, mildew, and bacteria buildup. This can lead to unpleasant odors and harmful health effects. Shower cleaning may involve using cleaning products such as soap, shower cleaners, vinegar, or baking soda and scrubbing with a nonabrasive brush or sponge. The specific cleaning methods and products used may vary depending on the type of shower surface and the extent of the cleaning required.

Cleaning the shower is a task that many dread. The soap scum, water stains, and mildew that build up over time can seem impossible to scrub away. Yet, having a clean shower is essential for maintaining a hygienic bathroom space. So, how do you banish grime and gain a sparkling clean shower?

First Things First: Gather Your Cleaning Supplies

To start, you’ll need the right cleaning supplies. This includes a good bathroom cleaner that can cut through soap scum, a scrub brush, microfiber cloths, and an old toothbrush for those hard-to-reach corners. It’s advisable to use gloves to protect your hands from harsh chemicals.

Begin by rinsing the shower with warm water to loosen surface grime. Remove any bottles, razors, or other items from the shower area to have clear access to all surfaces.

How to Clean the Shower?

A shower is where you relax after a day’s busy routine. But its intended purpose and regular use mean it is also a place where soap scrum, hair, dirt, and grime accumulate. For this, cleaning the shower should be on the top list.  

Understanding how to clean a shower stall correctly isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s not just about cleaning. Keeping your shower clean also means preventing mold from growing and stopping germs and bacteria from spreading.

The most effective approach for cleaning a shower is any method that gets the shower clean, stops mold from growing, reduces bacteria, and is easy enough that you’ll do it. Find out how to clean a shower correctly.

How often do you clean the shower?

Showers should be cleaned regularly to avoid the accumulation of bacteria, soap scum, and mildew. The rate with which you should clean your shower may vary based on factors. These factors are the number of people who use it, the time of use, and the moisture levels in your bath. You should clean your shower at least once weekly to avoid bacteria growth and dirt. If you have a large family or the shower is regularly used, you might want to clean it more frequently.

In addition, if you find mold or mildew in your shower, you must clean it to avoid the growth of spores. Frequent shower cleaning with a suitable cleanser can also help prevent the accumulation of soap scum and mineral deposits, which can be challenging to eliminate if left for too long.

How to Clean the Fiberglass?

Fiberglass is a common and affordable material for showers. Yet, for fiberglass to last, it must be cleaned frequently and kept right. Rough or abrasive scrubbing cloths can harm fiberglass. Yet, bleach products can destroy the resin in fiberglass. So, it is best to use only natural cleaning agents. Once each week, clean your fiberglass shower to remove debris, mildew, and soap scum.

Materials

• Microfiber towel
• Baking soda
• Dishwashing liquid
• Nonabrasive sponge
• White vinegar
• Spray bottle

Steps:

• Run the shower at its hottest setting for two to five minutes.

Showers are easier to clean with warm water. The moisture and heat soften greasy grime, making it easier to remove. Try to run the hot water, as steam will reduce the grease required to scrub the shower walls. Keep a fan running to reduce bathroom humidity while you prepare and clean the shower. After five minutes, turn the water off.

• Spray a mixture of warm water and white vinegar on the walls of the steamy shower.

Combine equal parts of warm water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture liberally over the moist shower walls. Vinegar’s acidic nature allows it to dissolve mineral deposits, filth, and grime. Also, it eliminates bacteria without the use of dangerous chemicals. Let the vinegar solution settle for 10 to 30 minutes. The longer it remains, the more it cleans. For showers that are somewhat soiled, 10 minutes should suffice; for filthy showers, 30 minutes is required.

• Run the shower to wash the walls, then wash them with a nonabrasive sponge.

Apply your shower head or a spray bottle of warm water to rinse the walls. Wipe all surfaces in a circular motion with a nonabrasive sponge to remove the dirt. For persistent stains, add a few drops of dishwashing liquid to the mixture of vinegar and water and repeat step two. The soap produces foamy bubbles that assist in removing stains and bring grime to the surface, where it can be wiped away. Mix some drops of dishwashing liquid and a teaspoon of baking soda to create a paste, then apply it to the most persistent stains. Baking soda is more abrasive, but it will not scratch the fiberglass.

• Do a warm rinse followed by a cold rinse before drying the shower surfaces.

Once the shower has reached the required level of cleanliness, run a warm (but not extremely hot) shower to generate steam and remove any oily residue. Rinse the shower walls with a handheld showerhead or spray bottle with warm water. Finish the warm rinse with a cold rinse to remove any soap residue. Always use a delicate microfiber towel to dry the shower walls to prevent marks from appearing. After several minutes, operate the fan or open a window to remove any lingering moisture.

How to clean shower tiles?

Step 1: Scrub the shower doors and tiles to remove soap scum.

Scrubbers made of plastic mesh that won’t scratch are great for getting soap scum off the tile and bathroom shower doors. Before you use your cleaning product, use a dry scrubber to break up the soap scum buildup.

Step 2: Spray and soak the tile grout to get rid of mold and mildew

Use your favorite tub and tile cleaner on the whole surface of the shower, especially in places with a lot of buildup. Let it soak for five minutes to get to the soap scum, mold, and mildew hiding in the tile grout and shower tiles.

Step 3: Scrub

Put those cleaning materials to use now that the gunk on your shower doors ceramic tile. Use the all-purpose scouring pad made of plastic to scrub the shower until it’s clean. Mildew and molds that won’t disappear should be cleaned again as needed.

Step 4: Rinse any soap or cleaning products you don’t need.

Use hot, clean water to wash the soap residue off the tiles and shower doors. Letting the water run until it gets hotter helps get rid of buildup.

Step 5: Let it dry out

Since you removed the water spots, why would you let more appear? Drying the door and tiles is an integral part of cleaning your shower, and you should do it often to prevent mold, mildew, and soap scum from growing.

What Kind of Cleaner Do You Use on Shower Tiles?

Make sure you know what kind of tiles you have in your shower before you clean them. Regular cleaners can damage some types of tiles. For example, acidic cleaners can leave marks on tiles made of natural stone like marble. There are special cleaners for different kinds of stones, and a mild soap is usually safe for most types of tile.

Ceramic tiles are often used in showers and can be cleaned with various products. Read the label to ensure the tile cleaner is safe for ceramic. You can also clean ceramic tile with things you already have at home. You can use vinegar or baking soda, which works well and shouldn’t hurt your tiles. Put equal parts of vinegar and water in a spray bottle for a simple cleaner.

Also, the tools you use to clean are essential. Don’t use anything that could damage the tiles or the grout. Scrubbers or brushes that are soft and don’t scratch work well.

How Do you get Soap Scum Off of Shower Tiles?

Soap scum can make cleaning the tiles and other surfaces in your shower hard. You might need a more robust cleaner to remove the soap scum. Add a tablespoon of dish soap to a vinegar solution to make it even better at cleaning. You can also get rid of it with baking soda.

Here’s what you need to do to use it:

1. Mix the baking soda and a little water to make a paste.

2. Scrub it on the tiles and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Use your scrubber to help get rid of the soap scum.

4. Wash the tiles to get rid of the baking soda. Check to see if there is any soap scum left, and if there is, repeat the process.

How do you keep the grout clean?

Grout in a shower can be a little harder to clean. Most grout lines are small, and you might be unable to clean them with regular tile cleaning. Also, if your grout lines aren’t sealed, they can get dirty.

Here’s what to do:

1. Spray the grout with equal parts vinegar and water. Let it sit for five minutes.

2. Scrub the grout lines by using a toothbrush or a small, soft brush.

3. If vinegar alone isn’t enough to clean the grout lines, make a paste of baking soda and water. Scrub the paste into the spaces between the tiles, and then wait five minutes.

4. Spray the diluted vinegar over the grout lines to make it bubble.

5. Use the brush to scrub the grout lines again.

6. Use warm water to rinse the grout lines well.

7. If the grout lines are still not clean, use hydrogen peroxide to clean them. You can also mix peroxide and baking soda to make a paste to help remove tough stains.

How Should a Stone Shower Be Cleaned?

Materials

• Microfiber towel
• Baking soda
• Rubber gloves
• Dishwashing liquid
• Nonabrasive sponge
• White vinegar
• Spray bottle
• Soft toothbrush
• pH-neutral cleaning products

Basic guidelines for cleaning a stone shower

Cleaning for Stone Showers

Before we begin, there are a few ground rules you should be aware of before cleaning your shower.

• Understand the kind of stone.

There are numerous varieties of natural stone, including marble, granite, onyx, limestone, and travertine. Not all stones have the same surface and cleaning requirements. For instance, marble is more porous than granite and limestone. Ensure you know the type of stone shower you have to get suitable cleaning supplies.

• No Toxic Chemicals

Avoid solid and acidic chemicals when selecting stone cleaners for the bathroom. While using a more robust cleaning solution to eliminate soap scum and grime accumulation may be tempting, very acidic detergents can erode the sealant on your stone shower and create discoloration, stains, and scratches. Use only pH-neutral products and, if possible, stone-specific cleansers.

• Regular Cleans

The best technique to clean stone showers is on a routine basis. A fast wipe down and light cleaning more frequently is preferable to a seldom thorough cleaning. This will not only make it easier to prevent the accumulation of undesirable dirt, but it will also reduce the likelihood that your stone will become stained. If you allow mold to grow in your shower, cleaning while maintaining the delicate touch required for your precious stone will be tough.

• Microfiber Cloths

I recommend using microfiber towels to clean your stone shower. Microfiber is soft and practical and will not damage or dull your stone. In addition to removing debris, abrasive sponges, steel wool, or scourer-like cleaning tools may also damage your stone. So, employ none of them. The cloth will suffice if you lack a microfiber and soft cleaning cloth.

• Professional Resealing

Due to their relative porosity, natural stone showers must be professionally resealed every three to five years. (However, this depends on the stone used to construct your shower.) Resealing protects the stone against potential damage caused by absorbing water and moisture and other dirt, filth, and debris. In addition, it significantly increases the stone’s resistance to stains and scratches.

How to Clean a Stone Shower?

Rinse the shower and apply a cleaning solution to all stone surfaces.

Run the shower on high for two to five minutes to soften any soap scum that has solidified. Put on some rubber gloves and make a cleaning solution by diluting a pH-neutral cleaner for the stone (according to the manufacturer’s instructions) or mixing equal bleach and warm water in a spray bottle. Not being acidic, diluted bleach will sterilize the stone and eliminate mildew and other microorganisms. Spray the stone well with the cleaning solution and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Scrub all surfaces gently with a soft bristle brush or a non-scratch sponge.

A non-scratch sponge cleans stone without scratching or otherwise damaging it. Restore the stone’s former luster by scrubbing it circularly with elbow grease. In places with thick soap scum, hard water stains, or filth, spray additional cleaning solution and wait a few minutes before scrubbing again.

Brush the grout between the stones with a soft toothbrush. Often, grout brushes are constructed with stiff bristles, which can cause harm to stone.

Flush the shower with water and dry the stone with a towel.

Rinse the shower walls and floors using the detachable showerhead or a spray bottle filled with warm water. Beginning at the top and working your way down helps remove any residual cleanser and prevents you from missing any shower regions. After thoroughly rinsing all natural stone surfaces, use a microfiber towel to dry everything.

Polish and dry clean the stone using a microfiber cloth.

Mix baking soda and water in a medium-sized bowl or pail. Mix up 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1 quart of warm water, then apply the mixture to the stone surface using a microfiber cloth. This paste must dry for approximately five hours before being rinsed with warm water and buffed dry with a clean microfiber cloth. Polishing brings out the stone’s luster and helps reduce minor flaws.

Tackling Soap Scum and Stains

Apply the bathroom cleaner generously on the surfaces, especially on areas with thick soap scum or hard water stains. Allow it to sit as per the instructions on the cleaner — usually for about 5-10 minutes.

Work in a circular motion with a scrub brush to clean the tiles and other surfaces. It might require some elbow grease to get rid of stubborn stains.

The Grout Grind

Grout can be particularly tricky to clean. Use the old toothbrush to scrub the grout lines gently. Consider using a grout cleaner for better results if the grout is heavily stained.

Sparkle the Showerhead and Faucets

Don’t forget the showerhead and faucets! They can build up lime and other mineral deposits. An effective way to clean them is by using a vinegar solution. Detach the showerhead and immerse it in vinegar for a few hours. For faucets, wrap a bag filled with vinegar around them and leave it for an hour or two. Then, use the toothbrush to scrub away any remaining deposits gently.

Rinse everything thoroughly with warm water. Make sure to remove all the cleaner residues to leave a sparkling clean shower.

Daily maintenance can significantly reduce the frequency of deep cleaning. After each use, a simple wipe down of the surfaces with a squeegee or microfiber cloth can keep soap scum and water stains at bay.

Conclusion

With the right tools and some dedicated effort, achieving a sparkling clean shower is within reach. Remember, consistent daily maintenance can greatly extend the freshness of your cleaning, making the task less daunting over time.