It never fails, whenever I'm asked tips for cleaning its almost always about bathrooms and/or shower doors...well at least 75 % of the time. I can explain in great detail how to clean it, and list out many ways to successfully clean it - but in three weeks' time, it almost always comes back and clients are back with more questions. No matter what chemicals you use to clean it, as long as water is present, so will the risk for hard water stains and scum. Understanding the difference between hard water stains and soap scum and how to prevent them in the first place makes all the difference in maintaining a pristine and clean bathroom.
Let's start with just water - seems simple enough. You use water to clean with so it cant be that bad to leave your shower door wet right?! Well, unfortunately for us, the water itself isn't the issue, it's the chemicals from the water treatment system that were added to make it safe for us that causes the buildup. The water dries and the minerals left behind form what we call residue all over where ever the water was present. The appearance is a hazy or chalky over lay that is very noticeable on a glass shower door. Most of the time, because this is a combination of minerals and chemicals, it requires an acidic component to break it down. People are often very shocked when they bring home products from the store that "Breaks soap scum fast" or " cleans soap scum without scrubbing" only to find that product was unsuccessful. In truth, it was not necessarily soap scum that was the issue but hard water stains. I use a combination of vinegar, lemon juice - acidic enough to break down the hard water mineral stains (It also takes more than one application in some cases) and use a brillo pad or stainless steel pad to remove the heavy areas.
HARD WATER
SOAP SCUM
Although sometimes used interchangeably, soap scum and hard water stains are not the same. Soap scum is the stuff that flies off of your bath cloth in the shower that is full of soap, skin cells, dirt and whatever soiled your skin and sticks to the walls to dry there. A lot of the extras in soap, like vitamin E and then Talc and sometimes the Fragrances - they all leave behind a different stain - after a while the build up can be so thick cleaning your shower can seem overwhelming and depressing. In all honesty, most of the soap scum I clean I start by soaking with cleaner and using a stainless steel pad or magic eraser but an even easier way is to scrape it with a scraper - yes that's right - a scraper, like a metal paint scraper. If I'm cleaning for a client who hasn't ever put any thought into properly cleaning a shower you would be amazed how much will come off when you scrape it - (yes it's really white behind the scum lol)
After the cleaning is final, you would think the hard part would be over. Wrong! The hardest part is keeping it dry - No water left to dry on the walls, no hard water stains. No soap left to dry on the shower door, no soap scum. Dry out the shower after use, or even just the walls or the door would be a huge improvement in the condition you find your shower.
To recap what you have learned today:
1.) Hard water stains and soap scum are different
2.) Vinegar, lemon juice - work wonders on hard water stains
3.) Soap scum - the yucky stuff off of the bath cloth or loufa when showering that dries on the walls or door
4.) Just because the bottle says "cleans soap scum with no effort" doesn't mean it will clean the hardwater stains. Different stains, different cleaners
5.) Dry out your shower or shower doors when finished to prevent future recurrences.