How to clean shower glass and keep it clear

The short answer: how to clean shower glass takes two cheap ingredients and a squeegee.

• Hard water spots: warm white vinegar
• Soap scum: a baking soda paste
• Squeegee for 30 seconds after each shower
• Tracks, frame and seals cleaned too
• Next step: Plan it with the Cleaning Schedule ($4.49).

If you are searching for how to clean shower glass, you probably have cloudy doors, white water spots or a film of soap scum that will not wipe off. The fix is two cheap ingredients and a squeegee. Warm white vinegar dissolves hard water spots, a baking soda paste lifts soap scum, and 30 seconds with a squeegee after each shower keeps it from coming back. Here is the full method, plus tracks, seals and what not to use.

How to clean shower glass: the quick version

1. Rinse the glass with hot water to loosen grime.
2. Spray with equal parts warm white vinegar and water, and wait 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Scrub soap scum with a baking soda paste on a nonabrasive sponge.
4. Rinse with vinegar, then water.
5. Dry with a microfiber cloth or squeegee.
6. Squeegee after every shower to keep it clear.

What you need

Why shower glass gets cloudy

Two things build up on shower glass. Hard water spots are minerals left behind when droplets dry. Soap scum is soap and body oils that bond with those minerals into a gray film. Vinegar handles the minerals. Baking soda lifts the scum. Doing both, in that order, clears almost any door.

Step 1: Loosen with vinegar

Fill a spray bottle with equal parts distilled white vinegar and water. Warming the vinegar first, in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds, makes it work faster. Spray the glass from top to bottom until it is evenly wet and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes.

Consumer Reports quotes a cleaning expert who says distilled white vinegar is great for removing cloudy water deposits from any glass surface, so shower doors and mirrors get the same treatment as windows.

For thick buildup at the bottom of the door, soak paper towels in warm vinegar and press them onto the glass. They cling and keep the vinegar in contact for 30 minutes or longer.

Step 2: Scrub off soap scum

Mix baking soda with a little water to make a paste about the thickness of toothpaste. Consumer Reports' bathroom guide says to apply it to the door with a nonabrasive sponge, rub gently and rinse with white vinegar. Work in small circles, section by section, and use a toothbrush along the edges and around hinges and handles.

Step 3: Rinse and dry

Rinse the glass with water from the shower or a bucket, then dry it right away with a squeegee or a clean microfiber cloth. Drying matters. If you let the rinse water air-dry, it leaves new spots on your clean glass.

Step 4: Protect it

Consumer Reports suggests applying a coat of a water-repellent glass treatment such as Rain-X to freshly cleaned shower doors. Just like on a car windshield, it makes water bead and run off, so the glass stays clean longer. Follow the product directions and check that it is suitable for your glass.

The daily habit that does most of the work

Keep a squeegee hanging in the shower. Consumer Reports' expert says to buy one and remove the culprit, water droplets, immediately after each shower. It takes about 30 seconds: start at the top, pull down in overlapping strokes and wipe the blade between strokes. Leave the door or curtain open afterward so the stall dries out.

Cleaning the tracks, frame and seals

Tracks. Sliding door tracks collect hair, soap and standing water. Vacuum out debris, spray with warm vinegar, wait 10 minutes and scrub with a toothbrush. Wipe dry.

While you are working on the shower, our guide on how to clean grout covers the tile lines around the door.

Frame. Wipe metal frames with soapy water. Consumer Reports' vinegar guide warns that vinegar can discolor some frame finishes on windows, so on painted, fiberglass or vinyl frames, rinse well and do not let it sit.

Seals and caulk. Black spots on rubber seals or caulk are usually mold. The EPA says to scrub mold off hard surfaces with detergent and water and dry them completely. It adds that if mold in the shower keeps reappearing, increasing ventilation, by running a fan or opening a window, and cleaning more often will usually prevent it. The EPA's guidance is for small areas; for mold covering more than about 10 square feet, it points you to its larger cleanup guide. Our guide on shower mold removal covers when caulk has to be replaced.

What not to use

How often to clean shower glass

Hard water spots on the glass often mean buildup in the nozzles too; see how to clean a shower head.

Glass shower doors vs. glass panels and screens

Framed sliding doors have the most hiding spots: tracks, rollers and the overlap where two panels meet. Slide the doors to each end so you can clean the overlap on both sides. Frameless doors and fixed glass panels are easier, but water collects along the bottom seal and the clips that hold the glass, so give those a toothbrush and a dry wipe. Bathtub glass screens get the most splash on the lower half; clean them the same way as a door.

Common mistakes

Scrubbing dry. Dry scrubbing grinds minerals into the glass. Always wet it and let the vinegar sit first.

Not waiting long enough. Vinegar needs time to dissolve minerals. Ten minutes is the minimum for real buildup.

Letting it air-dry. Rinse water left to dry leaves new spots. Squeegee or towel it off.

Ignoring the bottom edge. The lower few inches get the most splash and the worst buildup. Give them the paper-towel soak.

Forgetting the fan. Steam that hangs in the bathroom settles back on the glass. Run the fan during and after showers.

Homemade or store-bought cleaner?

Vinegar and baking soda handle most shower glass, cost very little and leave nothing behind that you would not want near skin. Store-bought shower and glass cleaners are fine too, and some include a rinse agent that slows new spots. Whichever you choose, three rules apply. Use one product at a time and rinse between them. Read the label for glass, metal and stone safety. And open a window or run the fan while you work.

If your water is very hard, you may find buildup comes back within days no matter what you use. That is a sign the daily squeegee matters even more for you, and a water-repellent coating may be worth adding. Some households also use a water softener, which reduces the minerals that cause spots in the first place.

Frosted, textured and coated glass

Frosted and textured glass hides spots but traps soap scum in its grooves. Use the same vinegar spray, and a soft brush instead of a sponge to reach into the texture. Many newer doors come with a factory water-repellent coating. On those, skip abrasive tools and melamine sponges, and check the maker's care sheet for approved cleaners, because harsh products can wear the coating away.

Make it part of the routine

Shower glass stays clear when it is a 30-second daily job and a 10-minute monthly one. Without a plan, it becomes a 2-hour weekend job.

Next room: our guide on how to clean blinds.

Our Cleaning Schedule ($4.49) is a 9-page printable with daily, weekly and monthly checklists, a seasonal deep clean list, room-by-room checklists, a family chore chart and a cleaning supplies list. Add "squeegee shower" to daily, "spray shower glass" to weekly, and "scrub glass, tracks and seals" to monthly.

To organize the rest of your home, the Home Management Bundle ($16.99) includes the Cleaning Schedule along with the Household Binder, Home Maintenance Log, Home Inventory, Moving Planner and Password & Accounts Log. Bought separately, those six come to $32.94.

Your next step

Hang a squeegee in your shower today. Tonight, spray the glass with warm vinegar and water, let it sit while you brush your teeth, then scrub with baking soda and dry it. Tomorrow, squeegee after your shower, and you will not have to deep clean it again for a month.