How do I clean shower glass?

Shower glass goes cloudy because hard water evaporates on it and leaves minerals behind, which then trap soap residue. It is a mineral deposit rather than dirt, so detergent barely touches it and acid removes it easily.

What you'll need

• White vinegar or limescale remover
• Squeegee
• Microfibre cloths
• Bicarbonate of soda (optional)

Step by step

1. Wet the glass with warm water first.It helps the acid spread evenly rather than running straight off dry glass.
2. Spray white vinegar or a limescale remover over the whole panel.Work top to bottom so runs land on untreated glass.
3. Leave it for ten minutes without scrubbing.Contact time dissolves the mineral. Scrubbing early just polishes it.
4. For heavy build-up, make a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water and work it over the treated glass.The mild abrasive lifts what the acid has softened.
5. Rinse thoroughly with warm water.Residue left behind attracts the next layer of scum.
6. Squeegee the panel dry, then buff with a dry microfibre cloth.Drying is what stops new deposits forming as the water evaporates.
7. From now on, squeegee the glass after every shower.Thirty seconds. It is the difference between doing this monthly and doing it once.

Tips

• A rain-repellent glass treatment, of the kind sold for car windscreens, works on shower glass and makes water sheet off rather than sitting in droplets.
• Never use an acidic cleaner on natural stone surrounds — it etches marble and limestone permanently.
• If the glass stays cloudy after acid treatment, the surface may be etched rather than coated, and that cannot be cleaned off.

Common mistakes

• Using detergent alone — Limescale is a mineral. Detergent lifts soap film and leaves the mineral behind.
• Scrubbing before the acid has worked — You polish the deposit rather than dissolving it.
• Leaving the glass to air dry — Every drop that dries deposits more mineral, which is how the film built up in the first place.

Questions people ask