Stubborn water spots on clear shower doors

[Richard Cooper]

A friend across the way told me to mix a little water with some vinegar and clean the shower doors to remove stubborn water spots.  I did that tonight right before taking a shower.  Spots are still there.

Is this an "Ask Heloise" question or do you guys know how to clean years of water spots off clear glass shower doors (inside the shower)?

[David T. Richelderfer]

Lime-Away and CLR are probably better known water spot removers.

[Roy Warren Co-Admin]

In one of the last two issues of Beaver Tales, a column written by one of our supporters, Mary Moppins, has a way to clean soap scum off the shower door.  You might try this.
Roy

[LEAH DRAPER]

Richard
I would have tried it just straight vinegar, but that probably wouldn't have worked well either.  For vinegar to work it has to remain
in contact and soak for a time, but that isn't possible with a vertical surface.  You might go get some "Bar Keepers Friend" and use it with rubbing/elbow grease and see if that will help get the spots off.  I use it on my stainless steel sink to remove water spots and it helps.  But you have to keep at it.  When you get them off/or reduced, then apply some protection like Rain-X AND WIPE THE SHOWER DOWN AFTER EACH USE!!  (I know men don't like to do those things.)
Thats why it needs to be prevented to begin with.  Sorry.
Leah

[Jerry Carr]

Richard as Leah indicated I have used the Bar Keepers liquid to get the spots off with a scotch brite pad and as rule I do maintain the door with a squeegee and dry it with my towel. I also will just use shampoo if it works on hair it should work on the glass once you get the original spots off.
I will give the rain X a try I think that one is a great tip thanks Leah!

  

[Keith Oliver]

"WIPE THE SHOWER DOWN AFTER EACH USE!!  (I know men don't like to do those things.)"

We had spots, but after my wife convinced me that life would improve if I wiped the glass down with the squeegee after every shower, the spots gradually disappeared.  No vinegar, CLR or elbow grease.

[Edward Buker]

We wipe down ours also, but using a small micro fiber towel. Like Keith said, I think the spots eventually disappear with the repeated shower and drying process.

Later Ed

[Joel Weiss]

I was taught by a body shop guy that this http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Marine/Home/Products/Catalog/?PC_7_RJH9U5230GE3E02LECIE20S4K7000000_nid=GSF21PNYLHbeH8PTZGX97Rgl is the best stuff to use on water spots, both on outside windows and any other glass.  When I bought some at West Marine I asked if anyone knew of people using it on glass; I was told that lots of people have discovered its usefulness for this purpose even though it's not what it's advertised for.  I suspect the mild abrasive contributes to its effectiveness, but it works without much effort and, yes, I have used it on our shower glass.

[Glenda Farris Co-Admin]

In one of her seminars, I've heard Mary Findlay, of Mary Moppins (a club sponsor) say that she has seen showers that wouldn't come clean with vinegar and a scrubber because of hard water that had actually etched the glass.

Those showers hadn't been wiped down or squeegeed and water spots had dried in place and had permanently etched the glass.

Glenda  

[Richard Cooper]

Today I cleaned my glass shower walls with Bar Keepers Friend and it WORKED!!!  My glass door and side walls (also clear glass) are clean of water spots.

[Jerry Carr]

Hey Richard now that you have the glass cleaning down should I bring mine down for a touch up?

[Richard Cooper]

Yes I will be happy to clean your shower up.  But, your wife may not appreciate me being naked in the shower.  That's the only way I know to clean mine the best ---- to clean it and then shower myself.  

[Jill Stevens]

I have found (in our home bathrooms -- one tiled, the other fiberglass) that a mixture of 1 cup vinegar (heated in microwave to very hot) and 1 cup of the old blue Dawn dishwashing soap in a squirt bottle works wonderfully.  You do need to have good ventilation or leave the room a couple times because it is very strong smelling when spraying.  All you do is spray it on, leave it for 30 minutes (or more) then rinse it off.  I usually run a scrub brush (on a broom handle) over it when I first spray it on in order to make sure I have coated the entire surface but no elbow grease is necessary. The soap keeps the vinegar in contact with what you want cleaned and it seems to stay "moist".  It doesn't foam up when you rinse it off and once dried the surfaces shine like new.  It even makes my brass faucet and handle collar shine.  All waterspots gone.  I dry my tile walls after every shower,  but still like the excellent shine of the tile once it and the jacuzzi tub it surrounds have been cleaned with this mixture (found the recipe online at Pinterest). The fiberglass tub/shower is smaller and takes less so I do 1/2 cup of each.  Any that is left I spray into the toilet and let sit.  Really works well on hard water ring, no more scrubbing with pumice stone! TMI, I know...we are on a well and our water is pretty hard.