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Cleaning dirty shower, tiles and acrylic glass

(57 Posts)
Wyllow3 Wed 17-May-23 17:58:35

Firstly, I have tried vinegar and lemon juice as recommended frequently. Fortunately I'm not in an area with Limescale! Used ordinary commercial cheap bog standard shower cleaners of course without success

Its not fair to call it really "dirty", as it isn't, as no mould and has been cleaned lightly and not used much. But without realising it, over years, tracks of previous soaps and shampoos have built up which no amount of elbow grease and vinegar/soaps will budge.

Looking back it needed cleaning after nearly every use. Didn't really notice or realise - one of those things where you think, "oh I'll give it a proper clean one day": hindsight a great thing.

so it "looks" reasonably OK, till the light shines on the tiles and the plastic glass and the greasy solid tracks are all too visible, and its not really clean and nice.

so I'm looking for a product that will really dissolve these tracks so it looks spiffing and shiny

Callistemon21 Thu 18-May-23 20:00:26

I've scrubbed the tiles and glass doors of the shower with one of those net body scrubbers and shampoo before I get out of the shower, then rinse and it seems to work. I thought if it's ok for my hair it can't be that toxic and it seems to work.

DH did take the doors off a while ago and they had a thorough scrub but it was quite a task.

Wyllow3 Thu 18-May-23 22:53:52

Thats the way to go, Callistemon, clean as you go along and not let it build up! Actually its less than it might be as I take advantage of the gym showers as much as possible.

Callistemon21 Thu 18-May-23 23:09:58

Well, I haven't done it as often lately, feeling guilty now.

Perhaps tomorrow 😁 🚿

Pandrews Thu 18-May-23 23:56:09

I find this shifts soap scum build up, not the spray version, has to be this one. Squirt it around the area that's grubby then get to wotlek with a cloth

crazygranny Sat 20-May-23 11:10:15

Viakal - but wear gloves!

Callistemon21 Sat 20-May-23 11:26:21

crazygranny

Viakal - but wear gloves!

And a mask!

icanhandthemback Sat 20-May-23 11:29:02

Have you tried a steam cleaner? I find that a very good way of cleaning tile grout.

sandelf Sat 20-May-23 11:40:58

After you've sorted it. Hang squeegee in there and wipe the shower down after use. That and a weekly de-grease will keep it good.

4allweknow Sat 20-May-23 11:46:06

If the screen is plastic as you say you'll need to be very careful using anything even slightly abrasive as you will either scratch or cause even more dullness on the surface. Try squirting washing up liquid on a microfible clith and rubbing the screen down. Then rinse thoroughly using shower head. Dry with euther a window cleaning rubber or another microfibre cloth. For mould there are masses of mould removers on market. If they don't work the grouting may need redoing. Grouting being porous can turn dark even with water when needing replaced.

Bluedaisy Sat 20-May-23 12:13:03

Cillitt Bang and Barman’s friend which I get from Lakeland works for me.

knspol Sat 20-May-23 12:29:59

HG cleaner is fantastic and really easy to use.

Boolya Sat 20-May-23 12:35:19

I sluice the walls and screen down after every use them mop up with micro cloth.

Nellietheelephant Sat 20-May-23 12:50:44

I use, and very highly recommend, Cif Power & Shine Bathroom reusable bottle for life. You just squirt it on after every shower (fine for any surface) and it works a treat - no scrubbing off or wiping down. Refills are available online too. Good luck!

Suzique Sat 20-May-23 12:57:49

Also found that an old electric toothbrush is useful for cleaning corners around showers.
Cif cream is gentle enough not to damage the silicone sealer used.

Nicolenet Sat 20-May-23 12:59:37

I have a water softener and only use a squeegee for shower door and panelled walls. CIF for tray. No tiles.

cc Sat 20-May-23 13:11:27

CanadianGran

I like good old Vim. It needs good rinsing afterwards, but I find it the best.

I'm sure that Vim would scratch the plastic glass, perhaps try it on a less obvious bit.

Treetops05 Sat 20-May-23 13:15:56

Bicarb and vinegar worked on our mock glass

cc Sat 20-May-23 13:17:22

Nicolenet

I have a water softener and only use a squeegee for shower door and panelled walls. CIF for tray. No tiles.

Yes, we have a water softener too and the shower stays reasonably clean though soap and conditioners can clog up the grout and the edge of the frame if you don't do it regularly.
I'd say that something a bit abrasive on the grout would be good, Lakeland sell all sorts of products like this and their Customer Service people offer good advice.
The acrylic glass is another matter, it's so easy to scratch and can become cloudy too as it ages. Personally I'd be tempted to save up to replace it with a glass shower if it looks bad, it's so much easier to clean.

harrysgran Sat 20-May-23 13:18:48

I recently made up nancy birtwhistle pure magic solution worked brilliantly inexpensive and doing a bit to be eco friendly I looked her up on you tube

grandtanteJE65 Sat 20-May-23 13:24:50

Limescale is a pest, but a mixture of two parts salts of lemon to three parts washing-up liquid of whatever brand you use, dissolved in a kettleful boiling water, then the bucket topped up with cold water, works well on bathroom tiles and basins, and on glass, although the toilet bowl may need to be left to steep for a couple of hours ,or so.

Use the upstairs one when cleaning the downstairs one, and vice versa, or the garden!

I would be very cautious about using this mixture on perspex or any form of plastic. I have no idea if it damages these surfaces, but I suspect it does.

A glass sided shower cabinet is the sort of thing that should be dried every time it has been used. Good luck getting the rest of the household to do so! This is really best with tiles too, but none of us bother, do we?

Depending on how hard your water is and how often and for how long you shower, you may need to clean it weekly or once a month if the job is not to be too arduous.

The mixture I recommend must NEVER be used on marble or terasso, as it most certainly will damage these surfaces.

Milest0ne Sat 20-May-23 13:40:29

I have a window wiper blade which I use around the shower to dry the walls then I use a dry cloth to wipe the sealant. less than a minute of effort .We have the plastic wall covering, not tiles. It was installed over 5 years ago and there is no sign of mould on the sealant. Prevention is better than cure ,especially for a lazy person like me.

Supergranuation Sat 20-May-23 15:54:08

I just love my Vim, I couldn't survive without it!smile

DianaLouise Sat 20-May-23 17:30:21

where do you buy vim I thought they had stopped producing it, I used to love it for sinks

Alverstone25 Sat 20-May-23 17:57:53

Another vote for Viakal
So quick, effective and smells lovely

I don’t wear gloves or a mask though

pinkjj27 Sun 21-May-23 14:12:55

Have you tired bar keepers friend? ( The powdered one) . Don’t buy it on amazon though as it cost a lot on there but it is 1.99 in Savers.
I always clean mine after every use but my daughter doesn’t and I used this last time she asked me to sort it out for her. She actually commented and asked me if I had it retiled while she was away.