"How do you clean shower glass?"
This is the single most asked question here at CleanPost, and for good reason. Shower cleaning is generally one of the most despised tasks around the home as elbow grease is often required. Also if you do not have the right products it can be a waste of time and money.
Here's where Bar Keepers Friend comes in!
Important: Our general Bar Keepers Friend products are not recommend on stone or porous surfaces. We recommend covering these surfaces closest to your shower prior to cleaning. Also if you have tiles or your shower is acrylic or perspex, read the relevant section below.
And always, ALWAYS test in a small area first.
Shower Glass
What you'll need:- Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser
- Tough grade pad or Scrub Daddy
Shower Protection (Recommended):
- Naked Glass Repellent and Protection
- Microfibre cloth
Instructions:
Step 1: Grab a non-scratch scrubbing pad/sponge (we recommend a Tough grade pad or Scrub Daddy).
Step 2: Wet your pad or sponge with water.
Step 3: Apply about 1TBS of BKF powdered cleanser to the pad/sponge.
Step 4: Scrub the shower glass using small circles (about 10cm) for about 30 seconds each time (This way, you can get a feel of how much attention the shower you're working on is going to need).
Step 5: Rinse with a damp cloth, then follow with a dry cloth or towel. OR turn on your shower and rinse/dry thoroughly.
Shower Glass Protection (Recommended)
Step 6: Apply Naked Glass Repellent onto your microfibre cloth and apply to the clean, dry shower glass.
Step 7: Leave on for 20 minutes.
Step 8: Rinse thoroughly and squeegee or wipe down with a dry cloth to remove.
Video Tutorial:
Still not cutting it?
For tough jobs, we'd suggest making the powder into a paste and letting it sit on the surface for a minute before giving it a scrub then rinsing completely. Also, work over a small area at first rather than the whole door at once as shown in the video above.
Acrylic/Perspex Shower Doors and Walls
Plastic showers are a bit of a mixed bag! The only trouble with plastic/perspex/acrylic/plexiglass showers is that in many cases, even the most gentle cloth can cause harmful scratches!
We recommend starting with the gentlest form, being the MORE Spray & Foam with a light grade pad and moving up to a Soft Cleanser if need be. The MORE Spray is completely non-abrasive and would have nothing in it to cause damage, only question being if the surface build-up is too tough for the gentle option… as many are.
Spot test in a small area first and let dry to ensure you are happy before committing to the entire shower.
Shower Tiles
You have to be SUPER careful with tiles and grout as tiles can be made so differently. Our products are not suitable for all tiles. We recommend covering tiles close to the shower when cleaning your shower glass.
Bar Keepers Friend products are often used for tiles, however they are not recommended for porous surfaces, matte finish or coloured grout. The main thing is to always test on a small area first and rinse thoroughly.
Typically we’d recommend the MORE Spray and Foam as the gentlest option, use with a light grade blue pad or Scrub Daddy. You may want to step up to the Soft Cleanser if that doesn’t cut it.
Also, if your tiles are granite or stone ONLY use our specialty Granite and Stone Cleaner.
Read more on types of tiles here
And how to clean them here
And cleaning grout here
Shower Fixtures
Note: Bar Keepers Friend is not generally recommend on Matte surfaces or fixtures, however some customers have had success. If you do choose to try only use the MORE Spray and test in a small hidden area first.
What you'll need:
- Bar Keepers Friend Soft Cleanser
- Light-grade pad or Scrub Daddy
- Microfibre or soft cloth
Instructions:
Step 1: Apply a generous amount of Soft Cleanser directly to the surface, or onto to a damp pad or Scrub Daddy.
Step 2: Start scrubbing! For best results, scrub using small circles.
Step 3: Give the surface a thorough rinse, and wipe down with a dry cloth.
Problem Areas
Cleaning the shower is not one of our favourite jobs at the best of times but we, like many people, can find cleaning the tracks and corners especially challenging.
When cleaning these areas having the right tools for the job makes a huge difference. One tool we find especially helpful for these areas is the Micro-Manager Brush from Full Circle. This makes it easy to get into all those hard to reach spaces.
Shower Glass Maintenance
Once the shower has been protected with Naked Glass Repellent, we recommend cleaning with water, general soap or light cleaner once per week. As the glass is sealed, it will be easier to maintain, hence why water is often all that's needed.
If spots do appear, just use a small amount of Bar Keepers Friend, and the spots should come off with a very quick application.
If the glass isn't protected, after using the powder for the initial clean, we recommend using the MORE Spray once every 2 weeks to keep the shower looking good. Depending on your water content and whether or not a squeegee is used, it may be more/less frequent. Once the tough stuff (months/years of build-up) is removed, this maintenance clean will be significantly easier, and require less time and effort.
The Power of the Squeegee
We can not recommend squeegees enough! Using squeegees regularly in your shower means less build-up as the water is not left on the surface. This in-turn means you will not have to do that dreaded shower clean as often.
Squeegees create streak-free water removal, perfect not only for shower glass, but windows and windscreens also. Check out Full Circle Pivoting Squeegee here.
Blocked Drains
Blocked drains are no fun to look at and can create all sorts of issues if they become too clogged. Clearing out your drains is a crucial step to get that ultimate shower clean.
The Green Gobbler Drain Clog Dissolver is a no measure dual-chamber bottle that makes drain cleaning a breeze. It also suitable for toilets and other drains and is septic tank safe.
Shower Cleaning & Protection Kit
SHOP ONLINE HERE
Includes:
- 1 Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser & Polish 340g
- 1 Naked Glass 250ml Repel
- 1 Red - Tough Grade Cleaning Pad
- 1 Blue - Light Grade Cleaning Pad
- 1 Microfibre Cloth
Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser - Use this with the Tough Grade, Red Pad for your Shower Glass, Use with the Light Grade, Blue Pad for your acrylics, and chromes, tapware and fixtures.
Naked Glass Repel - Use this with the Microfibre Cloth to protect your glass from future etching and staining, making the shower glass incredibly easy to maintain
