Are your shower doors laden with white soap scum and hard water spots?
Then it’s time to clean them with something that’ll prevent those kinds of stains from here on. In this guide, I’m going to show you how to clean shower doors with WD-40 and prevent them from recurring.
WD-40 is good for cleaning shower doors because it displaces water. It breaks down hard water stains and soap scum on glass shower doors.
Spray WD-40 on your shower door and leave it for 15 minutes to break down hard water spots and soap scum. Wipe it off with a microfiber cloth.
Although you could do with a top-quality bathroom cleaner that removes dirt, breaks down scum, and kills mold like Lysol Bathroom Cleaner Spray, WD-40 will always come in handy for those shower doors.
Cleaning shower doors is a routine you ought to carry out quite often. Routine wiping with a squeegee or microfiber towel after showering will prevent etching and the accumulation of tough stains. Hard water spots and soap scum can discolor your shower doors.
Common stains come from shampoos, soap scum, body washes, hair conditioners, hard water, mold, mildew, and shower bombs and fizzies.
Luckily, there is an all-round solution to this dirt called WD-40 (Water Displacement 40th Formula). It is a chemical formula meant to displace water, so, you can use it to clean glass, metal, and plastic surfaces.
How To Clean Shower Doors With WD-40
CAUTION: Ensure you have taken precaution when using this formula for cleaning. To avoid inhaling WD-40, you can use a face mask or simply tie a handkerchief over your nose and mouth. Better yet, open all doors and windows to the bathroom for maximum ventilation. If you have plastic gloves, put them on. Read any other precautions on the container before proceeding.
WD40 displaces water, so apart from cleaning your shower doors to remove any hard water marks, it will also prevent them. Here’s how to clean shower doors using WD-40:
- Spray your shower doors with a fair coat of WD-40, covering all areas with the formula.
- Leave it for about a quarter an hour.
- Wipe the door with a clean cloth (preferably a microfiber towel).
- Scrub gently if there are any stuck-on water marks in need of loosening.
- Apply another coating of WD-40 and wipe it once more. Repeat as many times as needed.
- Wipe your shower doors with a dry piece of cloth once all stains have been removed.
You do not need to rinse with plain water. Leave the door as is until the next time you’ll need to clear water spots and soap scum.
After that, clean the floor if the WD-40 dropped on it to avoid slipping.
Does WD40 Keep Hard Water Stains Off Glass Shower Doors?
WD-40 not only cleans but also keeps a majority of the bathroom stains off your glass doors. You’ll notice that, after each cleaning session with WD-40, it takes a long time for the stains to form back.
Other great cleaning agents you can use for cleaning your shower and bathroom doors include the following:
- Lemon Pledge
- Pam Cooking Spray
- Water Armour
- Rain-X
Alternatives To WD-40 For Cleaning Shower Doors
While WD-40 is among the best when it comes to cleaning shower glass doors and similar surfaces, there are other options that you can consider.
White vinegar also does a good job of getting rid of hard water marks and soap scum. If you have it in your kitchen, follow the steps below to clean your bathroom doors.
CLEANING WITH WHITE VINEGAR
White vinegar, listed above, has various uses in the home among them cleaning your bathroom doors. This applies to both glass, metal and plastic doors.
Here are the steps:
- Find a clean spray bottle then fill it with equal parts of white vinegar and water.
- Spray this mixture evenly on the front and back of the door and wait for half an hour. This period of time is enough for the tough scum from soap to come off.
- Using clean water and a sponge, carefully wipe the vinegar off the doors ensuring that you leave no traces of it anywhere.
- For the runners of the doors, use a toothbrush with preferably white toothpaste to scrub the dirt away. Afterward, add the vinegar and water solution then wipe it away after half an hour.
Like using WD-40, cleaning up afterward is paramount to enjoying your bathroom afterward. Direct contact between vinegar and your skin may be unpleasant. For this reason, you need to use rubber gloves for the cleaning process.
If you do not have vinegar, you can also explore the following cleaning agents for different parts of your shower and bathroom.
- Lemon Pledge
- White vinegar and Dawn®️
- Pam Cooking Spray
- Scrubbing with dryer sheets
- Corn Starch
- Mixture of hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, liquid dish soap, and dishwasher rinse aid in water.
- Baking soda
- Water and sunflower oil mix
- Water and olive oil mix
- Acetone and vegetable oil mix
For each alternative, there are steps to be followed before you obtain the best results.
Below, we discuss one of the most popular alternatives to WD-40. This is a homemade solution for when you don’t have WD-40 in stock, or when you prefer the natural way.