# How should I clean my shower? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 14, 2014, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065 "2014-04-14T03:08:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/1 "2014-04-14T03:08:57Z")
For a while I used one of [these](http://www.amazon.com/Scrubbing-Bubbles-Automatic-Shower-CleanerStarter/dp/B001QJAHIY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1397443262&sr=8-3&keywords=shower+cleaner). The general idea is that when you’re done with your shower, you push a button, it gives you a few seconds to get out of the shower, and then it sprays its soap all over using a rotating nozzle (it uses AA batteries to rotate the nozzle.) Then you’re done - you don’t have to wipe off the soap. What I liked about it was the ease of use and that it really seemed to work - it removed some soap scum and seemed to whiten up grout that seemed to have become stained from mildew. What I didn’t like was that the motor always seemed to break. I think I went through three of these before I gave up. So what’s the best product to use that really works, and ideally is something I can spray on and forget it? Most of what I’ve seen on the shelf seems to require wiping after 5 minutes or so. I’m often not even home 5 minutes after my shower’s over, so that’s not going to work. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/2 "2014-04-14T04:20:24Z")
Squeegee the walls every time after you shower works the best. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/3 "2014-04-14T04:26:32Z")
I need to use something damn strong on the textured floor of the shower-stall. I’ve tried steel-wool. It may be time for a wire brush… To put it in Animaniacs terms, Good Idea or Bad Idea? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/4 "2014-04-14T04:28:33Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Squeegee the walls every time after you shower works the best. Agreed. Been doing it for … decades? :eek: Its been that long. But it does work. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/5 "2014-04-14T04:38:30Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Squeegee the walls every time after you shower works the best. I was looking for something lower effort than that. Squeegeeing every time may work, but the reality is that I’m not going to do it, even if I intended to. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/6 "2014-04-14T04:48:33Z")
I just spray the shower stall with a can of Scrubbing Bubbles detergent. (The same stuff in the OP, just not in an automatic sprayer.) ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/7 "2014-04-14T05:51:11Z")
Tilex spray is also fairly good, at least for the tiles. (Well, duh!) I’ve been using it for years, and, sure, the tiles are pretty clean… (The floor is a wretched mess…) ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/8 "2014-04-14T05:57:53Z")
Dewey/Trinopus, You don’t have to wipe it off later? Do the instructions on the bottle/can say to? I’m pretty sure most of the spray bottles of Scrubbing Bubbles and Tilex I’ve seen seem to state you should wipe them off after five minutes or so… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/9 "2014-04-14T06:55:28Z")
> [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > I was looking for something lower effort than that. Squeegeeing every time may work, but the reality is that I’m not going to do it, even if I intended to. Christ, Man/Woman! It takes a minimum of effort. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/10 "2014-04-14T07:01:31Z")
Once I’m dry, I use my towel to wipe down the shower curtain and anything else outside the shower that might have gotten wet. Then I spray the tiles with this stuff brilliantly named Clean Shower. The one I’m using now is by Arm & Hammer. No rinsing or further messing around is needed. It seems to do a great job. Of course the shower is cleaned better every couple of weeks when the cleaning lady comes, but this does the trick in the interim. I used to use somebody else’s Clean Shower spray–I think the scrubbing bubbles people. It did the same thing. No rinsing needed. The whole thing probably takes less than a minute. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/11 "2014-04-14T08:01:00Z")
> [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > Dewey/Trinopus, > > You don’t have to wipe it off later? Do the instructions on the bottle/can say to? I’m pretty sure most of the spray bottles of Scrubbing Bubbles and Tilex I’ve seen seem to state you should wipe them off after five minutes or so… Scrubbing Bubbles gets washed off, it’s a foam (unless it’s another of their products). I’m not sure which Tilex he’s talking about, but they make a clear spray that you use daily, no rinsing. It’s for preventing rather than cleaning. They make straight cleaners too, which you should probably wash off. I assume a lot of you fancy pants have tile walls? All I need to clean is the caulk around the tub, and also scrub the tub itself with a steel or copper scouring pad. Shower curtain goes in the wash every once in a while, detergent and white vinegar. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/12 "2014-04-14T08:39:58Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Squeegee the walls every time after you shower works the best. That’s what I do. Helps to eliminate the growth of mould. I also use a proprietary cleaner once or twice a week. Spray it on before getting into the shower, gather my stuff together, get organised. Get in the shower and then wipe the cleaning stuff over with a damp micro fibre cloth. Wash self. Rinse walls of shower then squeegee as usual. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/13 "2014-04-14T13:15:40Z")
I use a 50/50 mix of water and white vinegar in a 1/2-gallon garden sprayer. I spray all of the surfaces and then wipe them down. I do this weekly and it requires very little effort and is dirt cheap. A gallon of white vinegar costs very little and lasts a very long time. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/14 "2014-04-14T13:40:40Z")
Vinegar is great for calcium deposits and hard water stains (e.g. on a clear glass shower). Otherwise, once every 2 weeks, I mix some Lysol or Mr. Clean liquid with some water in a bucket, splash it all over the tiles/tub and scrub with a handled scrub brush. Fill the bucket with more water and splash again to rinse. I let that air dry. Use Mold remover as indicated. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/15 "2014-04-14T13:55:23Z")
> [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > Dewey/Trinopus, > > You don’t have to wipe it off later? Do the instructions on the bottle/can say to? I’m pretty sure most of the spray bottles of Scrubbing Bubbles and Tilex I’ve seen seem to state you should wipe them off after five minutes or so… I usually wash the Scrubbing Bubbles detergent away by spraying the shower everywhere. (It helps to have a handheld shower head.) I’ve sprayed the detergent and then later taken a shower without spraying the detergent away, and when I do, the detergent leaves a slippery deposit on the floor of the shower. By the way, in my case, I’m mostly cleaning to remove soap scum and not mildew. (Soap scum sticks really, really well.) ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/16 "2014-04-14T14:39:35Z")
I bought two cans of scrubbing bubbles based on this thread. My showers were built in the 60’s. I moved here about 15 years ago. A very long time ago, I got frustrated with the various cleaning products that never seemed to work as advertised and switched to plain comet and a scrub brush. It’s a lot of work, eventually leaves a blueish stain, and the showers really do not look very good. I must admit, Scrubbing Bubbles is a very nice product. I used about 75% of one can each in each shower. I let the first application sit and just rinsed. I noticed a definite improvement. Upon inspection, it seemed that there was a film that ‘could be’ just hiding the dirt. But I also felt some loose soap scum that had been strongly adhered to the wall previously. So I applied it again and gave it a light scrubbing. I really did not have to put much effort into the scrubbing at all. Wow! A marked improvement. I was really impressed with how the spots on the metal handles disappeared. The tiles are very much improved in cleanliness and shine. One shower is a stand-up only and the other a tub/shower combo. I had no idea the tub could look so nice. Word of warning- Scrubbing Bubbles is very, very slippery. If you step into the enclosure while it is on the floor, you run a serious risk of falling. I had to brace my feet against the walls. It did not treat mildew stains. Any advice there? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/17 "2014-04-14T16:13:12Z")
> [@Gus\_Gusterson](#): > > I use a 50/50 mix of water and white vinegar in a 1/2-gallon garden sprayer. I spray all of the surfaces and then wipe them down. I do this weekly and it requires very little effort and is dirt cheap. A gallon of white vinegar costs very little and lasts a very long time. Actually, if you spray the shower/tub down with vinegar and then spray baking soda over it and let it sit for a bit, it works even better. The baking soda, water and vinegar react with the dirt and scum and the baking soda acts as a gentle abrasive when wiping it down. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/18 "2014-04-14T17:22:50Z")
Between my wife and I, usually one of us wipes down the shower walls every other day with our towel after finishing taking a shower. This seems to really keep the tiles clean and free of soap scum. And by “my wife and I” I mean I do it. So every two days I’m changing a towel which is probably a bit wasteful to go through that many towels but it works. For “deep cleaning”, we found using OxyClean and a small amount of water mixed up in a tupperware bowl into a paste is great for getting the grout white again. Just scrub it into the grout with an old toothbrush and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Then re-scrub and rinse it away. Sparkling white! Regular cleaning is just any-old bathroom cleaner, spray it on and scrub/rinse. MeanJoe ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/19 "2014-04-14T17:43:54Z")
> [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > I was looking for something lower effort than that. Squeegeeing every time may work, but the reality is that I’m not going to do it, even if I intended to. If you can’t put forth the effort of about 30 seconds after you shower every time, then you’re gonna just end up with soap scum build up, mold, mildew, etc. And then your gonna have to bust it with chemicals etc., whenever you can’t stand it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065/20 "2014-04-14T17:44:25Z")
> [@Ca3799](#): > > It did not treat mildew stains. Any advice there? I like the foam bleach-based cleaners for mildew and mold stuff - turn the fan on (don’t gas yourself). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-clean-my-shower/686065.md?page=2)