Cleaning shower tile walls is one of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks in many households. Showers, unlike other bathroom surfaces, are constantly sprayed with water, soap, and shampoo from taking showers every day. These substances lead to mold buildup or mildew stains over time that can be very hard to remove without damaging your home.
If you don't clean your shower often enough, it will leak over time and damage other areas in your home, such as walls or floors. And if you choose not to clean it at all, you'll have dirty water leaking into other areas of your house, which could lead to serious health problems down the line.
We created this guide on how to clean a shower to help you find an easy way out of your cleaning struggles. Previously, we have talked about best fiberglass shower cleaner.
By following our steps for cleaning a bathroom properly, you should be able to keep things looking nice while avoiding costly repairs later down the road.
Choosing The Best Shower Tile Cleaner for Different Shower Tiles
Here is a step-by-step guide to cleaning different showers, from a glass shower door to natural stone tile. Before you start cleaning your shower, remember that the best results will come when you have both time and patience on your side.
How to Clean Ceramic and Porcelain Shower Tiles
Ceramic and porcelain tiles require that you deep clean not only the vertical surfaces but the grout as well. Both colored grout and white grout can harbor bacteria and cause mold to form.
Here's a step by step guide to cleaning ceramic and porcelain shower tiles:
Step 1: Remove Everything from the Shower
Make sure your shower is empty of all objects before you start cleaning it. Remove the shampoo, shower gel, soap, and other bathroom products.
If there are shelves in the shower, take them down. Remove your shower curtain or plastic linings so that they don't get damaged by shower tile cleaners.
Step 2: Wet the Walls
Make sure that the walls are well wetted before you start scrubbing them. Simply spray your porcelain or ceramic tile walls to help loosen any soap scum, or mineral deposits, and prepare any unsightly stains that may be on them for shower tile cleaners.
Step 3: Start Cleaning with a Mild Soap
Use mild soap to wash your walls. It can be dishwashing liquid, cleaning paste, a gentle hand-soap, or a shower cleaner like Castille soap which is made out of plant-derived ingredients. Avoid soap with a very fresh scent due to its essential oils because they can leave residue on the walls and cause irritation to your skin.
A soft bristle brush is highly recommended for this process. It will not damage the tub but has enough roughness to clean soap scum or other buildup between your ceramic tile (grout lines). A damp sponge or cloth may be used to wipe off the residue from your ceramic tile walls gently.
Step 4: After Applying Shower Tile Cleaners and Let it Rest
Once you have applied the soap, let it rest for a few minutes. This gives your soap time to loosen up grime and dirt on your bathroom tiles without damaging them.
When working with the best shower tile cleaners, always remember to follow the directions of use carefully. There is usually a recommended length of time when the product must be left on before rinsing off. Most of the time, 5 to 10 minutes work best.
Step 4: Rinse Tub and Allow to Dry
Rinse the shower tiles with water after you are done cleaning them. Rinsing will help prevent streaks from occurring and allow the washcloth or soft bristled brush to move more easily on the surface of the tub.
When rinsing, use a spray bottle instead of running water out of the faucet. This will allow you to control the flow of rinsing water and prevent any overflow onto your floor.
After rinsing, make sure to let the shower dry completely before using it again. Many people prefer to use their bathtub after a shower or bath, so waiting may take some patients.
How to Clean Glass Tile Showers
Cleaning fiberglass showers is easy when you have the right cleaning tools and products. Whatever method you choose for cleaning, be careful not to scratch the fiberglass.
Here is your step by step guide to cleaning your fiberglass shower:
Step 1: Sprinkle White Vinegar
Distilled white vinegar is the safest, most effective product to use for cleaning fiberglass showers. It will help kill mold and mildew if there are any in the shower.
Put on your protective gloves and pour 1 cup of vinegar into the tub, and sprinkle around it as well. Let stand for about 10 minutes before rinsing with water from your faucet. The vinegar will cut through the soap scum buildup and dirt in the shower.
Step 2: Use an Acid-Free Cleaner
An acid-free cleaner is also one of the best shower tile cleaners for glass tile. This should be used on stubborn stains only because it can potentially damage your fiberglass if used too many times.
Pour a cup of lemon juice or white vinegar into a spray bottle. Mix it with water and a little bit of dish soap, then spritz the mixture all over the shower. Use a scrub sponge to wipe off any excess grime or dirt that may be in your shower.
Step 3: Scrub to Remove Grime
Fiberglass needs a bit of scrubbing to remove all the dirt, soap scum, mold, and mildew. Use a sponge or a soft-bristled brush to scrub off any stubborn stains that may be on the surface of your fiberglass shower.
The scrubbing should only take a few minutes at most because these methods work really quickly.
Step 4: Take Out Mold
Baking soda is also an effective grout cleaner if you do not want to use harsh chemicals.
Sprinkle all over the shower grout, then wait 15 minutes so that the baking soda can soak into the mold. Scrub off any excess product with a scrub sponge, and wipe down your shower once more.
How to Clean Natural Stone Showers
The most common natural stone materials for shower tile include granite, marble, travertine, and limestone.
You need to clean natural stone showers once a week using the following steps:
Step 1: Use Commercial Stone Cleaner
After emptying the bathroom, mix a solution that contains 2 cups of commercial natural stone cleaner with 4 cups of water. Scrub the floors and shower walls made out of natural stone tiles using this mixture. After that, use a microfiber cloth for buffing, then rinse with clean water.
Step 2: Use Bleach and Water
If you do not have a commercial natural stone cleaner, mix 1/2 cup of chlorine bleach with 4 cups of water. Scrub the floors and walls using this shower cleaner. After that, use a soft cloth for buffing.
You can also use one part of bleach and another with water to treat the mildew in your shower. Gently scrub with a soft brush and let air dry.
Step 3: Reseal
The next step is to prevent water and soap from causing your shower to corrode. You can make a mixture of 50% Murphy's Oil Soap and 50% water.
Use this shower cleaner on the shower floor, walls, and glass paneling in your shower. Allow it to sit for half an hour, then wipe off with a sponge or soft cloth. Shower cleaners like this work well-preventing rust stains and bacteria from invading the stone's surface.
How to Clean Shower Head and Tub
In addition to cleaning grout and curtain areas, you will also need to clean the shower head. The buildup of hard water can affect this as well. You should remove your shower head before attempting a DIY cleaning solution with vinegar and baking soda.
You can also clean the shower head without removing it. For this, use distilled white vinegar and warm water along with an old toothbrush for scrubbing. This solution will eliminate hard water stains from the interior of your shower head.
For a more permanent solution, you should remove the showerhead to clean it in some vinegar for twenty minutes, after which you can rinse it with warm water. You can also consider buying a shower head water softener so you can say goodbye to mineral buildup on your shower head.
How to Clean Shower Doors
The work of cleaning your shower is not done if you've not cleaned the door yet. To clean a bathroom door, all you have to do is attach a plastic garbage bag and spray it with a cleaner, which acts as an easy way of hiding the shower door. Scrubbing the shower door with bleach will also work.
If your shower door does not open or close easily, take out all the screws and spray them clean with some oven cleaner. This substance will remove all the grease and dirt from your bathroom door.
Cleaning Shower Tiles FAQs
How often should you clean your shower tiles?
The frequency of cleaning your shower depends on many factors. One of the factors includes the material on the shower, the frequency of use, and the amount of moisture in the air. Most of the time, once per week works well.
What is soap scum?
Soap scum is a layer of residue that forms on different surfaces because of soap's reaction to salt and mineral deposits. A shower tile cleaner can be used on multiple surfaces and grout with soap scum.
How long does cleaning showers take?
It all depends on how bad your situation is. If you have mold growing inside your shower due to excess moisture, cleaning the shower can take up to a day or more, depending on what materials are used.
Other cases may only require 20 minutes to complete the cleaning process and give you sparkling shower floors and walls.
What are the different shower tile cleaners?
The most common method to clean a shower is with vinegar, bleach, and baking soda. You can also use everyday household items such as toothbrushes, paper towels, steel wool, microfiber cloth, etc.
You can clean your shower head by using vinegar and lemon juice for better results.
What are the benefits of using a shower tile cleaner?
Cleaning your shower regularly can help with mold and mildew issues. A clean shower is a healthy choice for you and your family.
Use the Best Shower Tile Cleaners
To properly clean your shower, you should start by understanding the different materials used for showers. The main types of materials include ceramic tile, porcelain tile, glass tiles, and natural stone materials.
Knowing these materials will help you choose the best cleaning products and methods for your specific shower. This way, you'll avoid causing damage to your shower and have clean tiles in no time.
