Since I hate to clean, our master bathroom shower has taken a real hit. When we bought our house, it had a beautiful, new shower with tile and a glass surround. However, I didn't realize how difficult it would be to keep that shower glass clean from soap scum. As you can see below, it was looking pretty bad!
I've tried several store bought cleaners in the past, but they never did a great job on the glass doors. So, I thought I would try this DIY Bathroom Soap Scum Remover to see how common, everyday ingredients would do in cleaning a tough soap scum challenge. It came out the cleanest I've seen our shower since we bought our house.
Please note: if you have tile in your shower, try to avoid spraying the DIY mixture on the tile since vinegar can damage grout over time.
Here's how my shower glass door looked before I used the DIY Bathroom Soap Scum Remover. Yes, I know...it's super dirty.
First, I combined the vinegar and corn starch in my glass measuring cup and microwaved for 2 minutes. Then, I added the Dawn to the mixture and poured it into an empty spray bottle. I waited to add the Dawn until after microwaving, since otherwise it would start foaming when it boiled.
In my shower, I liberally sprayed the glass doors and fiberglass pan at the bottom of my shower and then set the timer for 10 minutes. I ran my exhaust fan since the vinegar and Dawn smell can be pretty potent.
After 10 minutes easily scrub the floor and glass walls with a sponge and then rinse with the showerhead and a spray bottle filled with water. Finally, I used a clean towel to dry all surfaces to avoid streaks.
You can see from the after picture above that it worked great with a minimal amount of physical labor on my part!
DIY Bathroom Soap Scum Remover
Materials
- 1 cup Distilled White Vinegar
- 1 tbsp. Corn Starch
- 2 tbsp. Dawn Detergent
Instructions
- Combine the vinegar and corn starch in a microwave-safe container (I used my glass measuring cup) and microwave for 2 minutes.
- Then add the Dawn to the mixture and pour into an empty spray bottle. Be sure to wait until after heating the vinegar and corn starch to add the Dawn since it will start foaming if you heat it (as the mixture starts to boil).
- Liberally spray the glass doors and fiberglass pan at the bottom of your shower
- Set the timer for 10 minutes. Although the ingredients are natural, be sure to run your exhaust fan since the vinegar and Dawn smell can be pretty potent.
- After 10 minutes easily scrub the floor and glass walls with a sponge
- Rinse with the showerhead and a spray bottle filled with water.
- Use a clean towel to dry all surfaces to avoid streaks.
Check out additional Easy DIY Cleaning tips or follow my Cleaning board on Pinterest!
Lauren from DIY BEST POSTS says
Thanks for the recipe. I already use vinegar for a lot of diy products.
I shared this article on my site.
MONA says
I tried heating 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup dawn in a spray bottle, sprayed on my mobile home plastic/fiber glass white shower walls. It doesn't work.
Corrie C says
Did you include the corn starch also? If the fiber glass is super dirty, you may need to use a heavy-duty cleaner to get it clean, rather than the DIY formula.
Cindy says
This is amazing I cleaned my shower walls with it and now they sparkle.
Nafisa says
Read the instructions carefully dear..
Vonda says
You didn't say how much to use. Was it cornstarch 2 TBS or was one cup of Vinega. Do you measure with your heart.. I'm sorry . I don't want sound rude. Please help me understand.. Thank you for your wonderful ideas. Just can't wait to try it..
Corrie C says
At the bottom of the post, it lists the materials:
1 cup Distilled White Vinegar
1 tbsp. Corn Starch
2 tbsp. Dawn Detergent
Harmonettes says
What's the reason for the corn starch? I've used Dawn and vinegar a million times, but the corn starch is new to me.
Corrie C says
The corn starch acts as a natural abrasive. But, it also works great without it (as you know!).
Karen says
I’ve seen so many variations of this recipe that my head is spinning. I haven’t tried it with cornstarch yet. Today I will. Thanks for sharing your tips 🙂
Rosemarie M Buchanan says
I've been using Vim or other similar products on the glass and tiles, with great success. However, I've been looking for something easier on my lungs and the environment, and have made the switch and eliminated several store-bought products. So in addition to not spending so much $$ on a plethora of different cleaning products, I'm now cleaning with my few homemade products and loving it! I'll be giving this recipe a try, for sure. I think the key to success is to leave the mixture on long enough for it to do the work. Or as my nearly 99 year old dad says, "when all else fails, read and follow the instructions". lol
Candice says
Wow that worked great! Thank you!