IDEALLY YOU SHOULD wipe or squeegee all surfaces after every shower to prevent limescale and soap scum building. Water sitting on surfaces encourages this pair to gleefully grow, so removing it removes the risk.
But back in the real world, most showers are cleaned at best weekly and on average monthly. I have had the joy of cleaning showers that have barely been cleaned at all, which has led to a severe build up of limescale and showering product. (Note here – if you use heavy conditioners or hair thickening products you will have worse product build up as they are designed to stick to your hair and will also do this to surfaces too.)
Before you begin tackling your shower you need to know the ya, yas and the nah, nahs for cleaning your surfaces. Some granites, stones, porcelain etc are damaged by certain product ingredients – so make sure you have found the right match. This also goes for sponges (non scratch). And always, always make sure you don’t mix certain cleaners as they can create a dangerous gas. If you are unsure of anything I have just said, read up on it, after all safe is chic.
Let’s take it section by section. Before you start cleaning this is what you will need:
Taps and fittings suchs as knobs are usually chrome. These are soaked during a shower and the water left sitting after can cause limescale build up and hard water spotting. Both of these are mainly made up of calcium carbonate.
Come through white vinegar, who is so acidic she can break down this calcium carbonate and help lift it off your fittings. Make sure it is distilled white vinegar (save balsamic for your salads, hen) and you can add some bicarbonate of soda if you need some extra help. When these two household legends meet, they cause a reaction that results in some epic fizzing and foaming and will dissolve the problems away.
Scrub with a non scratching sponge until your chrome is gleaming. If you have just water marks, whizz a lemon cut in half over the chrome and it will shine like new. For extra effort, a final go over with a window cleaner can add another level of sparkle. The key part of the process here is ensuring the surface is dry after cleaning so watermarks don’t form again – I use a clean microfibre cloth here to dry and buff.
Another fitting that is affected by limescale is the shower head. To clean these, vinegar again is perfect! If you have a removable head, simply place it in a bowl of vinegar for about five hours. If your head doesn’t come off, fill a ziplock bag with vinegar and tape over the shower head so the parts affected by limescale are submerged.
When the soaking is complete just use the hard side of a sponge to wipe it away. If some holes are still blocked, a pin can be used to unclog these, just rinse after.
Next, shower screen or shower doors. These can make a huge difference to any bathroom if cleaned well.
Usually the issue is that the glass appears almost cloudy. This will be hard water stains and a buildup of shower product. The most natural way is to use lemons. To avoid waste, ones that are just about not great to eat can be used here if you are throwing them out anyway. Simply cut the lemons in half and rub all over the glass, then scrub with an non scratch sponge and buff with a cloth.
If your shower screen has a lot of product buildup, choose a shower cleaner that is specifically designed for shower doors as well as tiles. And if the strip at the end of your shower screen or door is looking particularly grim, these usually slide off quite easily – they can be soaked in diluted vinegar or cleaning product and then wiped down and rinsed.
If you have a shower curtain that is getting mould or mildew spotting, the daily cure for this is to ensure your curtain is always pulled out so that it can dry evenly. But if you wish to remove the mould from your curtain, you can either soak in the bath with about a bucket of water to one cup of vinegar for around an hour and then wash as normal.
Or, if you have the time to keep an eye on a wash cycle, when you are washing towels pop your curtain in too with a half cup of bicarbonate of soda as well as detergent. During the first rinse add a cup of vinegar. Before it gets to the spin stage, take your curtain out to dry – she won’t spin well so best to hand wring and air dry. Again, the key part here is to make sure the curtain is air dried completely.
These are where most showering products end up building up, and also are the most dirty. A good spray cleaner specifically designed for showers is perfect here as it will have ingredients to remove limescale as well as dirt and grease.
Spray starting from left to right so you don’t miss any areas, leave for around 5 minutes and then scrub down with large sponge. Rinse well, and I would then buff with a microfibre cloth. If you want fewer chemicals, warm water and washing up liquid can help here in the removal of build up of soap scum or oils. It is designed to tackle the worst types of grease so lifting showering products is a dream job.
Finally, bicarb is great for cleaning grout in the shower naturally. Make a paste with water then spray with diluted vinegar and scrub with an old toothbrush.
Follow @lauradebarra on Instagram for more pro cleaning tips (and general life inspiration too).
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