clean hard water stains from shower glass

How to Clean Hard Water Stains Off Your Shower Glass

Cleaning the shower is nobody’s favorite job, especially if the glass shower door is covered in white spots or is hazy or white all over, likely caused by hard water.

Hard water is water that contains high levels of dissolved minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and iron.  As the hard water evaporates after you shower, it leaves behind white spots or a chalky residue.  Slowly over time, this residue can build-up, leaving cloudy hard water stains or a crusty layer of limescale on your showerhead, tub, shower glass, and other fixtures.

Removing limescale or hard water stains from your shower glass may seem like a daunting task.  Fortunately, there are steps you can take to make cleaning the cloudy white stuff off your shower door glass easier.

If you haven’t cleaned your shower in a while and have cloudy shower doors, you may feel it’s time to break out the heavy abrasive cleaner to get the job done, but wait, harsh abrasive products or scouring pads can potentially do damage to your shower glass.  While there are many commercial products available for tackling the scum and grime in your shower, you may also want to try some DIY, eco-friendly options.  Here are some tips on cleaning hard water stains off your glass shower doors without abrasive cleaners or industrial chemicals.

Supplies You’ll Need to Remove Hard Water Stains from your Shower Glass

supplies to clean hard water stains from shower glass

What you will need:

  • White vinegar
  • Rubber gloves
  • Paper towels
  • Spray bottle
  • A soft rag, microfiber cloth, or sponge
  • Baking soda
  • Distilled water

Steps to Clean Hard Water Stains from your Shower Glass

  1. Heat 1 cup of white vinegar so that it’s hot but not boiling.
  2. Put on rubber gloves to protect your hands.
  3. Wet paper towels with hot vinegar, then stick them to the glass.  Vinegar is mildly acidic, so as it soaks into the hard water stains, it will loosen the mineral deposits, or limescale, on the glass.
  4. When you’re done with that, your vinegar should have cooled down to just warm.  Put the remaining vinegar into a spray bottle.  (Add more vinegar as needed)
  5. Allow the vinegar-soaked towels to sit for 30 minutes to an hour.  Use your spray to re-wet the towels every now and then so that they remain damp.
  6. Dust a damp rag, microfiber cloth, or sponge with a generous amount of baking soda.  This mild abrasive reacts with the vinegar to produce added cleaning power.
  7. Remove the vinegar-soaked paper towels and gently wipe down the glass door with the baking soda.  Do Not Scrub! Vigorous scrubbing can scratch your glass.
  8. Use the distilled water to rinse the vinegar, baking soda, and residue off the surface.  If the limescale on your glass remains, repeat the steps.
  9. Use a microfiber cloth to buff to a sparkling shine.

For daily cleaning, make a spray by adding warm vinegar to a bottle.  Use rubber gloves when you spray the shower door with the solution.  Let it soak for about 5 minutes, then wipe down with a sponge, rinse with water, and buff dry with a microfiber cloth.

Water Spot Prevention

clean shower glass

To prevent hard water staining, we encourage all our shower customers to consider adding a water spot protective coating to their shower glass before installing the enclosure. Exposing untreated glass to hard water, even once, can damage the surface of the glass and add hours to your cleaning regimen.

The surface protectant works by filling the pores of the glass with a hydrophobic coating that repels water. This will allow any hard water deposits and/or soap scum to remain on the surface of the glass, where it can be easily wiped away.

 We recommend that our customers protect their investment in their new shower enclosures by purchasing them with a factory-applied water spot protective coating. That way, your shower glass is protected from hard water damage from the very first use.

If you’re interested in purchasing a sparkling new glass shower door or enclosure with a water spot protective coating, or if you would like to learn more about these products, give us a call, and one of our knowledgeable sales staff will gladly assist you with any questions you may have.  To begin exploring glass doors or walk-in glass shower design options, check out our gallery, contact Dick’s Rancho Glass online, give us a call, or visit one of our two glass showrooms in the Sacramento region:

Dick’s Rancho Glass Sacramento at 2900 ROUTIER ROAD

Or call us at (916)363-6554

 Dick’s Rancho Glass Fair Oaks at 5349 SAN JUAN AVE.

Or call us at (916)863-2500

~ At Dick’s Rancho Glass, our versatility and pride in craftsmanship are keys to our success. Our excellent reputation has been built on the foundations of quality, reliability, and maintaining a dedicated staff. ~