Many people, when asked, would define soap scum as that irritating, cloudy residue on their tub or shower door!
Soap scum is a white build-up consisting of minerals from the water, dirt, bacteria, and sloughed-off skin. The very best way to keep soap scum off glass shower doors is to prevent it from happening in the first place by wiping the glass completely dry after every shower.
But who has the time for that?
Obviously not me (wink). The photo above is a picture of my glass shower door just prior to cleaning.
Soap scum forms quickly in my shower due to the extremely hard water that comes from the tap. But thankfully, there are several ways to get rid of it.
Cleaning Method
Prevention
-
In a spray bottle, combine a mixture of 2 parts white vinegar and 1 part water.
-
Leave spray bottle in the shower and spray on the glass after every use.
-
Allow to air dry. (Note: It is best to use a squeegee if you have one available.)
Solution
Gather the Ingredients:
-2 teaspoons borax
-1 teaspoon castile soap
-3/4 cup white vinegar
-1 1/2 cup hot water
-10 drops tea tree oil
Directions:
-
Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle.
-
Shake to blend.
-
Spray mixture on glass and allow to penetrate.
-
Follow with a sponge or brush.
-
Rinse off.
-
Dry.
Alternative
When the job calls for a more heavy duty scrub here’s my favorite soft scrub alternative (Note: It’s actually the same one I use to clean my toilets.):
-3/4 cup baking soda
-Enough liquid castile soap to form a paste
-5 drops tea tree oil
-5 drops of lemon, lemongrass, or sweet orange oil (optional)
Directions: Add liquid castile soap to baking soda slowly until paste is formed. Then proceed to add tea tree oil and optional antiseptic essential oils. Apply scrub to sponge for use on shower doors. Allow paste to stay on glass for 5-10 minutes. Spray with vinegar and wipe off with sponge. Rinse off and then dry.
Tips and Notes
-The best time to clean soap scum is right after taking a warm shower. The heat and steam aid in loosening the scum and allow a bit more ease when scrubbing.
-Tea tree oil is a natural fungicide and carries many antiseptic properties. Tea tree oil will kill most of the bacteria found in the soap scum and help prevent growth.
-Dislike the smell of vinegar…fear not! The vinegar smell will fade within a few hours of cleaning.
-Read more about making your own homemade cleaners here…
-I like to purchase essential oils from Mountain Rose Herbs.
Be sure not to miss a post, click this link to receive my free eBook and Frugally Sustainable tips by email.
Thanks for the recipe! I'll have to give it a try.
Thank you for this great recipe!
I am going to have to try this! I have tried the awful chemical based ones and in addition to the horrible fumes, they never work! Thanks
I made up some of the heavy duty scrub. I used it to scrub my showers and toilets. I had some leftover so I used it to clean my stove and refrigerator. I still had more leftover so I scrubbed my kitchen sink and counters. I was really impressed with it when it got out some tough stains in my sink. I had been trying for "years" to get these stains out with all kinds of different cleaners. My husband came home and noticed how shiney my kitchen sink was and he was impressed with how great this simple cleaner worked. This cleaner is definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing it.
Ooh I am so going to try this! Thanks so much. We have an older home and no matter how hard I try I can not get the toilet in the master bath all the way clean. It drives me batty. I took a pumice stone to it yesterday and got the majority gone. It is like the finish is worn or something. I will try this and see how it works. It has to stay for now because we are saving to remodel the bathroom so I do what I can.
Oh I needed to know this! I have a half box of Borax left over from diapers. My shower looks eerily similar to your before pic! Seems like I wait until I have to bring out the big guns (Tilex) before I clean it. Then it stinks up the whole house. This is a fantastic safe idea! Me and my shower thank you : )
I LOVE THIS. I think you and I were cut from the same cloth. I did a whole post on cheap, organic cleaners for your entire home. The only missing cleaner that I haven't found is a toilet cleaner that actually works. I know the ol baking soda routine, etc. But it doesn't stay clean for a long time. Still doing my research on that one. Here's a link to my post on all of my green cleaners:
http://www.potholesandpantyhose.com/2010/04/stingy-green-cleanin/
Ps-I'll be back by stalking you tomorrow for your Wednesday Frugal Fest (that's my name for it, hope you don't mind!)
I think I'm going to love this… as soon as I get some Tea tree oil, I'm on it!
Thanks for linking it up!
again, bookmarking! I love your "recipes"
Do you have anything for oil face cleansers? I made my own using olive oil, vitamin E , and a teeny tiny amount of tee tree oil cleanser. Wonder if you had something ?
Thanks for the recipe! Going to look into trying it!
How timely as I just got done cleaning the shower stall…a job I despise!! I bookmarked this for future reference…thanks!
I can't wait to try this! Thanks for sharing this post with the Gallery of Favorites.
Thank you for all the info and recipes! Since I started making and using home made soap, I realize that it leaves quite the scum trail… this will be useful.
Thank you for sharing these great natural cleaning recipes with the Gallery of Favorites!
I'm pinning all your stuff on Pintrest.
I usually get rid of soap scum by just scrubbing with straight Borax and a wet sponge. This is a great recipe!
OR you could just use a magic eraser. The magic eraser cleans tubs and shower doors with soo much ease!
Do you know of any way to not use tea tree oil? My husband is allergic to it.
I tried this with AMAZING results. My husband was really impressed too. A little embarassing, but we thought we had a “frosted” glass shower door. Nope. All the other products had just left a thick film behind. I used the heavy duty scrub and really didn’t even scrub…more wiped and rinsed. Sparkling clear. Wow.