Best Ways To Clean Glass Shower Doors With Hard Water Stains

Hard water has a habit of leaving behind stains on plenty of surfaces. For those unsure how to deal with it, hard water stains just become a part of life. Those pesky stains show up on top of taps, on mirrors, on silverware, and, often, annoyingly, on glass shower doors. How do you remove it when it’s on your glass shower doors?

The best way to clean glass shower doors with hard water stains is by using a solution of water and white vinegar or dishwashing soap. These solutions can be to remove light white stains which, while harder stains necessitate more intense solutions. For severe stains, consider using sandpaper or Barkeepers Friend.

This article will provide you with the best ways to clean hard water stains off of your glass shower doors. You don’t need to continue searching for the answer since we have all you need to know, right here in one spot.

The first thing to know is that not all water is created equal. Water can be placed into two categories. It can be either soft or hard. Hard water has many minerals in it, such as calcium and magnesium. People who get their water from a well may have experience with hard water.

On the other hand, soft water is water that only has one mineral: sodium. Those that suffer with hard water may use a water softener to remove minerals. All water starts off as soft water when it rains back to the earth. However, it becomes hard water when it picks up minerals from the ground.

Also, it can change states when it mixes into other bodies of water that are hard water.

While soft water does not create stains, it can taste saltier than hard water. This is due in large part to the way water softeners filter out the nutrients in the water.

The filter uses sodium ions in order to remove the calcium and magnesium in the hard water. After softening, sodium is left behind which can give the water a salty taste. It can also feel “slimy” or like soap is hard to rinse off.

Not all water softeners rely on sodium to get the job done. However, these alternative filters can be more expensive which leaves them as a second choice for many people.

The most surefire way to get rid of hard water stains is to get rid of the hard water altogether. You can do this with a water softening filter, which strips the water of its minerals. Another, cheaper way to get rid of a hard water stain is prevention!

Stopping it before it even gets the chance to form is the best way to keep your shower doors and other surfaces from getting stained. That means you have to make sure the water doesn’t have time to set and evaporate. This will require drying your tub, shower doors, and other surfaces immediately after use.

Your glass shower doors are a particularly vulnerable surface. Once water touches a surface, you can use a miniature squeegee or cloth to remove it. This way, it doesn’t have a chance to evaporate and leave that metal residue behind.

Mix one part dishwashing liquid to three parts vinegar in a container or spray bottle. Instead of dishwashing soap, you can also use lemon juice, if you prefer. Spray or cover the area in need of de-staining thoroughly. You can wear a cloth on your face to mask the smell if the vinegar is too strong for you.

It will need to sit for at least a half an hour but an hour or two would not be amiss. This will allow the solution to work its magic.

Once you’ve let it sit, you can scrub the stain off your glass shower door. A toothbrush can be used to get the hard-to-reach spots. Voila! Your stains should be all gone.

When vinegar and soap fail, something else must be used. Something that can scrape off the minuscule minerals that have clung to the glass becomes necessary. Wet/dry sandpaper is a great scrubbing material that’ll leave your glass gleaming. Packs can be found on Amazon or at hardware stores.

However, you need to make sure to get the right kind of sandpaper so that the glass itself isn’t compromised. This threshold is between around the #3000 – #7000 grit — other grits can scratch your glass.

Starting at #3000 grit, wet the sandpaper and glass with water, and then scrub the surface in circles. Gradually swap sandpapers to higher grit levels until your surface sparkles.

Water softening filters are often available at home improvement stores such as Home Depot. They range in the price, generally $300 to $4000. The price depends on what brand and strength of water softener you choose.

Water softening systems can be set up to filter all the water coming into the home. There are also shower head softening systems, if you need something smaller. According to Water Filter magazine, shower head softeners are not as effective as full-home systems, however.

Water softening filters may be pricey, but they’re important for much more than hard water stains. Soft water allows you to use less soap because the minerals in soft water cause the soap to be less effective.

It can be more beneficial to hair and skin as well. Plus, it is also not as corrosive to household appliances, meaning you don’t have to spend money on replacements.

Not only that, but hard water can also cause your clothes to fade with time. So, when you add all of the incidental costs, the softener may be more affordable than you think.