Tales of a Sometimes-Maid: Shower Door (and a lot more!) Cleaner

When Ella was a year old, we moved into a house with a glass shower stall. No matter how much I scrubbed and cleaned and begged and cursed, it NEVER looked clean. EVER.
I usually clean house on Saturdays, and one Saturday, the landlady and I met up in the shared laundry area and she asked me how I liked the living quarters.

"Great!" I replied, "I love the big rooms and the yard, but...that shower door. How did you clean it before we moved in?"

"I didn't." she said. "It's hideous, isn't it?"

So, I lived in the house with the evil shower door for another two years, silently cursing it every time I stepped into the bathroom. And then we moved out into a house with a tub and I never ever ever thought one single thought about it until the summer of 2010 when I started a job with a cleaning agency and every.single.flipping.rental.house had a glass shower stall. And I fought with them and fought with them, and tried EVERY SINGLE COMMERCIAL PRODUCT and it still wasn't enough, but the rental house people and the agency people were happy, so it was all good.

I don't work for the agency anymore, but I've been known to clean the odd house or two here and there, between my regular job and my household responsibilities. The house we live in has an amazing garden tub and NOT a glass shower stall, so for the most part I don't worry about it. Until earlier this week, when I found out I would be cleaning a seldom used bathroom with a glass shower stall.

Why was it seldom used, you ask?
Because glass shower doors were invented by the devil.
Actually, they were invented by Ralph T. Casebolt in 1964.
The bathroom is seldom used because when the current owner moved in, the shower doors were disgusting and horrible, and there were two other perfectly good bathrooms, neither of which had glass shower doors.

I looked around on Pinterest and found something that I thought I would give a try, especially since the cleaner itself is only two ingredients and I had both of them on hand.

And you guys, it worked. Like birds-flying-into-a-window worked.

All you need is:
one cup vinegar
one cup blue Dawn dish soap
two spray bottles
a glass measuring cup
water

You warm the vinegar in the glass measuring cup for about 30 seconds. Put the blue Dawn into a spray bottle. Add the vinegar. Shake, shake, shake. Fill the other spray bottle with water.

For posterity, here is the disgusting shower door.

Bleh. It makes me shudder every time I look at it.

You spray this stuff all over the soap scummy grossness, and walk off for 10 minutes.

Come back, spray the whole mess down with water, and wipe with a paper towel. Everything turned super soapy and white and I had a moment of "oh Lordy, what have I done? Have I made it worse?"

That STILL gives me a panic attack. Turn the shower on and walk away. Come back...

...to this!!! Both pictures were taken through the shower door. Incredible!!! Angels were singing. Well, not really, but the homeowner said the bathroom would be used and open to guests from now on. I also cleaned the sinks and faucets with this and they look brand new! Pinterest for the win!!!