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Can You Steam Clean Glass Shower Doors?

Your glass shower door can quickly become a nasty sight in your bathroom because of constant contact with water, soap, and shampoo.

Even a vigorous scrubbing with a damp cloth may not be enough to remove all those watermarks and stains on the shower glass.

But if you have a steam cleaner at home, you know it can clean all sorts of things without using harsh chemicals. The question is: can you steam clean your glass shower doors?

Here’s everything you need to know.

steam cleaning glass shower door

Can You Use Steam Cleaner on Glass Shower Doors?

Yes, a steam cleaner can be used for cleaning glass shower doors if traditional wiping and scrubbing cleaning methods are not effective.

Grime buildup and hard water deposits on shower glass are notoriously difficult to get rid of and using a steam cleaner can loosen these stubborn stains.

Steam cleaning is one of the quickest and most effective methods for cleaning glass shower doors.

The Benefits of a Steam Cleaner in the Bathroom

These reasons will encourage you to get a steam cleaner right away if you don’t already have one in your bathroom.

  • The heat from the pressurized steam can break down almost anything staining your glass shower door – dirt, soap scum, and limescale.

  • The heat from the steam cleaner can also kill 99.9% of bathroom germs and bacteria.

  • Using a steam cleaner, you can clean the shower glass and other parts of your bathroom without using harsh cleaners and chemicals.

  • Steam cleaning is faster, easier, and more effective.

How to Steam Clean Glass Shower Doors

Here’s how to keep your glass shower doors clean, stain-free, and 100% germ-free.

1. Fill the Machine with Distilled Water

Use distilled water to fill your steam cleaner. It’s the best and safest way to prevent corrosion in your steam cleaner and the cleanest option for cleaning your glass shower door. You might use tap water as long as you have potable and soft water in your home.

If your tap water is hard, the hard minerals, like iron and calcium, can build up inside the steam cleaner.

Prepare your steam cleaner, fill the tank, and let it heat up as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

2. Blast the Shower Glass with Steam to Remove Top Layer of Dirt

Give your glass shower door an initial pressurized rinse using the steam cleaner. It will remove any dirt and soap scum on the surface and help loosen up the mineral buildup.

3. Prep Your Shower Doors to Remove Buildup

Next, you have to prep the shower glass with your preferred cleaning method to get rid of stains and mineral buildup. You can mix an equal amount of vinegar and water inside a spray bottle and spray the solution over the glass shower door on both sides.

Leave the solution to sit for around an hour or two to dissolve the stubborn soap scum and limescale deposits.

4. Steam Clean the Shower Glass Top to Bottom

Now, it’s time to let your steam cleaner do that hard work for you. Use an appropriate accessory for your steam cleaner. You can begin with a soft-bristled brush to remove loosened limescale buildup and switch to a squeegee near the end.

Run the steam cleaner with the brush all over the glass shower door, working from top to bottom to avoid staining areas where you’ve already done steam cleaning with the dirty run-off.

Depending on how stubborn the grime and mineral buildup are in the glass, you might have to do this step twice or more.

5. Pat Dry the Shower Glass

After running the squeegee attachment of the steam cleaner, it’s time to wipe your shower door down using a clean microfiber cloth.

Finally, you can admire your clean and spotless glass shower door.

How to Maintain the Shine of Your Glass Shower Door

Cleaning your shower glass is a time and energy-consuming task, yet it is essential. A thorough wash using a steam cleaner should remove all dirt and grime, and keeping your glass shower door squeaky clean afterward is a matter of regular cleaning.

Make it a habit to do periodic top-up cleanings on your shower glass so that the task will be much easier and less time-consuming than the initial steam cleaning.

Other tips to keep your glass shower door looking like new:

  • Clean your shower door after a hot, steamy shower. The warm water and steam from your shower have already loosened the dirt and grime. It’s easier to do daily quick cleanings after a hot shower rather than doing excessive scrubbing when the dirty buildup has gone too far.

  • Preventative maintenance is key, so set a deep-cleaning schedule for your glass shower door. In general, you’ll need to deep clean your shower glass once every month or once every two months.

  • Consider applying water-repellent products on your newly steam cleaned glass shower door every so often. A temporary sealant will make the glass glossy and prevent soap and minerals from sticking to the glass for some time.

Choosing the Best Steam Cleaner for Shower Doors

When looking for a steam cleaner for your glass shower doors, consider these features:

  • Lightweight and agile. Portable and handheld steam cleaners are best for reaching tricky areas of your shower doors.

  • Features, attachments, and ability to clean multiple bathroom surfaces like glass shower doors, floors, curtains, tubs, walls, and sinks.

  • Can utilize other cleaning agents like disinfectants and detergents if you want to.

  • High-pressure steamer instead of a normally pressured steamer to dislodge even the most stubborn dirt and buildup.

Mandy Phillips

As a frequent contributor to top US magazines and publications in the home improvement niche, Mandy has been known for sharing her expertise on how to clean, organize, and decorate bathrooms.

Additionally, Mandy has immense experience offering lifestyle tips and tricks to her readers.

About Loo Academy

At Loo Academy, our mission is to offer trusted advice for everything related to bathrooms (design ideas, plumbing advice, showering & bathing tips, remodeling guides, and more) — a place where we all spend a great deal of time.

We work closely with qualified experts and follow a thorough editing and fact-checking process before publishing content.

Published content is regularly fact-checked and revised so that the information we provide is accurate and up-to-date.

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