With just a little bit of ongoing care, you can keep a shower looking brand new. It’s much easier to keep a shower looking clean than to restore a shower that has started to build up gunk. These are the tips I used when I moved into my new apartment (which was a new build) and the shower has stayed looking brand new over the past few years.
3 Steps to Keeping Your Shower Looking Brand New
Use a Squeegee
The number one tip I have to keeping a shower looking brand new is to invest a couple of dollars in a squeegee. Water that is left on glass will begin to cause a build up and damage the glass. There are minerals in water and these cause water stains. These minerals will eventually etch into the glass turning it from looking nice and shiny, to foggy and dirty. And no matter how much you scrub, once the glass is damaged it can’t be easily repaired.
If you wipe down the glass after a shower with a squeegee your shower glass will continue to look brand new for years and years to come. It may sound like a bit of a chore, but in reality it takes me about 10 seconds to wipe over the glass. And once you do it for a week or two, it becomes part of your routine.
This makes a massive difference! Don’t even bother doing anything else, without doing this first.
Clean Once a Week
It’s important to clean your shower every week. If you put off this job, it can potentially allow moulds and other nasty stuff to take hold. Every time you shower, you leave soap scum. When soap scum builds up it leads to things like Pink Mould.
Use Dishwashing Liquid
This is how I clean my shower every week. I fill a small container with warm water and a squirt to dishwashing liquid. I use a microfibre cloth or just a regular sponge to wipe over the shower with the soapy liquid. I then rinse off the soapy water. It’s a good idea to also dry down the walls and glass. You can use a squeegee or a window vac. I’ve found that just dishwashing liquid (which is an excellent multi purpose cleaner) is effective at keeping the shower clean and free from build up. If you regularly clean the shower you won’t need to use harsher chemicals.
Treat Mould Correctly
If you do notice any mould or pink mould (which is actually bacteria), use a mould remover product. These contain bleaching agents which are effective at killing mould spores. Vinegar and other detergents won’t kill the mould on shower surfaces which are often slightly porous.
If you notice mould trapped under the silicone sealant there are silicone mould removers that work quite well.
Use Wax Paper on Chrome Fittings
Here’s a nifty hack to removing water marks on chrome fittings. After wiping them down using dishwashing liquid and rinsing that off, dry the fitting. Then use Wax Paper (known as greaseproof paper here in Australia) to wipe over the chrome fitting. You’ll be amazed how well this works!
Keep the Shower Dry
To prevent the build up of mould, keeping the shower dry between use is essential. Mould thrives in a damp conditions. Without water, mould won’t grow. If you live in a cooler climate (like me) running a dehumidifier after a shower makes a massive difference. I’ve found this has pretty much completely stopped mould growing.
You can also just run a squeegee over the shower, but this doesn’t work as well as a dehumidifier.
