Cleaning Bathroom Showers: How to Clean Ceramic, Stone and Fibreglass Showers

All of us expect to freshen up in a clean shower. But oil and dirt from the daily bath will land on bathroom shower floors, thereby attracting grime, bacteria and mildew. Hence, cleaning bathroom showers regularly is important to ensure that you can freshen up in a clean environment. 

What is the Frequency of Cleaning Bathroom Showers?

Every Week. You should thoroughly clean bathroom showers at your home every week and do one-minute maintenance each time you bathe as it can help you extend its deep-cleaning to two weeks. Also, wash the shower curtains seasonally or more times if required. 

Wipe down the shower walls and the doors using a bath towel or squeegee them daily after bath. Make sure to dip-dry the cleaning tools you use such as brushes and poofs, and clear excessive hair from the drains. You have no idea how much sticking to this quick cleaning routine will help stone, fibreglass, and ceramic tile enclosures look their best, making your weekly cleaning a lot easier. 

Cleaning Ceramic Tile Showers 

Grout is the main issue you will have to deal with while cleaning ceramic tile showers, and this can be more difficult to clean unsealed tiles. Tiles have pores on their surface, which will make them a perfect place for mould and mildew to grow. Hence, keeping ceramic tile showers clean is also important to maintain your overall health. Here’s how you can clean ceramic tile showers. 

Empty the Shower 

All showers are easier to clean after removing your shampoo bottles, body washes, poofs, and razors before you clean. Get rid of empty bottles, and wipe the remaining ones with a damp cloth dipped in warm water to clean the sticky messes. Also, remove the hair from the drain before cleaning to avoid clogging of water. 

Open the Windows, Turn on the Bathroom Fan and Wet the Walls 

Make sure to turn on the bathroom fan and open the bathroom windows and door to ventilate the fumes from cleaning supplies faster. Doing this will also help dry the shower fast after the cleaning. Now, wet the walls of the shower using a bucket or shower head to start with the cleaning. 

Clean the Mildew 

Clean mould and mildew from the shower walls before you start cleaning the grime. Prepare a solution using one part of chlorine bleach in two parts of water. Apply it to the affected areas using a sponge - make sure that you wear gloves while doing this. Let it sit for about ten minutes before scrubbing the grout using a soft brush - you can also use old toothbrushes to clean small corners. Follow the cleaning by rinsing the area with hot water. 

Note: Do not mix two cleaning solutions such as ammonia and chlorine bleach as they can emit toxic fumes. 

Apply Cleaning Solution on Walls 

The decision regarding using a commercial cleaner or a homemade solution is yours, but it is important to give it some time to work regardless of your choice. Spray the solution on the ceramic shower walls and the floor, and let it work for at least ten minutes to break the soap scum and soil to save your time and energy scrubbing away the dirt. 

Scrub and Rinse the Surfaces 

Clean the surface of the walls and floor using a sponge or plastic mesh scrubber, and avoid using hard brushes and scrubbers as they can scratch the surface of the tiles. Follow the cleaning by rinsing the surfaces with plain water from top to bottom. 

Dry the Surfaces 

Dry the surfaces by removing water using an old towel or squeegee. You might think that this step isn’t that important, but skipping this can result in the formation of water spots. 

Cleaning Stone Showers

Cleaning showers with granite, marble or any other natural stone is a bit different. You should wipe the shower walls after each use, and clean them once a week. 

Empty the Shower and Spray Cleaner 

Remove all loose items from the shower first and spray a commercial stone cleaner on the walls. You can also use a solution prepared using a tablespoon of dishwashing soap and a quart of warm water. Follow by wiping the surface using a microfibre cloth by applying pressure to remove the soap scum and water spots. Pour clean water, rinse the surfaces and dry them using a dry microfibre cloth from top to bottom to avoid the formation of streaks on the surface of the walls. 

Clean the Mildew 

Use a solution prepared using one part of chlorine bleach and one part of water to treat mildew on stone showers. Make sure that you wear gloves while doing this part. Apply the solution onto the affected surfaces using a soft sponge - you can also use a toothbrush to apply the solution to smaller grout areas. Leave the surfaces undisturbed for ten to fifteen minutes for the solution to work, and follow the cleaning by gently scrubbing the surface using a soft brush and rinsing with clean water. 

Apply Stone Sealer 

Natural stones require a barrier to avoid the penetration of chemicals and water into them. Hence, you need to apply a stone sealer in small sections after making the surfaces completely clean and dry. Sealing also helps prevent bacteria from getting into the crevices on the stone surface. Make sure to apply the solution only using a soft cloth, and polish the surface using a soft cloth to ensure that the stone sealer gets absorbed completely. You need to do this at least two times a year. 

Note: Make sure that you never use harsh cleaners and vinegar to clean stone showers as they can result in etching of the walls.

Cleaning Fibreglass Showers

Fibreglass showers are comparatively easy to clean. They are also durable if you clean them using the right cleaning products and tools. Make sure that you never clean the shower using anything that has the potential to scratch the glass. Soil and other dirt are likely to settle into the scratched areas, thereby making it difficult for you to clean them. 

Empty, Clean and Squeegee the Shower 

Just like cleaning every other type of shower, start by taking out all the loose items in the shower. Follow by spraying the shower walls and the floor with distilled white vinegar. Leave it undisturbed for a few minutes, and then wipe it down using a squeegee for the vinegar to cut through water spots and soap scum. 

Scrub the Floor 

Fibreglass showers are generally textured. Hence they require more scrubbing than usual to remove accumulated grime. You can use a soft-bristled brush or a soft scrubber to scrub away the grime. Follow by rinsing with clean water. You can use fibreglass boat wax to get a protective coating on the shower walls to resist the formation of water spots. But, make sure that you do not use boat wax on the floor because it will leave a slippery finish. 

How to Remove Tough Stains from Showers?

You will always come across stains in your shower that will seem impossible to remove, but you don’t have to worry since there will always be a way. We are talking about rust stains in bathrooms here. 

Removing Rust Stains from Showers 

The use of shaving creams can leave a rusty ring in the shower. You can apply a paste made of baking soda and lemon juice to the stain to treat it. If you find larger stains to remove, you will have to use a commercial cleaner with oxalic acid. 

Removing Adhesive Residues from Showers 

You’ve probably had stickers on shower floors before that you might want to remove. Apply some olive oil to saturate the area and let it sit for around fifteen to twenty minutes. Follow the cleaning by using a plastic scraper or the edge of an expired credit card to scrape and remove the residue. If you see residual glue after this, apply some rubbing alcohol on the surface using a cotton ball to remove it. 

Call a Professional Bathroom Shower Cleaning Service Provider

If you find it difficult to clean bathroom showers at your home all by yourself, reach us for a thorough cleaning. Our deep cleaning professionals are experienced to clean different types of showers for residential properties.. Download the Sendhelper app from Google Play or App Store and request a deep cleaning service in Singapore. 

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