Here’s the easy DIY recipe for the best shower door cleaner EVER using Dawn & vinegar~safe, non-toxic, and inexpensive!
The Best Shower Door Cleaner Isn’t Found at the Grocery Store
I am a stickler for clean shower doors and have searched for years for the “best product” to do the job. A few years ago, I was surprised to find out that the best shower door cleaner was a surprising mixture of inexpensive products that I already had at home. This mixture can’t be bought “ready made” at the store, but it can be made in minutes at home!
How does Dawn and Vinegar work to clean shower doors?
I don’t know the science behind it, but I’ve read that the detergent in Dawn breaks down grease and grime, while the acidic vinegar removes residue and imparts shine. Amonia based window cleaners won’t tackle tough shower doors, which are dirtier than most windows (due to soap scum).
My shower doors are proof that this solution works.
I’ve been using this solution for years, and I’ve had my shower doors for almost 8 years. The photos in this post were taken recently (to update this post). The shine you see is the real deal. This solution works.
Before discovering the Dawn and vinegar solution, I tried myriad store bought products that claimed to clean shower doors. Nothing yielded good results. The bottom line is that cleaning shower doors is a very challenging task, and soap scum is hard to remove without the right ingredients.
Fortunately, the right ingredients are simple, inexpensive, and effective. All you need is Dawn, white vinegar, and a professional spray bottle.
If you’ll use this several times weekly, your shower doors will stay clear and clean, as soap scum will be kept at bay. Below I share in a video how I make and use this Dawn & Vinegar Shower Door Cleaner…..
How to Make the Best Shower Door Cleaner Ever with Dawn & Vinegar
Materials
- 1 part Dawn liquid (1 1/2 cups)
- 1 part white vinegar (1 1/2 cups)
- 1 good sprayer (Zep is my fave)
Tools
- Heat 1 1/2 cups vinegar in the microwave for 2 minutes.
- Pour vinegar into spray bottle.
- Add 1 1/2 cups liquid Dawn to spray bottle.
- Shake well.
1) Have a funnel handy so that you can easily fill the sprayer with both solutions.
2) Heat vinegar before adding the Dawn. Supposedly, heating the vinegar prior to adding the Dawn makes the solution mix together more efficiently, so I always heat my vinegar when making a new bottle of solution.
3). Put the solution in a professional sprayer. I found a Zep professional sprayer at Home Depot, and it is far superior to any sprayer I’ve ever used. It is sturdy, comfortable in the hand, and sprays a large surface area with each pull of the trigger. I tried a few inexpensive sprayers before tossing them all and getting one that works. This sprayer can also be purchased here on amazon but is less expensive at Home Depot.
4) Keep a squeegee in the shower to use with the spray. The OXO Good Grips All-Purpose Squeegee is my favorite for both shower doors and windows. It is much easier and less expensive than cloths or paper towels.
Note: If you do the process while showering, be prepared for a strong vinegar smell. This doesn’t bother me at all, as vinegar is natural and non-toxic.
So there you have it~my favorite cleaning hack for the bathroom~Dawn Shower Door Cleaner. I hope you try this; if so, please comment so the rest of us can hear your thoughts!!! As always, thanks so much for stopping by. Be blessed, and stay (shower door) savvy!!!
Hi Sheila! Personally, I would not spray this on a shower curtain (I wash showers curtains in the washer and put them out to dry). But if you try it, please let us know how it turns out!
Can you spray it on your shower curtain?
Hi Carol, thanks for sharing your good results! We have hard water too and also have great results with this solution. Have a great day!!!!
worked great it got all the hard water off the glass and no streaks
Kathleen, thank you so much for letting us all know that this works on frosted glass. It is super helpful when readers share comments. Thank you for taking the tine!!! XoXoXo
Yea, it worked to remove those awful streaks on the frosted shower doors. Thank you!!
Kathleen! I honestly don’t know because my glass is clear. But I don’t know why it wouldn’t work. The ingredients are natural so shouldn’t hurt. If you try it, please let us hear how it turns out. Xoxo
Will this work on frosted glass? I used some cleaning product I shouldn’t have and it’s streaked really badly. Help!!
Hi Kathryn!! I am so happy that you found my site helpful!! And thank you for sharing it with others:-) Bleasings to you, my friend!!
XoXo
Great and quite useful recipes! I’m recently trying to use more natural cleaning solutions and your pieces of advice seem to be quite effective for me. Definitely trying and recommending this post to some friends. Greets!
So glad this worked for you, and LOVE the Dawn tip for laundry!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!! Blessings to you!!!! XoXo
And I’ve never used on granite:-)
Hi Susan! I spray mine all over the doors before getting in the shower. Leave on during shower. Wipe down with wet washcloth after shower. Rinse. Let air dry. I am sure you could do it any other way; that is just my routine. XoXo
A little confused…do you spray this on wet shower doors before the squeegy? Is it ok for granite?
This worked great for me. Used dollar store sprayer and dollar store scrub brush and the shower walls look great again. I didn’t heat the vinegar…used a couple pumps of dawn…..very small sprayer. Rinsed afterward with shower nozzle.
Another dawn tip. I’ve stopped buying spot cleaners for laundry…just used very watered down dawn. No grease stains!
Hi John! I just spray it on before stepping into the shower and let it sit while I shower. Then I spray it off and wipe it down after showering. It is about 3 -5 minutes for me. Just see what works for you!
You don’t say how long to keep the solution on for?
Hi Tracy! I typically get about a month’s worth out of my bottle, but it just depends on how often you clean. If you clean daily, it might not last that long. So glad you love it. It is one of my all time fave tips:-) XoXo
I have tried the vinegar and Dawn mixture, and its the best, I just wondering how long the mixture last
Also thank you
Suhana, I just saw your comment; I apologize for being so late to reply!! Thank you for your kind words. I’ve never had shower iron so can’t be any help in this area. If you find out a solution, please let me know!!!! Have a wonderful day!!!! XoXo
Hi Patti! It is amazing, isn’t it?! Thank you so much for the marketing suggestion:-) It is all natural and just a savvy tip that I love sharing on the blog! Happy you’ve found it!!!:-)
I couldn’t believe how your solution worked. It cleaned the scum right off, but the magic part is that the shine LASTS for a long time. It’s better and certainly cheaper than anything else I’ve tried. You should market this somehow. Thank you!
Helpful recipe and informative. Helpful Information. I Appreciate your hard work. It will be helpful for every housekeeper. I benefit so much from your knowledge! Love your style! How can I remove shower iron?
I thought Dawn wasn’t toxic being they use it on birds and animals to clean oil off them.
Maybe mixed with something it is worse
Hi Marsha, that must be maddening! I wonder if leaving the solution on overnight might work? It definitely works for soap scum; hard water spots might require another formula. Please let me know if you find something that works. Comments are super helpful. Good luck!!!
I have stubborn hard water spots on my shower door. I tried Dawn and vinegar and it didn’t work all. I have also tried everything under the sun and nothing has worked. Very frustrating.
Hi Angela! I let the solution sit while I shower (or work for a few minutes), then I wipe the glass down with a wet cloth. You can squeegee or dry after that. So, yes, you do rinse:-)
I tried this do I rinse off prior to squeegee?
Because I didn’t and it looks like soap still on the glass
Jamie,
Your solution was absolutely amazing! My shower glass doors never looked better. I am a recently divorced man and I must admit I never cleaned a shower I became single in August of 2017. I like you tried soap scum removers… spray and walk away lies from many products. All of them full of chemicals and I felt stoned after using a lot of them. Your Dawn and Vinegar solution was absolutely the best… it worked the first time on my caked on soap scum shower doors!!! I am extremely happy with the results. Thank you so much! Mark
Wendy – what is the product that you use on your glass / windows?
Wendy
APR 24, 2016 @ 04:13:55
I have a car washing product you spray on after you have cleaned your screens and it will stop anything clinging onto your glass. Only needs doing twice a year, smells great too. I am a professional car detailer and can guarantee success, all natural products. Many other household uses as well,
Hi Anita! I would not recommend using vinegar on marble; I fear that would cause etching:-( Perhaps find a reputable marble dealer and call and ask for best cleaning products. Hope you find what works for you!!
I have marble walls in my shower, no doors. Is it safe to use the dawn/vinegar solution on the marble or will it pit. If so what do you recommend?
Hi Anthony! I have only used the solution as I shared in the post; however, if you try the other mixture and it works, let us know!!
Now see, the Mix I read, said 32 Oz spray bottle, 1 cup Dawn. and fill the rest of the way with the white vinegar . In other words 1 part dawn, and 3 parts vinegar .
So do you think 1/2 and 1/2 is better?
Hi Gina, I have honed travertine walls and floor in my shower also. I just make sure to rinse the solution each time. I’ve been told sealing once a year is the best way to take care of travertine, so I haven’t made any other modifications. Hope this helps!!!
I have honed travertine on my shower floor, and would like to try to use the vinegar -Dawn cleaning idea for my glass shower door, however will this cause pitting in my travertine floor if I rinse off the door with water ? How do you get the mixture off the glass without it hitting the shower floor ? Are there other suggestions. Thanks
Hi Cynthia! I’ve never used anything but the white. You can certainly give it a try; however, since apple cider vinegar is sometimes brown, I wonder if it might stain? Let us know if you try it!!!!
Will apple cider vinegar work as a substitute for white? I have the cider vinegar on hand already.
Thanks for this helpful info!!! Gotta love Dawn!!!!
Heating the vinegar just speeds up the reaction between the vinegar and the Dawn. For every 10 degrees C one raises the temp of a chemical reaction, you double the speed of that reaction. It does not change the reaction. Dawn has a pH of 9. Common vinegar has a pH of 2.4 Some or all of the alkaline part of the Dawn will be neutralized by the vinegar.
If this combination actually did improve the cleaning action of Dawn, you can be guaranteed that P&G would formulate a Dawn shower spray. Likely, you would get the same result with Dawn diluted 1 to 1 with water. Dawn is a very strong cleaner. I use it to clean automotive grimes from my hands.
NEVER Spray any vinegar on granite! Nor any mixture with vinegar in it. It will pit granite.
For a 22oz. spray bottle (I reuse cleaned out Spic n Span spray bottles) here is the recipe I use:
1c. White Vinegar
1\2c. Dawn (any kind)
Rest water
Plastic scrubber
I have a plastic coating on my shower walls (Bath Fitter Shower) and can’t use Comet, etc. This works like a charm. First time I cleaned with the Dawn mixture got about 90% of the scum off. I cleaned it a 2nd time about a week later and the walls were like new. I did not heat the vinegar, just mixed it after I put both in the bottle with water. (Gently rock bottle back and forth. If you shake it, it’s going to suds up!)Some say to use apple cider vinegar. I don’t think it makes a difference. I have not tried this on glass, but it does work on plexiglass\acrylic shower doors. I spray it on and let it sit for about 10 minutes, then spray it again when I start scrubbing.
Hi Debbie! I have the glass shower doors but have heard from some friends that it works on their acrylic. Give it a try; it can’t hurt. Let me hear how it works!
Does this work on acrylic shower doors as well or only glass ones?
Harvey, I certainly apologize for misleading anyone, and I’ve made the changes in the post. Thanks for pointing out that Dawn is neither natural nor non-toxic. That being said, the solution of Dawn and vinegar works beautifully to clean shower doors. We will just use for that purpose. Thanks for sharing all of this info!!!
Hope it does the job for you, Brooke!! Thanks so much for writing!
I use this Dawn + vinegar mixture regularly and like what it can do. However, there are a couple of factual errors in your post that you should perhaps revisit. Firstly, this is NOT a non-toxic mixture. To say, “..it does so with completely natural, non-toxic ingredients” is grossly misleading (and, some might say, irresponsible). Vinegar is natural and non-toxic, but should still be treated with some care since it’s an acid. Acetic acid, to be more precise. Dawn dish soap is a chemical soup that has never claimed to be either natural or non-toxic.
Proctor & Gamble have listed some of the ingredients on their website (https://www.pg.com/productsafety/search_results.php?searchtext=Dawn&category=ingredients&submit=Search)
Please read them so you know what you are exposing yourself and family to. Do some Google searches on the ingredients and you will quickly find that Dawn contains many nasties, some of which are banned in other countries. This doesn’t mean that the cleaner combination shouldn’t be used (as I say, I use it) but people do need to be aware of exactly what they are using.
Secondly, heating the vinegar doesn’t make it “bond” better. Heating vinegar slightly makes the acid effect a little stronger. Most people wouldn’t notice any difference. If you use cleaning vinegar there is no need to heat at all since cleaning vinegar (usually 6%, sometimes as high as 12%) is stronger than the typical kitchen 5% vinegar.
Don’t use this mix on granite, travertine, marble, or any natural stone/tiles. The acid of the vinegar will cause pits in natural stone products. For this reason, care must be taken with the spray bottle and cloths – don’t put them down onto natural stone materials.
Please change the claims of this being non-toxic and natural. If it gets on a child’s skin or is ingested this mix has really horrible consequences. Ingested, it can kill.
I hope this helps your readers.
It is so nice to have specific, detailed instructions for this type of cleaning solution. Shower doors can be tricky to clean, especially when they are mostly glass. This seems like a very easy solution to try, so I will be going to the store to buy a professional sprayer soon. Thank you for a helpful and informative article!
Hi Christopher! Thanks so much for sharing this!
I use the mixture you posted, but I also use another mixture I found on Pinterest, but altered it a bit. Where I live we have pretty hard water that leaves hard water deposits on the tile. I use this mixture 2-3 times a week and yours for the once every week or two since I live alone.
It called for 24 Oz of water. I put in 8 Oz vinegar and the rest distilled water. 1/2 c hydrogen peroxide, 1/2 c rubbing alcohol, 2 T Blue Dawn dish detergent, 3 tsp Jet Dry rinse. I spray it on about 5 minutes or so before I start my shower. While I’m in the shower I have a tile scrub brush and hit any areas that might need it, which is not very often. I have an old wash cloth that I’ll lightly scrub the tiles with. When I’m finished with my shower I’ll rinse the tile and bathtub out. I’ll do this the 2-3 times a week. By doing this, it cuts down on the heavier cleaning.
Hi Christopher! I agree with you! Zep sprayers are the best!! Mine are still going strong!!!
I have been using Zep Professional Sprayers for years. I worked at Home Depot and came across them there around 1997-98. I will only use them because they work. I would say the average sprayer lasts at least 10 years, which is about how often I have moved. As it has been said, nice larger spray handle, that is easy to grip, larger spray area, having to spray less often. The Ace Hardware near me sells them for $4.50, Home Depot $3.28. Ace is across the street from me, Home Depot is a 10-15 minute drive.
Yes, I’d love to hear if it works!!
I use Sunlight dish liquid for my dishes. I’ll give it a try with this, and let you know how it goes.
Having a handheld shower head would be the trick…which I don’t…so went out and bought a squeegee…thanks for your reply! Really does work on the scum..
Hi Nan! I wipe mine down with the washcloth that I shower with, then I rinse with the handheld shower head. It comes off easily for me. Hope this helps!
Works on soap scum, but definitely a lot of effort to get the soapy dawn mixture off the doors….think I will get a squeegee and try that…
Thanks for sharing, Wendy!!!
I have a car washing product you spray on after you have cleaned your screens and it will stop anything clinging onto your glass. Only needs doing twice a year, smells great too. I am a professional car detailer and can guarantee success, all natural products. Many other household uses as well,
Peter, thanks so much for letting us know that it works for shower walls too! I have travertine, so I need to make sure it won’t harm the natural stone. Will report back when I find out! Blessings!
I found this same recipe elsewhere for the entire shower. I used it, and it works. You just let it set for a few minutes and rinse.
It works on walls too.
Hi Lee! So glad it worked beautifully with a generic dish soap! Now that you have your doors squeaky clean, all it takes it a few days a week maintenance. Thanks so much for sharing this with us. Blessings to you!
Hi Jamie! I just tried this with a generic dishwashing soap and it worked like a charm! I sprayed and rinsed the inside of my glass shower door about 3 times to make sure to get the scum off. The third time, I let the solution sit on the glass for a few minutes and then rinsed it off. The glass is sparkling! Thanks for the all-natural tip! :)
Hi Sarah, this is for shower doors only. I am sure that another type of mixture would be better for walls depending on the type of material. Hope this helps!
I have always liked shower enclosures a lot, but have always found the glass to be difficult to clean. Hopefully this is going to be able to work for me, because then I won’t have to deal with scrubbing so much. Does this help with cleaning the rest of the walls too, or is it just a glass door cleaner?
Susan, thanks for taking time to comment! I am so thrilled that you enjoy the blog. Blessings to you!!!
It’s a very simple and efficient recipe. My sister is trying recently to quit using harsh chemical detergents and to clean more naturally, so your post will be of a great help for her. I’m definitely recommending your tips to her and to some friends too. Greets, Susan from http://bloomsburycarpetcleaners.org.uk/ :)
It’s a very simple and efficient recipe. My sister is trying recently to quit using harsh chemical detergents and to clean more naturally, so your post will be of a great help for her. I’m definitely recommending your tips to her and to some friends too. Greets,
Hi Amber! I’ve never used any other brand except Dawn. When doing the research for the formula, everything that I read said to use Dawn. I hope this helps!!!
Does it have to be Dawn or will it work with any other brand?
Hi Melodie! I just leave it on during my shower and wipe it off with my washcloth before getting out. No squeegee necessary:-)
How long do you leave it on before you use the squeegee?
Hi Gretchen, I usually just spray it before I shower, then use my washcloth after showering to wipe it down before rinsing. It is much easier than using a squeegie:-) Thanks for commenting!
Do you spray it and let it “set” and then rinse? Or spray then wipe? Do you think once a week would keep it clean?…I’m not a squeegie-after-every-shower kind of girl…
Hi Arlene,
I’ve never tried it so don’t know. If you find out, let us know how it works!
Do you think this solution would work on the inside and outside of car windshields? It is so hard to cut the grease etc. on the glass.
Lesley, thanks so much for the compliments! We are definitely enjoying our new bathroom space:-) Blessings to you!
Love how the bath and shower are separate but are in the same wall. This would be a pretty simple design to do. I’m in love with the grey tiles too.
Yes! Finally someone writes about access bathroom requires.
Hi Jennifer! I have new shower tile~honed travertine~and am not worried at all about the solution. Since I spray it and leave it on just while showering, I think it is fine. I just make sure to rinse well after using.
Can this solution cause any problem with granite, ceramic tile or grout? Under the shower door is a granite threshold and we have small grouted tiles on shower floor.
Hi Janice! It keeps well sitting out until time to refill! I do shake mine if it ever needs it; otherwise, it has a great shelf life!!
Can this mixture sit until the next use or do you have to mix a fresh mix every time you need to clean?