Joy

Others on this forum have convinced me that most of the scum problem in tubs and showers is caused by using bar soap, which has a stabilizer that sticks to the tub or surround. I've just started using a body wash instead of bar soap but haven't got enough of a history with it to say if it's true.

kanders

soft scrub (non bleach type)

dawn original

cascade (liquid/jel) works great for removing water spots
~as it does for your dishes~

vinegar also works great
(wear a mask, the fumes will kill ya)

hopes this helps !

I tried CLR for many things in past. My brother bot a big thing of it, so I tried it. I don't know what the hype is about it, as everything I tried it on did NOT work!

I've also tried the cleanser, window cleaners, etc.

So many peeps talk about fab soft sheets. I have not tried that yet. (but intend to)

Best thing I've found = good ol' "Lime-Away".

I'm sure it must be caustic - just as bleach, ammonia (have you tried ammonia yet?), S.O.S., cleansers, etc.

Since your shower doors are still "new", I don't know. Is there any chance of contacting the mfg of these to find out how to clean?

I lived in a rental once & tried EVERYTHING to clean the tiles on floor/walls of shower to no avail. I went into a "Tile Store" to ask about products to clean tiles. THEY COULDN'T TELL ME! They didn't know! (I learned a lesson that day - don't buy anything until you know all details of maintenance FIRST- lol!)

A few years later, we lived in another rental with a jacuzzi out back (drained and dirty). I found some "Foamy Lime-away" at the local thrift/drug store. Spent about $20 bucks on that stuff, and it cleaned up nicely when all else failed.
(Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target...NONE of those places carried the "Foamy Lime-Away" - only place I could find it was at the "Thrifty Drug Store" - and they are gone now! I know the product was there, I just don't know where to find it today. Haven't looked for it in recent years.)

Even if you choose to use it, the orig "Lime-Away" should work. It's like water - so you have to start at top - spray some on and be ready to "catch" the "run-down" streaks. Work in sections from top to bottom.

WARNING: Whatever you use - make sure you have plenty ventilation, and do NOT use ammonia/bleach products together! IS FATAL!

Interesting, I had forgotten about the corn starch for cleaning - worth a try!

(Also, once you get it clean - have you considered using some sort of "glass wax"? Like one may use on auto windows??)

I don't know if I was of any help, but thot I'd put my 2 cents in...

Joy

What did Kohler tell you to use when they replaced the doors? I had a similar experience and was told never to use TILEX or anything with amonia. (No Windex!) The Tilex I used had permanantly etched the glass. They recommended Comet heavy duty bathroom spray for shower doors but it has been discontinued. Comet recommended CINCH.

Clean Shower has alcohol and soap in it. Calcium eventually dissolves in alcohol.

I tried thile's method: rubbing the glass door with a sheet of wet Bounce. Amazing! It only took minutes to get rid of years of build up. Of course, we know not to use bar soap ever again.

au contraire (or some such spelling). I've used Zest soap for 35 years. Every time I try Dial, scum city. Zest is a great bar soap even in hard water.

It seems to have worked. I figured if it was safe for auto paint (the older models b4 clear coat), that it should be safe for glass as well. I just checked the can, and it says it can be used on chrome, so I'd think using it on glass would be no different.

I will report back later when I have a chance to do more of it. It may end up with swirl marks, but I don't see that as being any worse than the way it is now.

Sue

Cornstarch is a microabrasive powder, mixed with water it's softened just enough to move around safely without scratching and clings (so you dont have to vacuum afterwards). Since its small (hence the micro) it fits into the little imperfections and scratches on the door.

I tried the softener sheet on my parents bathroom shower sheet dry, and it works pretty well. This is because it also abrasive, and the frayed fibers on it also get into the little cracks. The softener itself, some may know, is a mild detergent. This is evident when after scrubbing with it, you have a slimy coating on your hand that smells nice and foams up, leaving your hand shiny cleean and oh-so-soft.

This stuff is so difficult to get off because being a liquid, it can easily flow inot the little scratches and stuff in the glass, which in return acts like a shelf, allowing the watter to stick there. In time this can actually become damaging to the glass, so for personal relief and preventing damage be sure to clean it regularly.

Oh and, bleach, ammonia, vinegar, etc, are all corrosive acids, using these over and over will probably damage your glass, so dont let it linger, and if it doesnt work the first time, try something else. Salt water will also help kill any mold in the area, but use distilled water to mix it, otherwise its kinda pointless to wash hard water stains with hard water...

Email me if you have any questions!

To keep new doors from having an issue, try a goating of liquid car wax.

Goog luck!

SG

Katie

OK, SO I'VE TRIED ALMOST EVERYTHING: KABOOM, SHOUT, WATER/VINEGAR MIX, MR. CLEAN ERASER, DRYER SHEET (WHICH LEFT A SMALL SCRATCH IN THE GLASS), ETC... I FINALLY CAME ACROSS A SUGGESTION: MR. CLEAN ERASER + A LITTLE DISHWASHING DETERGENT... I THOUGHT 'WHAT THE HECK' I HAD ALREADY TRIED MR. CLEAN ERASER BY ITSELF, WHY NOT... TRIED IT... IT WAS AWESOME... THIS IS HOW I DID IT...

1. APPLIED A LITTLE BIT OF DISHWASHING DETERGENT TO THE CENTER OF A MR. CLEAN ERASER.
2. APPLIED TO MY GLASS DOORS.
3. USED A WET TOWEL TO WIPE THE SOAP OFF (IN CASE YOU'RE WONDERING, THE TOWEL WAS WHITE, ALTHOUGH I DON'T THINK THAT MATTERS.)
4. USED ANOTHER TOWEL TO WIPE DRY.

IT LEFT THE DOORS SPARKLING CLEAN! NO SOAP SCUM, NO RESIDUE, NO STREAKS... THEY LOOKED EXACTLY THE WAY THEY DID WHEN WE FIRST INSTALLED THEM.

Use some car polish every now and then to protect the glass

I'm not sure if he or Heloise (maybe both) recommended this, but I remember reading that it's a good idea to put full-strength vinegar in a spray bottle and spray glass shower doors with it about once a week.

I use it on our frameless shower doors and glass, and all of the chrome. It gets rid of everything, leaves a nice shine and has a water-repellant property as well.

We do not have soap scum (it has been 13 years since the remodel), because we only use liquid soap. Bar soap was banned from the house as soon as our contractor told us not to use it bc it causes soap scum, due to the talc and other ingredients. So at this point, all it is removing is stain and spots from the soap and hard water. (Hubby is not so good about using the squeege).

It does work well on soap scum unless yours is really thick - and needs removal with a razor blade first.

I only need to use this product about 1-2 x per year. In-between that, it's just windex or a microfiber cloth or both.

L

I heard a tip on the radio -- wet a few paper towels with vinegar, lay them over the area, and cover with plastic wrap. Let it work for awhile, and the scum "should" come off. I tried it on my glass block, and a little came off, but not enough to fuss with the mess.

This tip was from a professional cleaner (assuming there is such a thing)

I have a nice big window in my bathroom right above my combination tub/shower and I really enjoy having the shower curtain pulled all the way to one side so I can see out the window into my back yard.

I have cross-posted this in a few other threads...

I only use Dove soap for bathing. Does not dry out the skin like so many bar soaps. You know, that stretched-tight feeling when you're squeaky clean, which almost hurts. None of that with Dove. It's so creamy because of the lotion in it. Excellent if you have sensitive skin. It also has a very nice smell, not perfumey.

And a HUGE bonus: it leaves almost NO scum! It will take you months and months to start building up any soap scum.

Recently, at a convention I noticed that rooms priced up to $398 per night had curtains, not doors.