How to Remove Shower Soap Scum with One Natural Ingredient

Are you having trouble seeing through your shower screen?

You may have accepted that filmy soap scum is part of your décor now because it’s just so tough to remove. You may also know that the longer that you put it off, the more stubborn it becomes.

Lucky for you, soap scum on your shower doesn’t have to be a permanent fixture thanks to one magic ingredient. Baking soda!

Why does my shower get soap scum so fast?

Hard water and soap produce a curdy precipitate called soap scum.

When the minerals found in hard water combine with the paraffin wax used in bar soap, it creates the layer of scum so often seen in bathrooms.

Soap scum may mix with mould or mildew in your bathroom, creating unsightly discolouration as well as odours. As many of us know, the longer you leave it, the harder it is to shift. We show you how to remove soap scum from shower glass.

How do you remove heavy soap scum from shower doors?

Baking soda is a top choice for removing soap scum from shower doors because it’s a mild alkaline that successfully dissolves dirt and grime.

Keep in mind that because baking soda is an abrasive material, you should take care while cleaning shower glass as scrubbing too hard could cause slight scratches.

Step 1

Create a Cleaning Solution

To remove soap scum from shower glass, combine 1/2 cup of baking soda, 1 small squirt of dishwashing detergent and 1 cup of water to form a slightly runny paste, similar to cake batter consistency. You may need to experiment a little to get the consistency just right.

Step 2

Apply Your Cleaning Solution

Grab a soft nylon brush or light scrubbing tool to apply your solution to the soap scum. You’ll need to let this solution sit for about 20 minutes. You may also need to reapply the mixture should it run off.

Step 3

Scrub, Rinse and Gently Wipe

Give the area another gentle scrub and rinse with warm water.

Wipe down completely with a soft towel or dry microfibre cloth. This is the most effective and quickest way to remove soap scum from shower glass. It can take some time, but the results will seriously impress you.

And you’re done! Now you know how to remove soap scum from shower glass.

Here’s an important note.

If you don’t have any baking soda in the house, vinegar also does a great job of removing soap scum.

Here’s how remove soap scum from shower glass using vinegar. Combine 1:1 vinegar and water into a spray bottle, before adding one tablespoon of dish detergent.

Spray onto the soap scum and leave for 20 minutes. Your next step is to scrub gently, rinse with warm water and dry thoroughly.

Also, baking soda can be used for other chores around the home, such as on your bathroom’s dirty grout lines.

Apply to your grout lines and let it sit for 20 minutes, just like your shower screen. Scrub with an old toothbrush and wipe off. Keep in mind you may need to give your floors a mop with your usual tile cleaner afterwards as the baking soda can make the floors a little gritty.

Does bar soap create more soap scum?

Considering it’s the paraffin in bar soap that exacerbates soap scum, switching over to liquid soap or shower gel can minimise how much builds up.

You won’t be completely free of soap scum, but this swap will make a difference.

How Do You Prevent Soap Scum?

There are a few things you can do to prevent soap scum from reforming. Exciting fact? Some of these tips will also keep soap scum away from your bathtub.

• Give your shower a daily clean. Stick with us here. Following your shower, wipe your screen down with a dry rag or a squeegee. Another great idea we saw was investing in a dish brush (fill it with vinegar, water, and a teaspoon of dish soap) and leaving it in the shower to make this a simple task.
• Switch soaps. Stop using your bar soap and switch to liquid soap instead to keep soap scum at bay.
• Salt your bath. You could also sprinkle either Epsom Salts or baking soda before hopping into your bath. It not only creates a more relaxing bath, but the salts or baking soda will also help send soap residue down the drain.