# Totally random! Need some advice for cleaning shower glass.



## SPB903 (Aug 8, 2018)

Totally random, I know but I thought maybe some people here may have run into the same concerns. We had our master bath totally remodeled back in May, full glass shower surround, brushed bronze fixtures, light colored shower grout. It looks great but I have one problem, we have hard water in my town. So even with cleaning the shower glass with a homemade mixture of vinegar and water (found recommendation online) and squeegeeing it after every use, we have water spots and deposits on the glass and some very minor discoloring of the grout. So my question is, what do you guys use to clean your bathroom glass, tiles and grout when its exposed to hard water and leaving deposits. Ive tested CLR with acceptable results but I dont know if it would cause any long term damage on the glass and tiles with prolonged use.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Is a water softener an option?

I wonder if something like Rain-X Shower Door Cleaner and/or Rain-X Shower Door Water Repellent would help with the glass?


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

+1 on the softener. Like the saying goes: "You can live without a softener, but it's hard." Haha


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

^+2 install a water softener. Diy is easy and you get all the stuff delivered for free to your home and save a ton of $. I was quite $3k and did it for 600 and a better system.

As far for cleaning, clr bathroom is good. Safer than the regular one. I test my own hardness and it is 26grains untreated.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

dfw_pilot said:


> +1 on the softener. Like the saying goes: "You can live without a softener, but it's hard." Haha


Where is the groan emoji?


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

Movingshrub said:


> dfw_pilot said:
> 
> 
> > +1 on the softener. Like the saying goes: "You can live without a softener, but it's hard." Haha
> ...


No way, brother, that's pure gold, lol!

ETA: I agree with g-man. I used Discount Water Softeners and got a nice system for less than plumbers and water quality salesmen will quote.


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## Pest and Lawn Ginja (Oct 18, 2018)

I use liquid lysol toilet bowl clean 3x power of cleaning. Works like great!!! I dilute it 50/50 with water. If that doesn't get it all I use a little less water in the mix.


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## SPB903 (Aug 8, 2018)

A water softner is something Ive been researching of course at the best price I could get it done for. @Ware Ill have to look into the rain-x stuff a little more. Ive tried a couple of automotive glass cleaners, they work ok but theres still residue and some minor deposits left behind. @Pest and Lawn Ginja, you use the Lysol toiler bowl cleaner on the glass? Im assuming its safe for tile and grout also. Its standard subway tile with marble curbs. @g-man I didnt know CLR made a bathroom version, ill check that out also.


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## SPB903 (Aug 8, 2018)

Wow! CLR has a pretty big line of products, I didnt realize that.


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## Ylli (Sep 24, 2018)

How's the iron content of the unsoftened water? If you have a problem with iron staining, try a rust stain remover by "Whink". You want the one in the little brown bottle. Use gloves though, it's hydrofluoric acid.

Iron can really screw up a water softener. If you are going to add the softener and have a high iron content, you probably want to install an iron filter in front of the softener. Hellenbrand "Iron Curtain" is a great product.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I've had good success with Bar Keepers Friend.

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJnaLmR7oyg[/media]


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## rhanna (Jun 7, 2017)

I like Mr. Clean erasers for the glass


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## TroyScherer (Jul 17, 2018)

Coming from car care I have found quite a few of the products work great for home use as well.

For getting rid of hard water marks and etching I would suggest OPTIMUM MDR. It is a gel that will help to remove everything.

https://www.autoality.com/store/pc/Optimum-MDR-Mineral-Deposit-Remover-8-oz-92p6954.htm#.XCo2PYpOnmo

If that doesn't work you can move up to CarPro Spotless which is a stonger acid based cleaner. But it really needs to be rinses and clean off after use.

https://www.carpro-us.com/paint-decontamination/carpro-spotless-water-spot-remover-500ml-16-oz/

Once you have the glass clean I would suggest a glass coating to help repel the hard water and make the glass easier to clean. Something like Gyeon View would work.

https://www.detailedimage.com/Gyeon-M91/View-P1414/20-ml-Kit-S1/

Then going forward I would use a glass cleaner with a protectant built in.

https://www.detailedimage.com/Optimum-OPT-M36/Opti-Glass-Clean-Protect-Concentrate-P769/17-oz-S1/

I know it probably looks and sounds like overkill but I have found that prevention is better and less work in the long run than fixing the problem over and over again.


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

Rain X works well...


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

dfw_pilot said:


> Movingshrub said:
> 
> 
> > dfw_pilot said:
> ...


@dfw_pilot did you self install?


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

@ctrav, I did 50/50. I paid a plumber to break into my mainline through the studs and drywall because I didn't want to buy all the compression fittings and clamp. With the "rough in", the rest was easy with the resin tank, Fleck head, and bypass. I had the plumber put in a second bypass using ball valves after the rough in incase the softener bypass broke/failed.

When I get home, I'll post a pic.

ETA: Kinda crappy job on the valves as they aren't lined up, but oh well.


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

dfw_pilot said:


> @ctrav, I did 50/50. I paid a plumber to break into my mainline through the studs and drywall because I didn't want to buy all the compression fittings and clamp. With the "rough in", the rest was easy with the resin tank, Fleck head, and bypass. I had the plumber put in a second bypass using ball valves after the rough in incase the softener bypass broke/failed.
> 
> When I get home, I'll post a pic.


Thanks and look forward to it!


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## Pest and Lawn Ginja (Oct 18, 2018)

SPB903 said:


> A water softner is something Ive been researching of course at the best price I could get it done for. @Ware Ill have to look into the rain-x stuff a little more. Ive tried a couple of automotive glass cleaners, they work ok but theres still residue and some minor deposits left behind. @Pest and Lawn Ginja, you use the Lysol toiler bowl cleaner on the glass? Im assuming its safe for tile and grout also. Its standard subway tile with marble curbs. @g-man I didnt know CLR made a bathroom version, ill check that out also.


It's basically hydrochloric acid. I washed windows for about a year when I was younger and we used to acid treat windows all the time. At the time we used muriatic acid, since you can only buy that in bulk I tried the lysol since we carry it on hand to clean tank residue. Works like a charm.


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

dfw_pilot said:


> @ctrav, I did 50/50. I paid a plumber to break into my mainline through the studs and drywall because I didn't want to buy all the compression fittings and clamp. With the "rough in", the rest was easy with the resin tank, Fleck head, and bypass. I had the plumber put in a second bypass using ball valves after the rough in incase the softener bypass broke/failed.
> 
> When I get home, I'll post a pic.
> 
> ETA: Kinda crappy job on the valves as they aren't lined up, but oh well.


Looks good...thanks! I will have more questions at a later date for sure...


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## Jeff20 (Jun 30, 2017)

I use a product called Wet and Forget works great.


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## Still learnin (Sep 9, 2017)

I really hate to answer this, but try Norwex cleaning cloths. We fought our shower door. Then we started using a multi purpose Norwex cloth followed by the glass cleaning cloth. Looks great, super easy, and no chemicals.


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

+1 on Norwex.


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## SPB903 (Aug 8, 2018)

Ive never heard of Norwex but I will look into it. Thanks!


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

Yep Norwex works very well for lots of things!


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## Dkrem (Mar 16, 2019)

Oxalic acid (bar keepers friend) works pretty well. I tend to use a strong-ish warm water citric acid solution with a little dish soap.

Also +100 to a softener if you can. I self installed one a couple years ago, as well as installed a PRV and rerouted all my outside hose bibs at the same time.


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## Cory (Aug 23, 2017)

Ill jump on the Norwex bandwagon too, I was a consultant for a couple months just so we could get a discount and some free stuff haha. The cleaning paste and an Enviro cloth is great on pretty much everything. Once clean coat with rain-x, I used to do bathroom remodels and always recommend it to customers that got shower doors. I also use the Lysol toilet bowl cleaner with hydrochloric acid in it on the tile and grout.


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## SPB903 (Aug 8, 2018)

I was looking at the Norwex wesbite and noticed the Norwex Window Cloth, Anyone have experience with using just the cloth? It says to just add water and it works. They also sell a descaler which I think would be helpful as well. @Cory My intentions are to lay down some rain-x but I havent gotten the glass to where I feel its clean enough. If I apply rain-x over deposits will I cause any damage or "seal" the deposit in? I should have applied rain-x the very first day with the glass.


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## Cory (Aug 23, 2017)

@SPB903 It would be ok to put the rain-X over it if you didn't get all the hard water spots off. Rain-x is just a wax for glass. I the Norwex descailer works very well And the glass rags are great. Pretty much all the rags work very well.


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