A shower screen is a glass or acrylic panel, or set of panels, that keeps water inside the shower area. It’s practical, and it can make a bathroom look open and modern. But it only looks good when it’s clean, and shower screens are one of the quickest surfaces in the home to turn cloudy.
What is a shower screen?
Shower screens replace the old-style shower curtain. Common types include:
- Framed screens: glass panels held in a metal frame, usually with a sliding or hinged door.
- Semi-frameless screens: a lighter frame around some edges only.
- Frameless screens: thick toughened glass held by hinges and brackets, with no frame.
- Fixed panels: a single panel with no door, common in walk-in showers.
Most screens are toughened glass. Some have a factory-applied protective coating, and some are tinted, frosted or patterned. Cheaper or older screens may be acrylic, which marks more easily than glass. If you’re not sure what you have, check with your installer or the manufacturer’s care guide.
Why do you need to clean your shower screen?
Stops stains and grime building up
Soap scum and hard-water minerals dry onto the glass after every shower. Left alone, they build into a cloudy film that gets harder to remove each week.
Keeps things hygienic
Soap residue, seals and tracks give mould and bacteria somewhere to grow in a warm, damp room.
Helps your screen last
Minerals left for long periods can etch glass, and grime in tracks and hinges can stop doors running smoothly.
Looks better
Clear glass makes a bathroom feel bigger, brighter and cleaner.
How to clean your shower screen
What you’ll need
- A sponge designed for shower glass, such as our Shower Screen Cleaner Sponge, which works with just water
- A squeegee
- A microfibre cloth
- A soft brush for tracks and corners
- White vinegar for occasional stubborn mineral spots
Step-by-step cleaning guide
- Rinse the screen with warm water to loosen surface grime.
- Wet the sponge and wipe the glass in firm, even strokes, keeping water between the sponge and the glass. Work in small sections on heavier build-up.
- For stubborn mineral spots, wipe on equal parts white vinegar and warm water, wait a few minutes and wipe again.
- Clean tracks and corners with a soft brush.
- Rinse everything with clean water.
- Dry the glass with a squeegee, then polish with a microfibre cloth.
Patch-test on a small hidden area first, take extra care with coated, tinted, frosted or acrylic screens, and never use scourers, steel wool or gritty powders on glass.
Tips to keep your shower screen clean
Squeegee after each shower
Removing water before it dries prevents most new marks.
Consider a protective coating
Water-repellent glass coatings help water run off. Check with your installer first if your screen already has a factory coating.
Clean weekly
A quick water-only wipe once a week keeps build-up from taking hold. You can keep the sponge in the shower and do it while you shower.
Keep the room ventilated
Run the exhaust fan or open a window, and leave the door open so the shower dries out.
Make it easy
A shower screen needs a little care often, rather than a big scrub now and then. If you’d like a simple way to do the weekly wipe, the Shower Screen Cleaner Sponge is a reusable 2 pack that cleans shower glass with just water.
