The 6 Best Shower Tile Cleaners for Restoring Drab Grout and Tile

By Corrie Pelc

Cleaning shower tiles is not always as easy as a lot of homeowners think. While multipurpose bathroom cleaners can usually do the trick, shower tiles are made of materials like granite and marble that are porous and sometimes need special care. And don't even get us started on tile grout — dirt and mold sometimes seem to take it over no matter what we do to prevent it.

For that reason, a shower tile cleaner is an important weapon to have in your cleaning arsenal. The right bathroom tile cleaner helps make short work of soap scum, can remove — and prevent — mildew, and can keep your tile grout as clean-looking as the day you first had it installed. This guide will walk you through the best shower tile cleaners on the market right now.

Test Factors We Considered When Picking the Best Shower Tile Cleaners

Let’s take a look at the test factors we used to determine our list of the best bathroom shower tile cleaners:

• Bottle Size: How much bathroom tile cleaner does the user get for their money?
• Application: How is the shower tile cleaner applied — is it a spray? Does it come preloaded in a wipe? Is it a concentrated liquid that needs to be diluted before using?
• What It Cleans: What types of surfaces does this shower tile cleaner also remove grime from?

Here’s a look at our list of the best shower tile cleaners you can buy right now.

If you like the idea of a cleaner that not only cleans shower tiles but can be used on the rest of your bathroom, then you'll love the CLR Brilliant Bath Foaming Action Cleaner. This multi-surface cleaner uses a powerful foam to easily cut through soap scum, hard water deposits, calcium and lime build-up, and other grime on shower tiles, sinks, shower heads, faucets, and bathtubs. Just spray the cleaner directly onto what you want to clean and wipe — easy as that. And the CLR Brilliant Bath Foaming Action Cleaner is certified by the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Safer Choice Program as a safe option for cleaning — it contains no harsh chemicals like ammonia, bleach, or phosphates.

Because bathrooms are usually warm and humid, they are the perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew. To help combat these organisms you may have in your shower, we suggest giving Clorox Tilex Mold and Mildew Remover a try. Containing Clorox bleach, this cleaner kills 99.9 percent of household mold and mildew and helps eliminate stains from shower tiles by killing off the fungus that causes them, all while removing soap scum. This cleaner is safe for use on glazed and unglazed ceramic tile, grout, vinyl, fiberglass, and plastic. And Clorox Tilex Mold and Mildew Remover can also be used to kill mildew and mold on bathtubs, shower doors, vinyl shower curtains, sinks, countertops, and no-wax floors.

Get your bathroom shower tiles sparkling clean with all-natural ingredients thanks to the Better Life Natural Tub and Tile Cleaner. This shower tile cleaner uses all plant-based, biodegradable ingredients, such as essential oils from botanical extracts and natural cleaning agents. While its ingredients may be gentle on the planet, it's still plenty tough on shower tile grime such as soap scum and hard water stains. This cleaner can also be used throughout the entire shower, including the doors, grout, and fixtures, as well as countertops, toilets, and bathtubs. Better Life Natural Tub and Tile Cleaner is safe to use around kids and pets and is produced by a cruelty-free Leaping Bunny-certified company.

While most bathroom shower tile cleaners can be also used to clean tile grout, sometimes extra-dirty grout calls for a cleaner designed just for it. In those instances, turn to It Just Works! Grout-Eez Super Heavy Duty Tile and Grout Cleaner. This heavy-duty strength cleaner makes short work of dirt, stains, and grease from tile grout, and can also be used on both ceramic and porcelain tiles. The cleaner is safe for use on both white and colored grouts and helps return your grout to its original color. This set also includes a specially-shaped brush that easily attaches to a standard broom pole, which allows you to use the cleaner on tile flooring as well.

Because they are very porous, natural stone tiles like granite, marble, and quartz can be damaged by normal shower tile cleaners. We recommend always using a cleaner designed for natural stone tiles, such as Granite Gold Shower Cleaner. This cleaner is able to deeply clean natural stone tiles without any harm. It can also be used on ceramic tiles and bathtubs. When used regularly, the cleaner helps prevent soap scum, hard-water deposits, mold, and mildew from appearing. And the Granite Gold Shower Cleaner contains no phosphates or ammonia.

While having a powerful bathroom shower tile cleaner is a good thing, sometimes you need a little extra scrubbing power to really get tiles clean. In those cases, turn to the OXO Good Grips Extendable Tub and Tile Scrubber. This bad boy is designed to scrub clean bathroom tile walls, shower doors, floors, and many more surfaces without you needing to get on your knees or crouch down. The nylon scrubber head, which is replaceable, even pivots to get into all the hard-to-reach corners and crevices in showers and bathtubs. Lastly, the OXO Good Grips Extendable Tub and Tile Scrubber comes with a lifetime manufacturer's warranty.

More Shower Tile Cleaning Tips

Having a great shower tile cleaner is great, but there are things you can do to help make cleaning shower tile less of a chore. Here are three easy things you can do to help keep grime, soap scum, and mildew from building up on your shower tiles:

• Break Out the Squeegee: Spend a few dollars and purchase a rubber squeegee for your shower. Then after every shower, use it to quickly remove water and any soap residue from the tiled walls and on any glass shower doors or partitions. You’ll be amazed at how just spending a few extra seconds before you jump out of the shower makes a huge difference the next time you clean your shower tile.
• Remove Humidity: Hot showers create humidity, which can get trapped in your bathroom. This is what causes mildew and mold to grow in the small crevices around showers and tubs, as well as in between tiles. After taking a shower, crack a window or open the bathroom door to remove excess humidity. And try to run the bathroom fan for as long as possible to help shower tile surfaces dry out faster.
• Use a Grout Sealant: After you get your tile grout nice and clean, apply a tile grout sealant to keep it that way. The sealant keeps new dirt from clinging to the grout and will stop stains from setting in.

Do you have a shower tile cleaner that keeps your bathroom sparkling? Tell us about it in the comments below!