How to Clean Natural Shower Tile the Right Way (Marble, Granite, Glass
Today’s chemist tip can be a cheap DIY or you can buy the items, either way this is how to clean shower tile the RIGHT way.
Many, actually most, of our readers on Chemistry Cachet really love making their own cleaning solutions. I get emails all the time with questions about certain homemade products and surfaces to use them on.
One of our goals is to make sure we help you find the best products that work, and save you from making something dangerous to you or your surfaces.
There are many myths on pinterest about homemade cleaners. You can see that post in the link.
When I talked about vinegar a couple of months ago, I mentioned you cannot use it on natural stones because it can be harmful. It will eat away overtime and also eat away any finish you have on top.
Vinegar is highly acidic, so it does cut down on soap scum well, but can’t be used on natural stones. Vinegar is one of the main components in our really effective bathroom cleaner (be sure to check out the link for details on this) This particular cleaner is the way to go on plastics, ceramics, acrylic or anything like that.
So, what about those stone tiled showers? That is what we have in our master bathroom and it can be pretty tough to clean correctly.
I have tested dozens of methods over the years since we bought this house, and today I want to share with you how to clean your stone shower tiles.
This is the best, safest way to clean natural stone shower tiles, but will also work on other surfaces.
Stay tuned after these directions to see how to use this for shower glass too!
Ingredients:
- Magic Eraser ( Store-bought or Make your Own DIY from the Book )
- Natural Stone Cleaner (Store-bought or Make your Own DIY from the Book)
- Sponge
- Cleaning Towel
Directions:
I always recommend cleaning showers right after you’ve taken one since it will be nice and hot, all that steam allows the scum to be loosened already.
- With the magic eraser, rub the areas of bad soap scum. After scrubbing the area with the magic eraser, wipe off with a damp towel.
- Next, spray your stone cleaner all over the surfaces. With a sponge, scrub the area. If you own Chemistry Hacks for Home and Outdoors, I love using the stone/granite “everything” cleaner. It works perfect for this.
- Now, rub with a damp towel.
It should be nice a clean now!
For cleaning shower glass, directions are very similar, but please read the additional details plus see the short video here!
The hardest part about stone tiles is how the soap scum forms a whitish, almost cloudy like residue on the the tiles. When we first bought the house, I never realized the dull look the tiles had overtime was actually soap build up. It starts out subtle and just keeps building.
Using this method, will make your tiles really brighten up!
This can even be used for the hard water stains and scum on your shower faucets. Be sure to read the details in the link for this! The DIY stone/granite cleaner is a little more soapy than store-bought versions. However, Store-bought will be fine for cleaning the faucets too.
Readers have already enjoyed this, it works so well for soap scum!
Make sure to click the link below to read important chemist tips and FAQs on this post!
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Comments
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3 of 19 comments
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Thanks for the advice and the instructions. I really loved how you provided a lot of explanation which shows what I can expect when I'm trying it out for the first time. I'm going to give it a try since my shower tile is in desperate need of attention. Thanks again for the advice.
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I like clean and try to go green. I have learned a lot from reading different ideas for cleaning. Am I the only one that is not going to be scrubbing a shower right after taking a nice hot shower??? Using a squeegee is one thing but scrubbing not once but twice?? No.. I'm either too lazy or enjoy my showers too much.
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You should head to our website for the science behind this post, but also all of our cleaning posts :) I’m an investigative chemist, so it’s all about truth and science based cleaning methods that work the best....
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