Cleaning shower floors may not be your favorite task, but it doesn't have to be the most difficult either. Learn some fool-proof tricks for making easy shower floor cleaners with products around your home.
How to Clean a Shower Floor
Shower stalls are wonderful for showering in, but a pain to keep clean. Bathtub showers tend to be easier to clean, only because you can fill with water and scrub down the sides as you would when cleaning your bathtub typically. You can also soak the "floor" or bathtub bottom as needed with ease. A shower stall doesn't allow for standing water. The square shape can make getting the corners clean difficult as well. But it's not impossible with these homemade shower cleaner tools like:
- White vinegar
- Mineral oil
- Baking soda
- Dish soap (Dawn recommended)
- Sponge
- Fabric softener
- Spray bottle
- Mop
- Toothbrush
When working on cleaning the close confines of your shower, you should keep the area well ventilated, including bringing in a fan as needed. Use rubber gloves to protect the skin on your hands.
How to Clean a Fiberglass Shower Floor
When it comes to a fiberglass shower floor, it's important to avoid those harsh abrasive cleaners. They'll remove the crude, but hurt your floor in the long run. Rather than reaching for harsh chemical cleaners, hit the pantry and grab the baking soda. Baking soda is a great cleaner with a light grit to it. For this method:
- Sprinkle baking soda all over the shower floor. It all those hard to reach cracks and crevices.
- Fill a spray bottle with half water and half white vinegar.
- Spray the vinegar on the baking soda. (It will fizzle.)
- Allow that paste to sit for 10-20 minutes.
- Wet a sponge and work that mixture around the floor, paying special attention to those corners and areas of grime.
- Hit the hard to reach areas with an old toothbrush.
- Rinse away.
- Use a mixture of white vinegar weekly to reduce hard water deposits.
How to Clean a Shower Floor With Vinegar
Cleaning your shower floor with vinegar is pretty easy. You can choose to use a ½ water, ½ vinegar mixture, and just spray everything down. However, for more cleaning power, use the cleaning trifecta: white vinegar, baking soda, and dish soap. For this shower floor cleaner, follow these instructions:
- In a spray bottle, mix:
- 3 cups of water
- 1 cup vinegar
- ⅓ cup baking soda
- 2 tablespoons of Dawn
- Allow it to fizzle, then put the top on.
- Spray down the shower floor.
- Allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Use a sponge/toothbrush and give it a little scrub.
- Run the shower to rinse.
How to Clean a Shower Floor With Fabric Softener
Did you know fabric softener can go outside of the laundry room? Well, it can! And it's great for cleaning soap scum. For this method, you'll need to:
- Mix ½ cup of fabric softener with 1 cup of warm water in a spray bottle to loosen tough scum stuck to the floor of the shower.
- Spray down the cracks and crevices with stuck-on gunk.
- Let it sit for 5-30 minutes depending on the level of gunk.
- Use a wet sponge to give a bit of elbow grease.
- Rinse until all the softener is gone.
- If scum still remains, tackle it with a bit of straight baking soda on a toothbrush.
How to Clean Textured Shower Floors
Some shower floors are textured, and this can make cleaning them a real chore. If the soap scum is stubborn and hard to remove, try this trick.
- Create a mixture of four parts mineral oil to one part warm water.
- Coat the floor liberally, using the sponge to begin scrubbing in gentle circular motions.
- The mineral oil will loosen the scum and make it easier to remove.
- After scrubbing, use a combination of white vinegar and warm water to completely clean the shower floor.
- Caution: Remaining oil can be a fall hazard. Rinse repeatedly with warm water to avoid slippage on any traces of mineral oil.
How to Clean a Shower Floor Daily
As with all major cleaning chores in your home, regular, daily maintenance can help you avoid the hard, deeper cleaning.
- Reduce mold and mildew on shower walls and floor by wiping down the shower after each wash.
- Add a disinfectant spray if you have trouble with the regular mildewing.
- Open the shower doors to allow better air circulation.
Can You Mop a Shower Floor?
Of course, you can mop your shower floor. This is actually a great way to keep it clean and keep soap and water from creating that dreaded soap scum. To mop your shower floor, just grab a dry mop and soak up all the water after a shower. You can also use a microfiber cloth to just wipe every down.
Best Time to Clean Your Shower Floors
Cleaning shower floors is best after you've just used the shower. The hot steamy air and water will loosen up the dirt and scum in the shower. You can clean the area around door tracks with a toothbrush to get into the crevices. If you notice any missing grout around the edges of the shower floor, be sure to add caulk immediately to prevent long term damage.
How Often Should You Deep Clean Your Shower Floors?
You should deep clean your shower monthly if you have trouble maintaining the daily regimen of wiping down and airing out. Showers can be breeding grounds for foot infections, mold, and other fungi. By keeping the floors cleaned, you can protect your feet from possible infection.
Additional Tips for a Clean Shower Floor
Need a few more cleaning tips to make your job easy?
- When working on cleaning your shower stall, always start at the top and work your way down.
- A combination of warm water and vinegar can loosen hard water deposits around the showerhead.
- You can use a toothpick to break loose any deposits blocking spigots. A toothbrush can help clean around multiple spouts.
- Once the showerhead is clean, move on to the walls and doors and clean the floor last.
Cleaning Shower Floors Made Simple
Be sure to rinse your shower thoroughly with warm, clean water when you are done cleaning to remove all traces of cleaning agents. After cleaning, make sure to wipe everything down to remove water. You're armed and ready for tackling that shower floor with ease.
