First of all, what is limescale and why does it appear on a glass? Water that we are using is not chemically pure. It contains various minerals and metals like calcium, fluoride or magnesium. Hardness of water depends on how much of those minerals carry your water. So when we say that the water is hard it means that it has a high concentration of minerals and metals. And that in combination with soap creates that ugly residue on water taps, shower tiles and shower screens. Of course it is most visible on a shower glass, ruining the looks of your wet room. Unfortunately getting rid of it can be a real pain in the neck.
Here are some advices gathered around the web on how to remove limescale and soap scum with natural everyday use ingredients. And most important how to PREVENT scum and scale from forming on your shower glass.
HOW TO REMOVE
1. Lemon juice, vinegar and baking soda
This is the most complex method using natural acid and alkaline. First of all you need to find a good scrubbing pad. Next, pour some lemon juice on it and start scrubbing all over you shower glass. Then make a paste with white vinegar and some baking soda and again scrub the glass with it. Now you can let it seat for half an hour or so. After that take your regular mirror or glass cleaning spray and clean it thoroughly with dry cloth or paper towels till it's dry.
2. Salt and vinegar
Some of online guides suggest using only salt and vinegar or salt with baking soda. That's basically the same technique as the first one but without a lemon juice and in a different order. So first, you need to spray whole glass with a vinegar and let it sit for a while. Then mix some baking soda with salt and add little bit of water to make a paste. Now apply some of the paste on scrubbing pad and start cleaning the glass applying light pressure on the pad. After that wash it of as before.
3. Dish soap and vinegar
This one is the easiest and probably most effective of the three methods. You just need to make a solution of good quality dish soap, vinegar and water. The less water you add the more concentrated solution you gonna get. Then take a fresh good quality scrubbing pad and scrub. When you are done you can finish it with a regular glass cleaner.
HOW TO PREVENT
When all the scrubbing, washing, cleaning and drying is done it is a good idea to keep that sparking clean effect as long as possible don't you think? Well, there are few thing you can do to prevent limescale from forming too fast.
1. Use a squeegee
This is the low budget but not effortless solution. After each shower, drops of water and soapy water stay on a shower screen. When they evaporate you will see that nasty stains again. So each time you finish doing your business under shower take a squeegee and wipe off all the water that stayed on a glass. Ideally use a regular glass spray first and then take a squeegee. It is a good idea to keep the squeegee under shower or as close as possible and force yourself to using it.
2. Use water-repellents
The first option is not for the lazy. But using a new technology is. In recent years a lot of nanotech products came out and they are really doing their job. Basically they idea of nanocoating is to create invisible water-repellent seal on a glass surface so the water won't "stick" to it. So after shower there will be almost no water left on glass threated with a water-repellent. The examples of use showed by manufacturers of nanotech products can be really impressive. You can check it out online easily. But the most important thing is to use them only on clean and dry glass. Otherwise it's easy to imagine that the effect will be miserable. I hope that this few short tips will help keep your beautiful wetroom shower sparkling clean as if new.
