3 Ingredient Green DIY Soap Scum Remover for Your Glass Shower Doors

by Elena K, Hometalk Team

11 Materials

$5-10

15-20 Minutes

Easy

I LOVE our shower doors. So sleek and modern, they make our small bathroom look like a spa!
Until soap scum starts accumulating, that is.
Luckily, I came up with a non-toxic concoction that takes good care of both the scum and my lungs! Stay with me to find how to make yours.

I love my "NEW" Shower Glass Doors!

I used to fear cleaning my shower doors. Keeping the doors closed and using bleach or AJAX it wasn’t the best thing for my asthma.

But after a few tests, here’s my Wonder Green Soap Scum Remover or WGSSR for short.

Really. 3 Easy Ingredients is All You Need!

STEP 1: GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS

Over the years, I’ve tried a few DIY recipes to clean the shower but today I want to share with you one my faves.

To make the WGSSR you’ll need:

• 1 cup of distilled alcohol

• 1 cup of white vinegar

• 3-5 drops of Tea Tree Oil (optional)

• 3 teaspoons of Baking soda

• 1 teaspoon Borax (optional)

• Measuring cup

• Scrubber or sponge

• Paper towels / lint free towel or rag

• Teaspoon or measuring spoon

• Small container

• Spray bottle

Ready? Let’s get started!

Let’s start with the liquid ingredients.

STEP 2: MIX YOUR LIQUID INGREDIENTS FIRST

Get your spray bottle, measuring cup, and liquid ingredients.

First is the alcohol: measure 1 cup and pour into the spray bottle. Then add another cup of vinegar.

You can also use just vinegar - and no baking soda - but since our shower is natural stone, any pure vinegar that may reach the tiles would be more damaging than diluted. Plus, I'm not too keen on the vinegar smell, so mixing 50-50 with alcohol is the perfect solution.

TIP: If you measuring cup is too full or the mouth of the spray bottle to narrow use a funnel to avoid spills.

Finally, you can add 3 –5 drops of tea tree oil to your mix. Tea tree oil is a great disinfectant and anti fungal (as is vinegar, which will also prevents or removes mold & mildew.)

TIP: If the oil is hard to dispense, use a glass dropper.

Don’t forget to label your bottle!

STEP 3: LET’S LABEL THIS CONCOCTION!

You know what’s next, right? You should if you read my other cleaning posts.

Grab tape and a pen: we’re going to label the glass cleaner, so everyone in the household knows what’s in this bottle.

TIP: Include ingredients, proportions, and a date. And of course a name.

Let’s Take Care of the Dry Ingredients Now!

STEP 4: DRY INGREDIENTS IS NEXT

Alcohol & Vinegar make a great glass cleaner—so keep it handy for the shower and beyond!—but we need to add baking soda to help remove the scum.

Get a container (plastic is fine) and a teaspoon, and add 3 teaspoons of baking soda: baking soda is a great deodorizer and will also help to kill mold & mildew.

That makes your basic cleaner!

But if you want to kick it up a notch, add 1 teaspoon of borax to the baking soda and mix well.

TIP: You can use the same teaspoon to mix.

Remember? Time to label again.

STEP 5: YES, LET’S LABEL THIS ONE TOO!

Unless you’re going to dispose of the excess dry ingredients, label them! Even if you’re only using baking soda, I promise you’ll forget what’s on that container in a couple of weeks.

So get your tape and a pen and write down ingredient/s, measurements, and the date.

TIP: Don’t forget to cover your container. The baking soda will absorb moisture and clump when left uncovered.

Are You Ready! Let’s Test the Scum remover.

STEP 6: TIME TO TEST THE WGSSR (Wonder Green Soap Scum Remover)

Are you ready?

Get the spray bottle, baking soda mix, scrubber, and a towel or paper towel and let’s jump in the shower!

A Nice Alcohol & Vinegar Spray first.

STEP 7: START SPRAYING THE GLASS DOORS.

Get in the shower and close the doors.

TIP: make sure you have all your ingredients handy so you won’t need to open the door.

I like to do one door at a time. I’m going to start spraying the left door, top to bottom, until the glass is well wet.

TIP: feel free to spray a second time if the scum is dry and old.

Now, we’re ready for the dry ingredients!

Time to add the baking soda mix

STEP 8: APPLY NOW THE BAKING SODA TO THE WET DOORS.

Spray a bit of the alcohol & vinegar solution on the scrubber to wet it and dip it in the baking soda container.

The baking soda should adhere now to the scrubber—if not, wet it again and repeat.

TIP: Use a soft scrubber (a regular dish sponge works for me) to prevent scratching the glass over time. Shower glass should be tempered but you don’t want to use a Brillo or a harsh pad.

Start from the top and move down. Use circular movements to ensure the baking soda mixes well with the spray you previously applied to the door.

CAUTION: if you have sensitive skin wear gloves when applying the power to the glass.

TIP: Once you’ve reached the bottom, feel free to spray again and repeat before you rinse (i.e. dip scrubber in soda & apply top to bottom again), especially if the soap scum is old and dry.

Rinse and repeat!

STEP 9: RINSE UNTIL WELL CLEANED. THEN REPEAT.

Now you’re ready to rinse! Use your hand shower with cold water to rinse sparkling clean the shower door.

TIP: If you don’t have a handheld shower, you can find a plastic attachment in your home center or dollar store.

Once the left door is clean, repeat STEPS 7-9 on the other door.

You can leave the water to dry on the glass, or use a lint free cotton towel or repurposed tee shirt to remove water.

Last but not least, let’s clean the outside!

STEP 10: CLEAN THE OUTSIDE TOO TO MAKE YOUR GLASS DOORS INVISIBLE!

Now, you don’t have to but I love a job well done!

So I’m going to use the alcohol & vinegar solution and spray the out side of my glass doors: Just enough to make them damp.

Then, grab again a paper towel or clean lint free cotton rag and dry the glass using circular movements.

See the difference? Who would had thought!

STEP 11: SIT DOWN AND ENJOY YOUR NEW SPARKLING CLEAN GLASS DOORS!

Can’t believe I don’t need to use bleach or ammonia anymore. And the best part is that the WGSSR is as effective as commercial cleaners, and absolutely NON-TOXIC.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you follow me!

I’m in a quest to rid our household of toxic cleaners! So this month I’ll be trying a green pipe cleaner and more.

For other recipes, check my profile. To get my GREEN TOILET FIZZY BOMBS recipes go to —http://www.hometalk.com/diy/clean/bathroom/love-fizzy-bombs-to-clean-your-toilet-and-laundry-in-no-time-19208798 — and find how to CLEAN YOUR BLINDS WITH CHOPSTICKS & TONGS here — http://www.hometalk.com/diy/clean/house/get-your-blinds-shining-with-a-dyi-tongs-chopsticks-tool--18742408

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Frequently asked questions

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3 of 75 questions

DEE MCNEIL on May 30, 2022

Home Depot has a great nontoxic soap scum remover. A lot easier than all the mixing of so many ingredients.

4
Deb on Nov 26, 2022

Can you use this on plexiglass shower doors?

1
Connie on Jan 13, 2023

Can you use isopropyl alcohol?

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Aji137763469 on Jun 20, 2025

Instead of using paper towels for wiping, I highly recommend Swedish Dishcloths. It's perfect for use on any surface mess. It's washable and can be used more than dozens of time. Plant based from natural cotton, high level of water absorbency.

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Sho171126331 on Jun 20, 2025

It does sound interesting. And it is certainly better and more cost-effective than all the products sold in stores. There’s something I’ve noticed and would like to point out. Before moving to the U.S. (I’m originally from Europe), I had never even heard of “soap scum” in showers. Eventually, I realized why. In the U.S., the majority of showers—probably over 90%—have fixed shower heads mounted to the wall. In Europe, by contrast, handheld shower heads attached to a hose are much more common.
This setup makes it easy—and routine—for us to rinse down the entire shower after each use, something we’re taught to do from a young age. As a result, soap scum doesn’t have a chance to build up.
I’ve kept this habit over the 30 years I’ve lived in the U.S., and I’ve never had an issue with soap scum. Maybe it's something worth considering!

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