How to Clean a Shower (Tile, Glass, Grout, and Fixtures)

A clean shower depends as much on daily habits as it does on cleaning sessions. The daily squeegee eliminates 80% of the deep-cleaning problem. When you do need a full scrub, the order below keeps you from re-dirtying surfaces you’ve already cleaned.

What You Need

Cleaners:

• Shower/tile cleaner (CLR Bath & Kitchen, Kaboom, Method Shower)
• Glass cleaner or white vinegar for glass doors
• Grout cleaner (Tilex Mold & Mildew, OxiClean, or baking soda + hydrogen peroxide)
• All-purpose spray (for fixtures, ledges)
• White vinegar (for showerhead soak)

Tools:

• Grout brush or old toothbrush
• Non-scratch sponge or microfiber cloths
• Squeegee
• Spray bottle (for DIY vinegar solution)

Amazon picks:

• CLR Bath & Kitchen Cleaner — dissolves soap scum and calcium buildup
• Tilex Mold and Mildew Remover — best for grout mold
• OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover — oxygen-based for tile and grout
• Bar Keepers Friend Soft Cleanser — fiberglass-safe, removes rust and stains
• Grout brush set — stiff bristles for grout lines
• Shower squeegee — the single habit that prevents most buildup
• Daily shower spray — spray after each shower to prevent soap scum
• Penetrating grout sealer — annual application blocks mold and staining

Step-by-Step: How to Clean a Shower

Step 1: Apply Products and Let Them Dwell

Apply cleaner to the walls, floor, and glass door before you start scrubbing anything. Dwell time does the work — most cleaners need 5-10 minutes of contact to break down soap scum and kill mold without elbow grease.

• Spray the walls with shower cleaner top to bottom
• Apply grout cleaner to discolored grout lines
• Spray the floor pan
• Spray the glass door (or spray vinegar solution)

Turn on the exhaust fan. Leave everything and move on.

Step 2: Clean the Showerhead

While cleaner dwells on the walls, address the showerhead. Mineral deposits clog the spray holes and reduce water pressure.

Method: Fill a zip-lock bag with undiluted white vinegar. Submerge the showerhead face in the bag and secure it with a rubber band around the neck. Leave 30-60 minutes for light buildup, up to overnight for severe clogging. Remove, run hot water to flush, use a toothpick to clear any remaining holes.

For a removable showerhead, unscrew it and soak in vinegar in the sink.

Full guide: How to Clean a Showerhead

Step 3: Scrub the Walls

Start at the top and work down. Spray surfaces first if they’ve dried during the showerhead step.

Tile walls: Scrub with a non-scratch sponge or microfiber cloth. Pay attention to:

• Grout lines (use the grout brush — the flat sponge won’t reach)
• The bottom row of tiles where splash accumulates
• Tile edges and corners where soap scum concentrates

Fiberglass or acrylic surrounds: Use only non-abrasive cleaners and soft cloths. Powdered abrasives scratch the surface, which then holds more soap scum and bacteria than before. Bar Keepers Friend Soft Cleanser is the exception — it’s effective without being abrasive.

Natural stone (marble, travertine): DO NOT use vinegar or acid-based cleaners. Use pH-neutral stone cleaner only. Stone requires different care than ceramic tile.

Step 4: Scrub the Grout

Return to the grout lines. The cleaner has been sitting since Step 1.

Scrub with the grout brush using short strokes perpendicular to the grout line. Focus on:

• Mold-black or brown-gray discoloration (mold — needs bleach-based cleaner)
• White or gray deposits (mineral buildup — needs acid-based cleaner like CLR)
• Soap scum-tinted lines (combination product like Kaboom works well)

Don’t mix bleach-based and acid-based products in the same session without thoroughly rinsing between them — mixing creates chlorine gas.

After cleaning: If the grout looks clean but keeps staining within weeks, seal it. A penetrating grout sealer applied annually closes the porous cement surface that traps mold spores and soap residue. It takes 30 minutes and dramatically reduces how often you need to scrub.

More detail: How to Clean Grout

Step 5: Clean the Glass Door or Curtain

Glass door: Spray with glass cleaner or a 50/50 vinegar-water solution. Wipe in circular motion with a microfiber cloth, then squeegee top to bottom. Don’t forget the door track — it collects water, soap, and mildew. Use a toothbrush soaked in cleaner to scrub the track, then rinse.

For soap scum that doesn’t respond to glass cleaner, apply CLR, let sit 5 minutes, wipe, rinse. Magic Erasers also work on glass scum.

Shower curtain:

• Fabric curtain: machine wash warm, tumble dry low. Most are washer-safe.
• Plastic liner: machine wash cold, hang to dry — or replace for $8-12 if mold is heavy.

Step 6: Scrub the Floor Pan

The shower floor pan gets the most buildup — body oils, soap, and mineral deposits concentrate here. Scrub with a brush (not a sponge — brushes reach texture grooves in anti-slip flooring).

Pay attention to:

• The drain surround (buildup concentrates here)
• Anti-slip texture grooves (soap scum hides inside)
• Caulk lines where the pan meets the walls (check for mold and caulk failure)

If the caulk at the pan-wall joint is molded or peeling, it needs to be replaced — it won’t come clean by scrubbing. See How to Caulk a Bathtub for the process.

Step 7: Rinse Everything Top to Bottom

Rinse the walls from top to bottom with the showerhead. Make sure cleaner residue is fully gone — some cleaners leave streaks if they dry on tile.

Rinse the door tracks and any ledges.

Run hot water to flush the drain of loosened debris.

Step 8: Dry and Squeegee

Squeegee the glass door and tile walls. Wipe fixtures with a dry microfiber cloth — chrome and nickel water-spot quickly.

Leave the shower door or curtain open to allow airflow and faster drying.

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Daily Habits That Slash Deep Cleaning Time

Squeegee after every shower. 60 seconds. Removes 90% of the water that dries into soap scum and mineral deposits. A wall-mounted squeegee makes this frictionless.

Daily shower spray. Spray-and-leave products (Method Daily Shower, Clean Shower) go on after you get out. No wiping — the spray prevents soap scum from bonding. Use it daily and your walls stay clean with minimal scrubbing.

Run the exhaust fan 20 minutes after showering. Not during — after. The goal is to remove humid air before it condenses on surfaces. Mold needs sustained moisture to establish. Proper ventilation is the cheapest mold prevention.

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Surface-Specific Quick Reference

Surface	Use	Avoid
Ceramic/porcelain tile	Any shower cleaner, OxiClean, vinegar	Nothing major
Natural stone (marble, travertine)	pH-neutral stone cleaner only	Vinegar, bleach, CLR
Fiberglass/acrylic	Soft Scrub, Bar Keepers Friend Soft, baking soda	Abrasive powders, scrub pads
Glass door	Vinegar solution, glass cleaner, CLR for scum	Abrasive pads
Grout	Tilex, OxiClean, baking soda+peroxide	Vinegar (long-term)
Chrome fixtures	All-purpose, dry microfiber finish	Abrasive pads

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Related Reading

• How to Clean Grout — dedicated grout cleaning methods
• How to Clean a Showerhead — mineral deposit removal
• How to Replace a Showerhead — when cleaning isn’t enough
• How to Caulk a Bathtub — reseal the pan-wall joint
• How to Deep Clean a Bathroom — full bathroom cleaning sequence
• How to Install a Bathroom Exhaust Fan — fix the ventilation that prevents mold