(Without Losing Your Mind)
Soap scum. The sworn enemy of every clean freak, mom, and cleaning business owner out there.
It builds up slowly—leaving behind that filmy, grayish residue that makes your shower look dull and feel gross. And if you’ve ever wasted 30 minutes scrubbing like your life depended on it, only to still see streaks when you rinse? You’re not alone.
Here’s the good news: There’s a better way. No harsh chemicals. No magic sprays. No back-breaking scrubbing. Just the right steps, done in the right order.
Let’s get into it.
Step 1: Spray It Down With Soapy Water
Skip the glass cleaner. It’s too weak for this job.
Instead, grab a spray bottle and mix up your secret weapon:
- 1/4 cup of dish soap
- Fill the rest with warm water
Make it stronger than your usual mix. You want this slippery—but not so much that it just runs down the wall and disappears.
Now spray all the interior surfaces of the shower: walls, floor, glass door, edges—everything. Get it evenly coated, but don’t drench it.
🕒 Set a timer for 15 minutes. Walk away. Do literally anything else.
Step 2: Vinegar Time
When the timer goes off (and only then), head back in.
Now grab another spray bottle with straight white vinegar—no water, no dilution.
Spray the same surfaces again, right on top of that layer of soap.
You’ll notice some bubbling and fizzing—that’s good. That’s the soap and vinegar reacting, and it’s already breaking up grime without you lifting a finger.
🕒 Set your timer again for another 15 minutes. Go answer emails. Sweep a floor. Pet your dog.
Step 3: Scrub & Shine
After that second 15-minute wait, it’s go time.
Grab your heavy-duty bathtub scrub brush—not a sponge, not a cloth, but something with stiff bristles.
Give everything a light respray with your soapy water. This gives you more suds to work with and makes scrubbing easier.
Now scrub it all down. You don’t need to kill yourself over it—because the soap scum’s already been softened up—but put some muscle into it. You’ll see the grime lift off fast.
Rinse it down, then polish with glass cleaner. Your shower will look shockingly clean. Like, “did I just replace this glass door?” clean.
Bonus Tip: Don’t Forget the Grout
Once all the soap scum is gone, you might notice some lingering stains in the grout. Totally normal.
Don’t tackle that part until after the scum is gone, or you’re just scrubbing over junk and wasting time.
For grout touch-ups, check out my post on how to deep clean grout using hydrogen peroxide:
👉 Read the grout cleaning guide here
That method will brighten things up fast—and make the whole shower look brand new.
How Often Should You Do This?
- Once a month is ideal for busy households or homes with multiple people using the shower daily.
- Every 2 months works fine for lighter-use bathrooms or solo folks.
Stay on top of it, and it’ll never get gross again. The soap scum won’t have time to turn into concrete.
Bottom Line
This shower deep-cleaning routine works because it gives the products time to work. You’re not relying on elbow grease alone—you’re letting the ingredients do the heavy lifting.
Spray, wait, spray again, wait, scrub. That’s it.
And once you get into the habit of doing this monthly? It won’t even feel like a chore. It’ll be a quick reset that keeps your bathroom looking and feeling fresh.
Want more no-nonsense cleaning tips that actually work—for your home or your cleaning business?
My $100K Cleaning Business Course breaks down everything from deep cleaning to client retention. No fluff, no overwhelm. Just clear steps to make money doing what you’re already great at.
👉 Click here to get started today.
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