Homemade Shower Cleaner

posted by Andrea | 02/1/2012

A few weeks ago, I shared how I keep our showers clean in about 10 minutes a month. I mentioned that although I try to use mostly homemade cleaners in and around our house, I still hadn’t found a great homemade cleaner for the shower.

Well, after that, I got a bunch of emails with different “recipes” for homemade shower cleaner; and although I was skeptical, I decided to try a few of them out.

Anyway, after experimenting these past 2 weeks (yes, our shower is now extremely clean) I’ve picked my favorite… and it’s REALLY simple!!

Recipe for Homemade Shower Cleaner

Thanks to Anna for sending me this “recipe”!

Step #1: Pour 1 to 2 c. of white vinegar into a plastic spray bottle

Step #2: Heat it up in the microwave until very warm. {you do NOT need to reheat it every time you want to clean your showers}

Step #3: Pour 1 T. of Dawn dish soap into the spray bottle.

Step #4: Put the top of the spray bottle on and gently shake until they are combined.

That’s it!!

Just 2 simple ingredients and about 5 minutes of your time and you have a very inexpensive, homemade shower cleaner that works wonders on soap scum and smells great too!

NOTE: This cleaner is also great for removing greasy buildup in the kitchen!

Do you have any other great homemade cleaning recipes?

229 comments

Karen Ackerman
08/24/2018
Would your Vinegar/Dawn shower cleaning “recipe” be effective on the grease build up on my kitchen back splash?

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Andrea Reply:
August 25th, 2018 at 3:23 pm
I’m guessing it would work well. Dawn is a great de-greaser!!

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Pat
06/15/2018
Oh, just remembered to mention, don’t use anything but the regular Dawn the high concentrated ones take forever to rinse off, did this by mistake.

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Pat
06/15/2018
I also have tried this on the shower and it does really work! Also good for the glass shower doors that want to leave water spots. I have tried this on my porcelain sinks and a few other places like the carpet in the truck after winter that leaves that white stain from the road salts.

Very good and cheap!

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Karen S Jerread
06/10/2018
I add several drops of tea tree oil and it also kills any mold spores.

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Andrea Reply:
June 11th, 2018 at 9:42 pm
good to know! Thanks!

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Diana
11/17/2017
Does that mean 1 to 2 cups or one-half cup?

I had the same question about putting the plastic bottle in the microwave–
I will try heating the vinegar in a glass jar before putting it in the plastic bottle!

Thank you!!

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Katy Reply:
April 11th, 2019 at 10:55 am
Why do I not see a direct answer to this question? 1 to 2 cups or is it one- half cup? Am anxious to try.

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Julie
08/06/2017
Doesn’t putting the plastic bottle in the microwave melt it? Also the original blue dawn is the best for cleaning the shower. I just next heard about the spray bottle going into the microwave.

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Robin
11/06/2016
The recipe says 1-2 c. of vinegar. Does c. stand for cups?

How much dawn do I use? Teaspoon? Tablespoon?

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David
10/31/2016
I tried this showe cleaner. We have a large shower (4×6 feet). It does do and excellent job of cleaning the shower. I spayed it on, waited about 5 minutes and wiped down with a damp cloth. The strong Oder from the vinegar just about did me in by the time I was through. Not sure I could do it again

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Lori Reply:
March 11th, 2017 at 8:52 am
Atleast you’re breathing vinegar and not chemical cleaners! I just started using vinegar for my tile floors–was so hard to give up bleach but guess the dogs sneezing and a baby on the way finally got me in the right mind!

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Jill
07/28/2016
Doesn’t the Dawn add soap to the soap scum that is being removed?

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Fran
06/21/2016
Ihave bought 7year old house and looks like shower has never been cleaned,the glass is all water marked.I have tried commercial cleaners but nothing has worked yet.Any suggestions?

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KT Reply:
October 17th, 2016 at 7:50 pm
We have clear glass doors on our shower, I spray glass cleaner on them then take a brillo pad to remove water marks. Once I’m done that I wipe it down with a rag then spray with glass cleaner again and dry the doors with paper towls. They look like new after… just don’t use brillo pads on the tub it could scratch them.

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Ann Reply:
August 18th, 2018 at 11:57 pm
Baking soda works wonders on old soap scum. we have an apartment we ntnto college students, believe me, I have tried everything, and this is the best! Wet the surface, sprinkle baking soda over it, and wipe off/rub, then rinse.

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Marcia
05/09/2016
I moved to Florida about a year ago. We have a tile shower – I hate it- that builds up with mold and yuck. I’ve been using baking soda with bleach, it works but doesn’t seem to remove the mold. Will your recipe help with the mold and gunk!!

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Trena
05/04/2016
FYI per professional stone and tile companies, if you seal your grout and/or tile (and you really should), you should never use cleaners that are not pH neutral (7). Vinegar and lemon juice are acidic and baking soda is basic, so all three of those are out. My choice for tile cleaner, therefore, is Bona Stone, Tile & Laminate Cleaner. It’s pH neutral and nontoxic, safe for infants/children and pets, and I’ve always had good luck with this and their hardwood cleaner over the years. It can be expensive, but if you search you can find wholesale size concentrates that you can dilute as needed to refill the spray bottles and that is cheaper way to go.

Otherwise, Andrea, I am enjoying your site and also everyone’s comments. Thanks!

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Patty T.
04/20/2016
Andrea,

I tried the vinegar/Dawn liquid combo. I didn’t heat the vinegar and used it on my colored ceramic tile. After I rinsed and let the water dry off, I found that my tile looked dried out/chalky. Could this be because I didn’t warm the vinegar? Perhaps it helps get rid of the acidity in the vinegar? Thanks, Patty T.

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Andrea Reply:
April 20th, 2016 at 12:18 pm
hmmmm… I honestly don’t know. Our tile is all white, so I might not even notice if it left a whitish residue. I wonder if you just tried washing it once more (or even just rinsing it once more)?? I really don’t know what to say, but I can’t believe it would be a result of not heating the vinegar.

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Corinne
01/06/2016
Hi I use 4oz washing up liquid, 6oz lemon juice , 8oz white vinegar and 10 oz water, mix together. I use this and love the smell of lemon and don’t smell the vinegar.
I use this mixture which they call sparkle in all the kitchen, work tops. Sink, tea stains in cups. Bathroom ,toilet, mirrors, windows, paintwork. Spray leave a few minutes then dry with kitchen paper and it all sparkles.
I love it and so cheap.
Lots of recipes on Pinterest.

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Karen Reply:
August 24th, 2018 at 9:50 pm
Please explain “washing up liquid”. Is it liquid hand soap—any brand?

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Yvonne bryce
11/28/2015
In your recipe for shower cleaner ….what does “c” mean with the 1-2c vinegar and what does
1 T of dishwashing liquid mean.

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Tammy Reply:
August 9th, 2016 at 7:45 am
C is for cup, T is for Tablespoon, and the lowercase t is for teaspoon

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GG
06/01/2015
Do you have to wipe the spray on/off the shower and tub? Am handicapped and searching for a tub/shower cleaner that requires no scrubbing. If you have to, any other ideas for no wiping or scrubbing, just spray it off with hot water. Thanks…gg

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Debbie
03/26/2015
We have fiberglass shower and wondering if this is safe for that. Also, in regards to heating the vinegar would it be better to heat it in a microwavable cup and then pour it in the spray bottle? I didn’t think spray bottles are microwave safe. How strong is the smell of the vinegar after spraying it all over the shower? That’s the only thing I wouldn’t like about this even if it does clean and safe for fiberglass. Vinegar smell just belongs in the kitchen for me. I wish it could smell like rubbing alcohol instead.

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Julie Reply:
May 21st, 2015 at 1:18 pm
If there is a vinegar smell it should disspate fairly quickly. At least it does for me when I just use a dilution of water and vinegar. I haven’t used this recipe exactly. My recipe calls for 1 c vinegar and 1 c Dawn dishwashing soap(the original scent) and it is overpoweringly strong. So strong that it will send me into an asthma attack.

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Mogie Reply:
June 27th, 2017 at 1:50 pm
If the vinegar smell is too much for you try this:

Save your orange peels. Put them into a glass mason jar with lid. Fill 1/2 way with vinegar and let that sit for about 2 weeks. The end result will give you the same benefits of cleaning with vinegar but the strong smell will be replaced with an orange smell. You use peels that would otherwise go into the garbage so it only takes a few minutes of your time.

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Rachael
03/16/2015
Brilliant! Works a treat!!

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Janet
03/02/2015
It looks like you have a ceramic tile shower, is the acid in the vinegar safe for ceramic?

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Jaimie
02/22/2015
My sister made a cleaner off of facebook that was similar to this but she said it also had lemon juice. Now we can’t find the recipe anywhere cab you help?
This stuff was the best ever. I sprayed it in the shower & it looked like I had scrubbed it all day. All I did was rinse it after it sat only long enough for me to do my make-up.

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Andrea Reply:
February 22nd, 2015 at 5:43 am
Hi Jaimie,
Sorry, but I honestly don’t know of any recipes with lemon in them. Did you try Pinterest? That would be my first suggestion!! Hope you find it again 🙂

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Sherri
01/09/2015
What is the point of heating the vinegar?

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Andrea Reply:
January 9th, 2015 at 8:41 am
to help it better dissolve the soap

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kg Reply:
February 3rd, 2015 at 11:14 am
Does it have to be Dawn?

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Cesar
12/07/2014
Does it have to be dawn soap

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Elisabeth Reply:
December 12th, 2014 at 12:44 pm
Nope. I used Seventh Generation free ‘n clear, (’cause i have sensitive skin and don’t really like fragrance) and it worked fine.

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Susie
09/28/2014
Andrea, did you have any trouble with the spray bottle clogging?

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Andrea Reply:
September 29th, 2014 at 9:37 am
Hey Susie — no I’ve personally never had trouble with it clogging — I’m wondering if you could run some hot tap water through the sprayer to “clean it out”? Sorry, not sure on that one!

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Sue
09/22/2014
I use vinegar and water 1/1 with a squirt of Dawn and 1 tsp of dishwasher rinse agent. I don’t heat the vinegar, and the rinse agent makes the rinse water just sheet off the surface. For maintenance it works great.

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Pete
09/22/2014
What is a T? A teaspoon?

What is a C? A cup?

Thanks

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Andrea Reply:
September 22nd, 2014 at 4:31 pm
in general:
T. = Tablespoon
t. = teaspoon
c. = cup

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Dora
09/17/2014
I’ll try, thanks for sharing with us!

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Denise
09/12/2014
I have tried this twice now, and it does not work for me.

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lisa Reply:
January 31st, 2015 at 3:54 pm
i use a different recipe: one cup of vinegar and one cup of Dawn and it works much better. Try it!

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