Shower enclosures appeared in our apartments and houses relatively recently and have gained a great popularity.

Modern enclosures in addition to being more compact than bathtubs (which is an undeniable advantage for small apartments), they are more hygienic (dirt is immediately washed away with running water), more economical (the water consumption is less than when you take a bath), hermetic (when the doors are closed no water spills on the floor in the bathroom).

Besides, many models of shower enclosures are equipped with various additional functions, ranging from hydro massage of certain parts of the body, ending with a built-in radio and even TV.
However, handling of a shower enclosure is more time-consuming than of the bathroom. But if you regularly monitor the cleanliness of all the surfaces, the deep cleaning (when necessary) will be painless.

What kind of contaminations we have to face?

1. Dried soap scum;
2. Limescale marks;
3. Mold.

Daily. Try not to take a shower three minutes before leaving for work, do it a little bit earlier so you have time to rinse off the soap scum from the inner surfaces of the cabin first with hot and then with cold water.

If simple rinsing doesn’t help to get rid of the soap scum, use an ordinary detergent, for example, dishwashing liquid. In order not to have whitish weepings after water, wipe the surface of the enclosure dry with a microfiber cloth; you may also use an ordinary dry cloth, which well absorbs the water.

Of course it is hard to imagine such an idealistic picture of you rinsing the enclosure and wiping it dry each time after taking a shower, because we are all humans, not robots – we often do not have time, and frequently the desire for all this. And sooner or later we have to do a more thorough cleaning.

Once a week, take the time to carry out a quality cleaning of sanitary equipment, including shower enclosure. The household and DIY stores shelves are filled with a variety of agents which will help you to clean any surface; they are sprays and gels, creams and powders.

For cleaning glass and plastic it is recommended to use creamy and gel like agents. The powders are composed of fine abrasive substances that can scratch the surface of glass or plastic, and it is inconvenient to use sprays in small (especially confined) spaces, they enter the respiratory tract and may provoke poisoning.

Gel or cream is easily applied with a sponge on the surface of the walls and doors, to improve the effect the agent can be left for fifteen to twenty minutes. The agent then is removed with a rubber scraper or an ordinary sponge. The enclosure is rinsed with water and wiped dry.

Occasionally. Well, and the most difficult case is when a shower enclosure is in a neglected state.

1. Cleaning the glass or plastic of the screen or the doors.

• It’s pretty easy to get rid of the limescale on the glass or plastic. Usually it is cleaned well enough by rubbing it with the hard side of the sponge with some detergent on it. But if the limescale has already moved to a stage of limestone, we won’t be able to deal with it without a more aggressive agent.

Out of those that are always available at home, you can use vinegar, vinegar essence (which MUST be diluted before the use), citric acid. All these acids after application to the surface dissolve lime quite well. Then, the surface should be thoroughly rinsed with water and wipe dry.

• Glass and mirrors within the shower enclosure are cleaned with slightly diluted alcohol. Take one part of the alcohol and two parts of water, a sponge or a cloth is moistened with this solution and the glass surfaces are thoroughly cleaned.

• The glass within the shower enclosure can be cleaned by ordinary means for cleaning mirrors and windows.

2. The Tray

– Acrylic tray. Acryl is quite a soft material, which is not recommended to be rubbed with any abrasive agents, not to scratch its surface. Therefore the dry chemicals are not desired to be applied.

You may be surprised, but for cleaning the acrylic trays toothpaste or some agents for silver polishing are perfectly suitable.

Limescale marks and rust stains may be removed with vinegar or citric acid. The easiest way is to fill the tray with some water and add some acid there. In the most neglected cases it is possible to leave the tray filled with such solution overnight.

– Enameled surface of the tray is a big plus in its cleaning. Enamel is not demanding in care, it can be cleaned not only with gels but also with powders. In case of limescale or rust contamination use the same agents as for acrylic surfaces.

The rust stains can be removed by mixing the salt with turpentine to a thick paste.

One disadvantage of enamel is its fragility. Try not to drop heavy objects on the enamel surface, as it can get cracked and even chip off.

– Stainless steel tray is very durable and easy to clean. But if some problem areas, stains, scratches appeared on it, a self-prepared paste will help to get rid of them. Soften the soap and add chalk in equal proportions. Apply the paste on a sponge and clean the tray, focusing on contaminated areas. Then rinse the paste and wipe the surface well.

3. To clean the tiles there are many means developed by the chemical industry as well as many natural home remedies.

• You may clean the tiles with the diluted vinegar, mustard, a paste made of baking soda and chalk.

• Ammonia will help to add some gloss to the tiles; it is enough to wipe the tiles with a cloth, moistened with ammonia.

4. The problem of shower enclosures is the excessive humidity. That is why very often mold appears on the joints embedded by silicone as well as on the tiles.

• A good disinfectant is chlorine. For the treatment of surfaces, you can use ordinary bleach. When working with chlorinated substances it should be remembered that chlorine is toxic, so it is necessary to protect the hands and face from poisonous substances, as well as to protect the respiratory organs.

• An excellent antiseptic is the tea tree oil. At the same time it is completely harmless.

• To avoid mold formation, control humidity within the shower enclosure and throughout the whole bathroom. Leave the door of enclosure open, set in the bathroom a fan into the ventilation hole, on the wall put a powerful heated towel rail, which will run all year.