This homemade shower cleaner is one of my all-time most popular pins on Pinterest, so chances are you’re looking for an effective, natural shower cleaner you can rely on. You can keep a clean shower clean with a simple daily hydrogen peroxide shower cleaner, but you’ll need something stronger if your shower is as grimy as mine used to be!
Between hard water stains, mildew, and soap scum, cleaning a dirty shower can be a lot of hard work! Without an effective cleaner, it may be impossible to get your shower as clean as you’d like it to be, no matter how much scrubbing you do!
Luckily, this two-ingredient DIY shower cleaner is inexpensive to make and erases tough stains, soap scum, and hard water deposits with ease. All you need is white vinegar and Dawn dish soap to make it, and the resulting cleaner can help with other cleaning tasks too — another reason why it’s one of my favorite homemade cleaners!
Table of Contents
Why Are Hard Water and Soap Scum so Hard to Clean?
All water contains trace minerals, but the higher concentration of minerals in hard water makes it more prone to leaving behind water spots and crusty mineral deposits. An estimated 85% of our water in the U.S. qualifies as hard water, meaning most of us are familiar with the stubborn mineral buildup and stains that come with it.
In addition to combating the effects of hard water, you might also be dealing with slimy, pink soap scum in your tub or shower. Effectively tackling both grimy substances requires a powerful cleaning solution (or a great deal of vigorous scrubbing, but I prefer to let my cleaners do the hard work for me!)
Note: If there’s mold or mildew in your shower, focus on getting rid of mold before worrying about hard water or soap scum.
What Makes This the Best Homemade Shower Cleaner?
The first time I tried this amazing DIY shower cleaner, I was honestly shocked at how well it worked! It had done what so many other tub and shower cleaners had failed to do: dissolve the stubborn, grimy layer of soap scum and reveal the clean, shiny surface underneath.
This truly is the best shower cleaner spray I’ve ever used. It works wonderfully on glass shower doors and enclosures, acrylic and fiberglass shower surrounds, and even tile and laminate surrounds. (I don’t recommend using it on natural stone showers or tubs, as vinegar can damage porous stone surfaces.)
Jillee’s Take:
Before I learned about this DIY shower cleaner, I had tried so many underwhelming store-bought cleaners that I was convinced my shower was doomed to griminess forevermore. Luckily, I eventually came across this recipe, which works so effectively that I’ve been using it to clean our tubs and showers for over 10 years now!
How to Make the Best Homemade Shower Cleaner & Soap Scum Remover
This shower cleaner DIY couldn’t be simpler: combine equal amounts of Dawn dish soap and white vinegar in a spray bottle and shake gently to mix. Spray your shower with it, wait half an hour, then rinse clean!
For more detailed instructions, read on!
Start by heating a cup of white vinegar in your microwave until hot. (Heated vinegar combines more readily with dish soap than vinegar at room temperature.)
Carefully pour the heated vinegar into a spray bottle, then add the dish soap and replace the spray top. Gently shake the bottle to mix.
How to Use This Homemade Shower Cleaner
Spray the cleaner liberally around your tub or shower, then let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour. After waiting, use a scrub brush (if necessary) on spots of stubborn grime, or try my painless sponge mop hack for shower walls. Rinse thoroughly, and you’re done!
This shower cleaner recipe is perfect for tackling stubborn grime at the bottom of your bathtub. If you need a bit of extra scrubbing power, use a broom, and you’ll be done in a jiffy!
Before using this cleaner, ensure your bathroom is well-ventilated — turn on the fan and open any windows because the vinegar smell can be quite potent! The smell will dissipate as soon as you’re done, and the results will be more than worthwhile.
How This DIY Shower Spray Works
This homemade shower cleaner is effective because it combines two powerful cleaning agents uniquely suited to tackling grimy tubs and showers. White vinegar helps eliminate odors, dissolve tough messes, remove stains, and break down stubborn mineral deposits.
Dawn dish soap, on the other hand, not only cuts through grease and grime but thickens this homemade shower cleaner so that it can cling to your tub and shower. Combined, these two ingredients make the best shower cleaner ever, and once you try it, I’m sure you’ll agree!
Keep This Recipe Handy
Making more shower cleaner has never been easier with my Spray Bottle Recipe Labels. These durable, waterproof labels stick securely to your bottles, keeping them organized while displaying the full recipe right on the label. Say goodbye to rummaging for instructions—everything you need is right there, ready to go!
This shower cleaner is just one of 11 recipe labels you can mix and match to create your own custom bundle. Each set arrives neatly packaged in a clear plastic bag, making it a thoughtful gift for the DIY enthusiast in your life.
I’m not the only one who loves these labels! Take it from these OGT readers:
The bottles with the labels are perfect! Even my husband has been impressed with the shower cleaner. Now our shower doors are sparkling!
BRH
I didn’t know I needed these until they arrived! I love that I have the recipe on the label and don’t have to hunt for it online. SO glad I got these… you should, too!
Nancy
FINALLY!! Yep, you heard it right! I finally purchased the brown spray bottles + the stick-on recipes + the directions, and I’m a whole new kid!! I have “my act” together, and I’m ready to roll! I feel like half the cleaning projects are already complete! Don’t be jealous; just get yours in order, too!!
Helen
Daily Maintenance to Keep It Sparkling
Once your tub and shower are sparkling clean, use a simple daily shower spray to keep them clean and shiny for weeks! My favorite waffle weave microfiber towels are an ideal partner for a daily shower spray, forming a powerful pair that keeps shower doors and walls spotlessly clean!
I used to rely on a squeegee to keep our glass shower enclosure clean, but it was never quite enough to prevent soap scum buildup. Luckily, I eventually discovered that microfiber cloths outshine any squeegee by effortlessly absorbing moisture and soap residue.
What makes microfiber so effective? It’s all about its incredible absorbency, holding up to six times its weight in water. You can tackle your entire shower enclosure with one cloth!
We have been using a squeegee in the shower for years. Your use of the waffle weave microfiber towels to wipe down shower walls was an ah-ha moment for me. Even my husband was impressed with how much faster the towels made that chore.
Judith
To tailor this solution to your needs, I recommend my Microfiber Cleaning Cloths for smaller showers and my larger Microfiber Kitchen Towels for more spacious areas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use This Shower Cleaner on Unglazed Tile?
Because unglazed tiles stain easily and are rather delicate, I wouldn’t recommend using this cleaner on them (or any other vinegar-based cleaner, for that matter!)
How Long Can I Store This Cleaner?
Vinegar doesn’t expire, so you can keep this cleaner for up to a year if you store it in a cool, dark place.
Can I Use This Cleaner on Sealed Grout?
According to Grout Magnificent, vinegar is safe to use on sealed grout. It should not be used on unsealed grout or grout that needs to be resealed.
Can I Use This to Clean My Fiberglass Shower?
Absolutely! This cleaner works great on fiberglass tubs and showers.
Do I Need to Reheat It?
The purpose of heating the vinegar is that it helps it combine with the soap more easily. Once the two ingredients are mixed, you shouldn’t need to reheat it (though there’s no harm in doing so).
This Shower Cleaner Is Clogging Up the Spray Bottle — What Do I Do?
This cleaner is thick by design because thicker cleaners cling more effectively to shower walls. But if it’s too thick and clogs up your spray bottle, you can easily fix it by adding more vinegar.
Can I Use This Cleaner In a Plastic Spray Bottle?
You can certainly store and use this cleaner in a plastic spray bottle, though I recommend using a sturdy one.
Is This Cleaner Hard to Rinse Off?
This cleaner requires more rinsing than others due to the amount of soap in it, but it’s nothing a handheld sprayer attachment can’t handle! (No sprayer attachment in your tub or shower? Increasing the amount of vinegar in the cleaner will make it easier to rinse off.)
Conclusion
This effective shower cleaner DIY is simple, inexpensive, and uses simple household ingredients you probably already have at home. Dawn dish soap and white vinegar are powerhouse cleaners in their own right, and, when combined, help eliminate stubborn tub and shower grime with minimal scrubbing.
This easy shower cleaner contains no bleach or harsh chemicals — just two pantry ingredients that work like magic! Give it a try, and I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do.
More Dawn & Vinegar Cleaning Tips
- These 28 uses for Dawn dish soap range from fun to functional (and some are both!)
- Learn about the best ways to use vinegar around the house.
- Use these 8 vinegar cleaning tips to make your bathrooms sparkling
Do you have any favorite shower and tub cleaning tips?
Homemade Shower Cleaner (Recipe)
Video
Equipment
- 16 oz spray bottle
- Microwave safe measuring cup
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dawn dish soap
- 1 cup white vinegar
Instructions
- Heat the white vinegar in your microwave until hot, then pour it into your spray bottle.
- Pour the dish soap into the bottle, then replace the lid and shake gently to mix.
Can you add your own essential oils to the vinegar/dawn dish soap recipe to help avoid the strong vinegar smell?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Can this be used on the fixtures?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You can get the same cleaning power with far less dish soap – about a teaspoon. Vinegar is acid and dish soap is alkaline, in similar quantities they mostly cancel each other’s cleaning ability out.
What the dish soap can still provide, though, is a surfactant for the hot vinegar. A surfactant helps it to ‘stick’. So just use a small squirt and the hot vinegar will do all the work.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Use caution when using vinegar on grout. You should not use vinegar on grout that is unsealed, needs resealing, or is in poor condition. Vinegar can seep into the grout’s pores, weakening it over time.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Wilma, thanks for sharing this important tip!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use plain white vinegar. It works great on cleaning the tub and shower doors
Please log in or create a free account to comment.So grateful for this shower/tub cleaner tip! We’ve been using it for yrs! I’ve even given the recipe out to friends! Works wonderfully! Thanks Jillee!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Is it safe to use the bathroom cleaner with vinegar on ceramic tile that doesn’t have a glaze on it?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi there, with this mix of ingredients can make this in large amounts and keep them under my sink and use them when needed If so is there a user-by date e.g needs to be used within 3 months etc … ?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I thought using vinegar on tile was a no-no! Doesn’t the vinegar damage the tiles? We just remodeled our bathroom & I want to do it right! I haven’t heard of using vinegar to be a good thing.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Debbie, I don’t recommend using vinegar on stone or marble, but it is great for porcelain.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Vinegar is OK on glazed tile but should not be used on the grout. Acids can dissolve grout.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You always say use white vinegar.
When should you use “cleaning vinegar” – 6% acidity?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Cleaning vinegar is actually 20% more acidic than white vinegar. Both work well for cleaning. However, you can’t use cleaning vinegar in food recipes. In most cases, white vinegar will do the job for cleaning and it is less expensive. You could use cleaning vinegar for tougher jobs. Just make sure to wear gloves when using it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jillie, thank you for this wonderful information! Do you think this would be safe to use to clean my oven?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You definitely could! However, I’d suggest this method for your oven
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m hoping that everyone making this cleaner is using a glass bottle as the hot vinegar won’t do a plastic bottle much good. Either that, or make the mixture in the large Pyrex measuring cup and let it sit in there until it cools, then pour it into a plastic spray bottle.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m a believer. It works better than anything I’ve ever bought. It’s much cheaper and there are no harmful fumes. At least, I don’t consider vinegar harmful.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve been using this shower cleaner for a couple of years now and it works very well. It also removes the blue stain caused by copper hot-water pipes. Since we don’t have Dawn dish soap in New Zealand, I substitute Palmolive dish detergent.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sorry – I saw my previous comment and I’ve only been using the cleaner for a year!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m in shock at how well this works, and how inexpensive and easy. Thank you! Shout out also for the Danish Dough Whisk, the tool I always needed and didn’t know existed. Round bowls like round edges.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am so glad!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made this cleaner, but for some strange reason it thickened and I can no longer spray it from the bottle. How can I thin this out? Just vinegar? Or since only half bottle left shud I top it off with more 50/50 mix?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You can thin it out with a splash of extra vinegar!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ll try this next time. Right now I just spray the door or walls with vinegar then rub a half lemon in salt and wipe it over the area then let it sit and it works like a charm. Then I put RainX on the shower and good to go for quite some time. But if all I have to do is spray this stuff on and let it sit I’m all for that. Thanks for the great tip and I might just put some lemon essential oil in there too to make it smell good.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hello Jillee, I have a question about your homemade shower cleaner. I’m allergic to an ingredient in Dawn dishwashing liquid so could I use Palmolive Oxy dishwashing liquid instead?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Absolutely! While I find that Dawn is the best at cutting through soap scum, any dish soap will do the trick!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My father-in-law makes a form of this solution – he calls it “Ugly Soap” because it gets rid of ugly stuff – works great to get rid of dead bugs off your car!! We have a lot of mosquitoes and others here in Alberta in the summer!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We mix Borax, vinegar in hot water, shake it and add dish soap – but we also add a few drops of colloidal silver which kills many types of bacteria so it’s great to use for wiping doorknobs, countertops, stoves – anything that gets touched often
Thanks for all the great cleaning help!!
I love that!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love this solution, but my spray bottles get clogged. Does anyone have a solution? Thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Diane, here is one of my posts that has a solution and you may even learn a couple other tips.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.20 Handy Ways to Reuse Tights and Pantyhose
I just printed this out. I’ve tried the Dawn/broom trick but it doesn’t clean my main problem – ring around the tub. I live alone and don’t take baths – I shower. Can’t figure out the ring problem. It looks like it did when I had kids in the house. I’ve scrubbed – it never goes away. Tried Magic Eraser and a plastic putty knife – nothing. BTW – Magic Eraser has come out with one for tubs. Supposedly loaded with cleaner but those suds come out only the 1st time – after that, it’s just a Magic Eraser. I’ve used vinegar for many things but I would recommend using the kitchen grade vinegar – it’s more potent. I keep a squeegee in the tub to wipe down the walls after each shower so it dries quickly.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you have a decent tub liner, it can be tossed in the washer with a towel. I use delicate/gentle cycle, a tiny bit of detergent and a cup of vinegar. I hang it in my laundry area to dry. Nobody sees it but me but it’s sure aggravating!!!
$13 seems a bit expensive for a cleaner made of Dawn Dish Soap and White Vinegar. I can get a half gallon of vinegar at the local dollar store for $1 and a lot of times I can find the Dawn soap there too.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made your shower cleaner this morning and it worked really well on my tile-lined shower. It also removed the blue stain caused by hot water coming through copper pipes. Thanks, Jillee!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Is it necessary to use a glass bottle when making this cleaner?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You do not have to use a glass bottle.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Will this work on a fiberglass shower?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Well, I didn’t wait for a reply. I figured neither one of the ingredients could harm the fiberglass, so I went ahead and did it. Waited an hour then hosed it down and it worked great. Had to scrub a few places but not much. Even my wife approved! Thanks.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes, it works wonderfully on fiberglass showers!
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