Currently, many apartment owners are abandoning the usual bathtubs in favor of showers. This modern device is more convenient to use, takes up several times less space. However, in order to please the life of this product, it requires competent care. How to clean a shower cabin at home?
The reason for the plaque
Almost all residents of the territory of the Russian Federation, and the CIS countries, are faced with the fact that the composition of tap water includes various salts, which contribute to the occurrence of lime deposits both on the surfaces of the premises where they use water, and on plumbing.
Showers were no exception. Such a unit will look perfect, as well as function without breakage in the event of regular cleaning of lime deposits, as well as soap spray. There are several ways to get rid of these troubles.
Water purification
There are two types of mechanical water treatment: coarse and fine.
Coarse, using traditional filters, is able to trap and retain solid particles accidentally caught in water. Basically, these are mesh or fabric filters that work according to the classical scheme. To reduce the salt concentration of calcium and iron in water are not intended.
Thin, using special case filters, often combined with chemical cleaning, can reduce the salt content in tap water.
Water purification is very often used in private houses, cottages, in dachas. Their use is especially important if the water comes from artesian wells.
Features of showers
At first glance it seems that the shower cabin, taking up little space in the bathroom, will not cause any problems with cleaning.
In fact, to achieve such results, you need to know some secrets.
Typically, showers consist of the following materials:
- Glass, polystyrene (or another type of plastic) from which the walls of the cabin, the roof, as well as the doors are made.
- Acrylic, enameled surfaces, natural or artificial stone, ceramic pallets, ceramic tiles.
- Chrome steel required for the manufacture of faucets, shower heads, hinges and door handles.
- Painted aluminum used to make rails and frames.
When washing showers, do not use:
- various abrasive detergents;
- hard microfibre sponges, brushes, metal devices, as they can damage surfaces.
To ensure high-quality mechanical cleaning of shower cabins, the following accessories are used:
- polyurethane (rubber) scraper;
- rags from nonwoven fibers;
- synthetic (melamine) sponge;
- steam cleaner.
Types of cleaning showers
To maintain constant cleanliness in the shower cabin, the following types of cleaning should be performed:
- Current. After each shower, it is recommended to rinse the walls of the cabin with a stream of hot water, then cold. Then wipe all surfaces dry.
- The main one. It is carried out in accordance with the instruction manual for the shower and depends on the frequency of use. On average, carried out once every two weeks with special cleaning products.
- Intense Its feature is the cleaning of the cab with strong cleaning agents. It is carried out with abundant calcareous or salt deposits.
Shower surfaces
The main surfaces of any shower are doors, walls and ceiling.
An important part of caring for them is regular rubbing with a dry cloth or paper towels. Compounds of calcium and chlorine contained in tap water, when dried on plastic components turn into plaque, and with repeated repetition - difficult to remove sediment. Exceptions are showers equipped with anti-plating glass. Here the water drains, leaving no spots on the walls.
So, in order to maintain the shower cabin in good condition, you need to take care of the walls of the cabin. But if a raid still formed, at present there is a large selection of detergents, and the question is: “How to clean the shower cabin?” - does not cause great difficulties. In order to perform the main cleaning efficiently, a detergent in the form of a spray is applied to contaminated surfaces. If the coating is not very pronounced, you can immediately wash off the product. If necessary - it is allowed to withstand the exposure from 5 to 10 minutes. It is recommended to use a scraper on plastic as well as glass surfaces to remove subtle particles of dirt.
And how can you clean the shower cabin with pronounced pollution? There are special potent pastes, creams, which should not be applied to the entire cabin, but only to separate, especially contaminated areas. The product is applied with a rag, sponge to the soiled surface, the time is maintained according to the instructions, and then thoroughly rinsed and wiped dry the surface. If soap stains and stains remain, you can clean the shower cabin with vinegar of low concentration (5-10 percent).
Detergent Selection
When cleaning, it must be borne in mind that the choice of one or another detergent depends entirely on the materials from which the shower stall is made. This information is in the instructions for use of plumbing or in its technical passport.
In order not to spoil the surface with detergents, it is necessary to carefully study their composition and scope before purchase. It is approximately decided what to clean the shower cabin, it is better in advance, after reading the necessary information in trusted sources. If something is confusing, you can always get advice from sellers. The tool should not contain:
- formic acid;
- formaldehydes;
- acetone, gasoline (organic solvents).
Typically, such detergents contain chlorine, hydrogen peroxide or a solution of acetic acid. But allergies often occur in housewives with these chemicals. How to clean the shower cabin in this case? There are special steam generators that are easily able to clean the room from any pollution. You can buy them both on the Internet and in household appliances stores in any city. True, they themselves cost a lot of money, but, as they say, the game is worth the candle.
Walls
How to clean the walls in the shower? The easiest way to care for the walls of the sanitary room, consisting of glass.
Here you can use any means for washing glass surfaces ("Seth", "Mr. Muscle", "Sanelit"). Such surfaces are successfully cleaned with soda, ammonia and acetic acid.
Plastic surfaces cannot be cleaned with abrasive products. Only special spray products suitable for plastic surfaces are suitable here. And how to clean the shower cabin at home, if there are no suitable compounds on hand? Solutions of citric acid and vinegar will not bring harm.
Pallets
The most capricious in care, but pleasant to use material due to its warmth is acrylic. Remove dirt from it carefully, with a soft cloth moistened with detergent. It can be dishwashing liquid, toothpaste or an industrial cleaner for washing acrylic bathtubs. It is usually available in the form of a spray or cream. Such a tool is applied to the surface, left for 12-18 minutes, then washed off with plenty of water. If the contamination could not be cleaned with these products, there is a more thorough cleaning with silver cleaners (polishes).
The easiest to clean is a pallet made of natural stone. How to clean a shower cabin with a stone tray? It is not necessary to use chemicals to clean it. Very often only a steam generator is enough.
Artificial stone pallets can darken over time. To prevent this from happening, they are sometimes recommended to be cleaned with toilet facilities containing oxalic acid. The main thing is to wear gloves before use to protect yourself from the harmful effects of acid on the skin. After cleaning, wash the tray with plenty of running water.
Enameled pallets are made of cast iron, steel and coated on top with a layer of enamel. To clean these products, do not use products containing:
- sulfuric acid;
- alkaline compounds;
- formaldehydes;
- hydrochloric acid.
How to clean the shower cabin from limescale, if enameled surfaces are part of it? They are often cleaned with agents that include abrasive substances. These are Pemolux, Comet, and the like. There is always soda and citric acid on hand. These substances also perfectly cope with their task both together and separately.
It is convenient to clean the chrome parts of the shower cabin with a melamine sponge even without chemicals. It independently erases grease, rust, soap stains, limescale. To do this, moisten the edge of the sponge and walk in circular motions on chrome surfaces.
Shower drains
To avoid blockages in the sewage system, the special alkaline agent “Mole” or its analogues will help. To clean the shower drain, it is necessary to fill in the detergent all night, and rinse in the morning with plenty of running water. Due to this fat, soap residues will not stick on the pipes and the siphon of the cab, which will reduce the possibility of clogging them at times. It is very necessary to use these products in acrylic pallets! Contact with acrylic can cause permanent damage!
How to clean a shower cabin with folk remedies
The answer to the question: "How to clean the shower cabin from limescale?" - can give the Antinakipin remedy familiar to everyone. It is used for cleaning ten in washing machines. “Anti-scale” is dissolved in a small amount of hot water, applied hot to heavily contaminated places, then wiped with a soft sponge. This substance should not get on the rubberized parts of the shower.
There is also a more gentle way to clean showers from plaque.
In order to rid acrylic surfaces of heavy impurities:
- Apply a thin layer of toothpaste with a soft rag (sometimes you can use a toothbrush).
- Hold it on the surfaces for five to ten minutes.
- After the time has elapsed, rub the contaminated areas a little more and rinse off the remaining product with a stream of warm water.
An excellent tool for severe pollution of acrylic bathtubs - a composition for polishing silver.
How to clean a shower cabin at home? You can use a solution of citric acid. To do this:
- Take one hundred grams of acid and dissolve them in 500 milliliters of water (preferably hot).
- Using a spray gun (if one is not available, then rags soaked in the solution) apply this product to contaminated surfaces, leave for 2 to 3 minutes. If the surfaces are very dirty - you can hold it for 10 - 15 minutes.
- Rinse the surface with plenty of running water and wipe dry with rags or paper towels. You can also clean the shower cubicle with citric acid with plastic surfaces. Citric acid gently cleanses plaque and soap residues.
If the shower cabin consists of glass and an enameled surface, then it can be cleaned with ordinary baking soda.
They also recommend preparing a special mixture of vinegar, soda and ammonia. It is prepared according to a ratio of 1: 1: 2. This mixture is diluted with water and sprayed onto the surface. The tool perfectly removes soap deposits, grease, dried drops of water. When using it, the question does not arise: "How to clean the shower cabin from limescale?"
Surprisingly, the well-known Coca-Cola drink also has detergent properties. Thanks to phosphoric acid, which is part of this sparkling water, cola is capable of much. It will effectively get rid of rust, mineral deposits. When applying it, the question no longer arises: "How to clean the shower stall from plaque?" It is necessary to treat the contaminated surfaces with a sponge dipped in the stake. Soak for about half an hour and wash off the “detergent”. Clean surfaces - wipe dry with a rag.
Mold in the shower
Due to constant humidity, molds often appear in showers.
Besides the fact that it spoils the aesthetic appearance, molds are also the strongest allergens. Therefore, after using the shower cabin, do not close the doors tightly. A very important and correct step is to install existing ventilation and dry heat sources (for example, underfloor heating). And to clean the shower stall from mold, you will need to use detergents containing chlorine, hydrogen peroxide or vinegar. Then it is necessary to properly dry the room with an electric heater and treat it with an antifungal agent. If the mold managed to get deep into the surface, the walls - in this case, the question may arise about replacing the shower and overhauling the room in general.
Finally, I want to say that cleaning the shower cabin is not such a difficult and terrible task as it might seem at first. The main thing is to correctly approach the question: how and how to clean. Having understood the composition of the shower cabin and detergents, choosing the necessary accessories and substances, you can achieve excellent results. The shower cabin with proper use is able to serve more than 10 years.