The Best DIY Shower Cleaner – Only 3 Ingredients That You May Already Have!
The best DIY shower cleaner only requires 3 ingredients!
Cleaning day has never been easier!
Cleaning the bathroom is a task we must regularly complete, and with the best DIY shower cleaner recipe we’ve found, it just got a whole lot easier. It’s only three ingredients, and you probably already have them in your pantry!
There are countless reasons to go down the DIY cleaning route, especially if you want to know exactly what’s in your cleaner. This DIY shower cleaner will guarantee deep cleaning with no harsh chemicals or toxins. Plus, this cleaner is super easy to throw together!
This is a solution for all aspects of your bathroom. I’ve seen this similar technique in a few places, including My Heavenly Recipes and Family Savvy, and some people mention heating up the solution. I personally don’t see the difference in that as long as you shake the ingredients enough before each use to be perfectly combined.
BHG provided two solutions to clean your shower, and I decided to tweak the easier method since I didn’t want to remove the entirety of my shower head. Frugally Sustainable also uses this simple method!
It comes down to three ingredients.
White vinegar is one of the best cleaning ingredients you can use, and we’re going to use it to clean out the showerhead spray nozzle as well as rid shower surfaces of any hard water spots. Liquid dish soap combats grease when you wash dishes, and it’s going to do the same for that stubborn grime in your shower. Lastly, baking soda is an old-fashioned cleaning component that’s going to make your showerhead run like new.
Hip tips for making the best DIY shower cleaner:
- Use any dishwashing soap you prefer, though I recommend Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid Dish Soap. A small bottle of it is less than a dollar, it’s gentle and biodegradable, and guarantees 50% less scrubbing, meaning the gunk in your shower will easily come off.
- If you want to avoid the vinegar smell, try adding a few drops of fragrance oil of your choice (I love the Capri Blue Volcano scent), or a dash of dish soap for when you’re using the vinegar soak on the showerhead.
- Microfiber towels are great to use to wipe away this DIY shower cleaner, but you could also use a sponge, washcloth, or even a wand scrubber.
- If using a wand dish scrubber, try filling it with the cleaner and leaving it hanging in the shower for a time-saving solution. This way, after you take a shower, you can also quickly use your scrubber to clean the shower and rinse. (this works especially great on glass doors!)
- When combining ingredients for the showerhead, pour as slowly as possible. The baking soda tends to bubble when added with vinegar too quickly and could potentially overflow.
- I also used this cleaner on my sink and faucet, and it worked wonders!
DIY Shower Cleaner
PrintSupplies Needed
- white distilled vinegar
- dishwashing soap
- microfiber towel or washcloth
- baking soda
- small plastic bag, like a Ziploc Sandwich bag
- rubber band or hair tie
Directions
1
For Shower Tiles:
- In a spray bottle, fill about 2/3 of the bottle with vinegar and the other 1/3 with dishwashing soap.
- Shake it up!
- Spray the tile area and leave on for about 5 minutes. Rinse off with water and wipe using a microfiber towel or washcloth.
2
For Shower & Tub Area:
- Using the same ingredients above, spray the squirt bottle directly on the tiles.
- Leave the spray on for at least 45 minutes, or overnight for stubborn spots.
- Simply rinse with water and watch all the grime disappear! If the gunk is stubborn, grab a wet sponge and scrub a little bit to help loosen.
- Repeat this once a week and you’ll likely avoid hard scrubbing in the future.
3
For Showerhead:
- Slowly fill a small plastic bag with 1/3 cup of baking soda and a cup of white vinegar. It’s best to do this in a sink to easily spray away spills.
- Place this bag over your showerhead, submerging the fixture in the mixture, and secure with a rubber band or hair tie to hold the bag in place. Use more than one rubber band if necessary.
- Leave the showerhead soaking for about 2.5 hours.
- Remove the bag, wipe the showerhead with a cloth, let the water run to clear out nozzles, and enjoy a clean showerhead!
Who else is inspired to do some cleaning!? 🙋♀️
I may have been slightly skeptical about the showerhead hack with a plastic bag, but it works awesome! I soaked mine for a couple of hours and the hard water spots wiped off easily.
Now that you have yourself a shiny, good-as-new bathroom to enjoy, remember you can keep this up weekly to ensure never scrubbing again! Happy cleaning! 🧼
Looking for more DIY cleaning methods? Try DIY laundry stripping!
I started using this a few years ago and it is a game changer!! It really does work. ☺️
Oh good to know! I was super impressed!
I heat up my vinegar before mixing mine. Works wonders on soap scum and my glass shower door.
So great! Thanks for the tip!
I’ve used this for years! I don’t measure but fill a spray bottle with vinegar and add a big squeeze of blue Dawn. We call it the blue spray. Original I know. 🤷🏼♀️ I use it on countertops, windows, anywhere! I’ve never thought of adding essential oils but I will now!
Nice!! Yes it’s good stuff!
Mixing the baking soda (a base) and the vinegar (acid) creates a neutral solution plus water. You’ll get bubbles as the chemical reaction happens. It’s better to use each of these ingredients separately.
Here’s the chemistry behind NOT mixing the baking soda and the vinegar: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/vinegar-baking-soda-cleaning-mixture-myth-36880375
Thank you!
Thank you!
I used to clean cat litter boxes with baking soda and vinegar. It kills the urine smell.
I’ve also been using this for years. It works great and gets everything squeaky clean!
Correction: the recipe I use leaves out the baking soda….
The dish wand scrubber tip really works!
i create this in a spray bottle, only extremely water it down (at least 75% water) and keep it in my shower for a light, daily use cleaner.
These 3 ingredients can also be used as a shampoo for your dog if they happen to get sprayed by a skunk. We have used it several times and it gets the smell out. 😁
Thanks for the tip!
Will this mixture prevent mildew on tile grout? I’m battling that!
No. This might help:
https://www.themakeyourownzone.com/homemade-daily-shower-cleaner-spray/
I live in Florida and rarely have mildew. If I do I squirt a little bleach cleaner on it.
I add tea tree essential oil to help prevent mildew growth. It has helped so much. If it is A bigger issue you can wipe ta tree oil directly on the grout. Once you get it clean, you might want to try resealing the grout to see if that helps
Just plain vinegar will work for the showerhead but I definitely want to try the dawn & vinegar solution for the shower & tub. I hate using harsh chemicals when cleaning the bathroom & have ruined clothes using bleach. But you forgot to include one bit of information in the post. What spray bottle are you using? I have a hard time finding one that actually holds up and works properly after repeated use.
I am actually excited to try this out (and I seriously hate cleaning!)- I have a brand spanking (as of August lol) new house and I want it to stay amazing so thank you so much for the great advice!!😍😍