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How to clean a shower screen

Watermarks and limescale can leave your shower screen looking grim. We've tried popular cleaning hacks to find the easiest way to shift it
cleaning a shower screen

Scrubbing watermarks and limescale off your shower screen can be tricky and tedious, especially if you don't have the right equipment.

Do a quick Google search on 'how to clean a shower screen' and you'll get thousands of weird and wacky tips thrown back at you, including using saliva and a utility blade.

Don't waste your time and money experimenting with each method – we've done that so you don't have to.

Keep scrolling to read our step-by-step tips and watch our walkthrough shower screen cleaning video.


Give your bathroom a refresh without spending big – read how to update a bathroom on a budget


How to clean your shower screen in four steps

If you're tackling a grimy shower screen, then vinegar is a safe bet.

However, the Which? science team recommends citric acid above anything else – it's safe, non-toxic, stronger than vinegar and it doesn't leave behind an unpleasant smell.

To leave your shower screen sparkling, follow these steps:

  1. Put a couple of spoonfuls of citric acid into a spray bottle and shake.
  2. Spray the whole shower screen and leave it to get to work for a couple of minutes.
  3. Give it a good scrub with a non-scratch sponge.
  4. Spray your screen again and use a squeegee in downward strokes, wiping it clean each time.

If you don't have a squeegee lying around the house, you can simply try wiping down your shower screen with a microfibre cloth. 

You could also invest in a Best Buy window vac, which works in a similar way to a squeegee but collects the water in a tank as it goes, helping you to keep mould at bay


Can eco cleaners really tackle limescale? Read our guide to the best bathroom cleaning sprays to find out


Are steam cleaners good for cleaning bathrooms?

steam cleaning a shower screen

They can be, but only if you pick the right model. We test steam cleaners in the lab to see how well they cleans hard floors, glass and tiles. We also rate them for how easy they are to use.

Some steam cleaners come with squeegees for cleaning glass and shower screens, which is good news if yours is particularly grubby. Look for a handheld steam cleaner, or a two-in one steam mop and handheld so you can keep both your shower screen and tiled floors pristine.

We've also been hands-on with steam cleaners that feature scrubbing brushes to remove embedded grime and cleaning pads for wiping surfaces down.


Whether you're after a Best Buy or a Great Value option, discover the best steam cleaners on test


What's the best way to unblock a shower drain?

cleaning a shower drain

Here's another bathroom task that few of us enjoy. Shower drains can easily get clogged up with hair over time, resulting in water pooling at the base of your shower. 

We've tested a variety of ways to clear the blockage, including chemical plughole unblockers, reusable tools such as the Flexisnake and soda crystals. 

We even tried a home remedy using bicarbonate of soda, salt and vinegar. Read Does bicarbonate soda, salt and vinegar work? to see what happened.

We uncovered two chemical plughole unblockers that impressed us enough to earn a Which? Best Buy recommendation.

The first costs less than a fiver, and proved to be both speedy and efficient when tackling a hair-clogged drain. The second works on hair within 20 minutes.

But not all of the products we tested were suitable. One of them took a while to prepare, and we may as well not have bothered – it did a lousy job of dealing with the hair-clogged drain.


Discover the best shower drain unblockers according to our tests. Plus, get free advice on how to unblock a shower drain