An older post about cleaning tri-fold shower doors has recently been revived, but I thought I would start a new thread offering the method I have devised for cleaning our tri-fold doors and tracks. It seems so many are fretting about this, but I don't find it a very difficult task at all. Warning: This could be long...
We have a routine whereby DH takes his shower, first, and I take mine immediately thereafter. As I am finishing up my shower, I spray the shower doors (and walls) with the hand-held shower head to wash off all shampoo and soap. Next, I turn the water off and shake the hand-held shower head toward the floor of the shower to empty any excess water from the hose and shower head. This prevents any final drips of water onto the shower floor where I keep our small trash can and square rubber container which holds miscellaneous items... such as shower door towels and sponges. (Read on for more information!)
Once I have finished showering, and while still standing in the shower, I squeege all three doors in no particular order. I do pull each end door away from each side so I can get to the edges, and work my way to the other end. There is a sufficient amount of wiggle room in the mid-section of each overlapping door to use the squeege, but not at the top or bottom. And as you are probably already aware, there is a translucent rubber strip from top to bottom on the edge of each door, but have no fear! I get as much as I can with the squeege but, where I cannot, I finish off with the small towels I keep in the rubber container (mentioned above). Reaching around to the outside of the doors, I dry any droplets that may have escaped from the inside. I just work my way back and forth until I have dried the large area of each door.
For the water between the door overlap, I simply push a corner of one the aforementioned towels between the doors in the mid-section where the doors "give" a little more than the top and bottom, and gently pull it until it is snug. Next, I pull this towel up and down from top to bottom to dry the water in-between while holding one end from the inside of the shower and the other end from the outside of the shower. It is necessary to manipulate the position of the doors in order to get to the two overlapping sections so that I can reach around to the outside and work both sides at the same time.
Once the doors are dry, I continue to wipe down the entire shower, including the shower head and wall mount, faucet, and shower door frame (inside and out). I then throw the towels on the shower floor and, with my feet, dry the shower floor so that I can place my trash can and rubber container back on the shower floor once my mission is accomplished. By this time it is all dry, so I am not concerned about mold or mildew underneath either item. Because our Fantastic Fan is always on when we shower (very important, even if we have to manually open it), everything dries in no time at all. Including myself, I might add! I step out.
So what about those shower door tracks that are now full of water and get ooy-gooey, collect all kinds of rubbish, turn pink and grow rot, you ask? Well, I have an answer for that, as well. There is no need to invest in anything other than a package of six (6) 1/2" sponges at Wally World. And here's how I use those...
Slide all three shower doors to one side. On the opposite (or open) side, place the first sponge in the outer track up against the wall. Place the second sponge right next to it, and the third sponge next to it. Grasping all three sponges, begin moving them slowly (still side-by-side) toward and up to the doors. Move the sponges too quickly and the water will spill over the tracks! You will notice excess water already being pushed through the weep holes in the track and into the shower drain. There is no need whatsoever to make these weep holes any bigger as suggested in another topic/post! Why compromise the integrity of these tracks? It's just not necessary.
Once all three sponges have been moved up against the folded doors, push all three doors at the same time (along with the first three sponges) to the opposite side, leaving these sponges in place... for the moment. Now, take the other three sponges and place them atthe very opposite side against the wall, beginning with the outer track and then the middle and inner track as mentioned above. Leave in place. Go back to the first three sponges, lift those sponges from the tracks, and shove the doors the final distance toward the wall. Place these first three sponges right next to shower doors, trapping water in-between the two sets of sponges. (Only a small amount of water will seep backward. Not to worry.) Slowly push both sets of sponges toward each other, manipulating the sponges to force water out of the weep holes and into the shower! Let sit for just a minute to allow the sponges to soak up as much water as possible. If you so choose, you can go back to the opposite end now and soak up the little bit of water remaining. Your shower door tracks are now not only void of water, but are clean, as well! Take a piece of TP or a kleenex, clean the drain, and dispose in the trash. Finally, use one of the towels to dry the sunken ring around the drain which also holds water. That's it. You're done! (Whew! I think I got all of that in the correct order!!)
I know by now some of you are shaking your head thinking... I don't have time for all of that! I challenge you to just try it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I do want to point out that before we ever even used our shower I purchased a spray wax and "primed" the shower doors. I will "re-treat" our shower doors from time-to-time for extra assurance our shower doors don't end up looking like the shower door in our S&B!!! I refuse to let that happen. I truly think that once you get into this routine (if you so choose to follow my method), you will find it really and truly takes no time at all! And, your shower is clean and shiny after each shower, and the showers doors are not eventually pitted from water drying on them over a period of time. Another plus... I have not had to spend one red cent on cleaning products for our shower other than the spray wax which will last for a long, long time.
We have been fulltimers, now, for four months. Our shower doors look as beautiful as they did the day we brought our Baby Girl home!!! Feel free to chime in and let me know what you think, and if my method works for you. Any questions? Just ask. Any better suggestions, we would all love to hear them! Just be nice when you do it.
Update: I am looking at my FrontLine Manufacturing (maker of the shower surround) pamphlet. They suggest that to restore the soft glow back into the shower surround, apply "a light application of automotive type wax".
-- Edited by Jo And Craig on Tuesday 20th of January 2015 08:10:28 AM
-- Edited by Jo And Craig on Tuesday 20th of January 2015 02:01:57 PM
DebbieM said
11:07 PM Jan 19, 2015
I was hoping you'd post this Jo! I also use Jo's method on the shower door tracks. Only takes moments! Our shower still looks like new.
BiggarView said
06:20 AM Jan 20, 2015
Jo, you just proved why this forum is such a great place. People helping others with "best practices" and other ways to solve problems. Love it!
Camper Chronicles said
06:41 AM Jan 20, 2015
First off I absolutely love the detail of this post. I'm not sure if I care that much about how the shower doors look but I do love that theres a way to fix the problem if I start caring. At one point I thought ...maybe I'll just replace the doors!!! Love ya Jo ...your awesome.
Trace
Bobc said
07:19 AM Jan 20, 2015
I now have this vision of all these woman cleaning there shower every morning naked.
Just can't get rid of that picture in my mind
Diana and Jim said
08:30 AM Jan 20, 2015
Jo,
We currently have a trackless corner shower with a swing open door, but I'm sure the type of door you have is in our future. We have been squeeging, and that really is helpful. This post is going right in the 'future' file! Great solution to a common problem!
Also, we have a microfiber towel that we use for the final dry of the walls, door and floor. We have plastic over the door hooks (wouldn't work on a tri door like yours) that we double-sided taped over the top of the stationary glass walls. We hang that towel there to dry, along with our wrung out washcloths. Works like a charm.
Thanks for the detailed post and the great idea!
-- Edited by Diana and Jim on Tuesday 20th of January 2015 01:03:55 PM
TRAILERKING said
08:40 AM Jan 20, 2015
Bobc wrote:
I now have this vision of all these woman cleaning there shower every morning naked.
Just can't get rid of that picture in my mind
I say the hubby has to post pictures so we can actually see first hand...........
Jo And Craig said
01:58 PM Jan 20, 2015
Trailerking, would you settle for a selfie? Just askin'?
Bobc said
02:05 PM Jan 20, 2015
I think we may all be better off using our imaginations instead of seeing the real thing!!!! LOL
Jo And Craig said
07:56 PM Jan 20, 2015
Hi, Jim and Diana! I hope you both are doing well!!
FWIW:
I am familiar with the over-the-door plastic hook you are referring to. Yes, they will work with a tri-fold shower door (ours, anyway) because the metal frame goes all the way around. In other words, the metal frame goes across the top so it is possible to hang the hook inside the shower from the top of the frame. However, instead of using the hanger, we chose to place a shower rod across the top of the shower form with a color that matches our shower. We hang one of our towels behind the toilet and the other over the rod. Spread out, they dry faster. Once dry, I fold the towel in the shower long-ways and drape it over the rod to the far end, leaving the shower with an "open" feeling. (I don't like feeling enclosed!) The rod also provides a place to hang the shower door towels, as well as damp clothes, to dry just under the Fantastic Fan.
Jo And Craig said
08:01 PM Jan 20, 2015
Thanks, Trace!
My advice would be not to wait too long to care. Otherwise you risk the water "pitting" the glass which makes it impossible to fix once that happens unless, of course, you would rather just replace it. My method is free, though!
See you and Lee in a few short ones!
Diana and Jim said
06:53 AM Jan 21, 2015
Thanks, Jo! We will bring the hooks with us, whenever we make a move! Also, thanks for the tip on the rod over the shower. We loved your rig at the fall walk throughs.
Glad you guys are doing well!
Camper Chronicles said
07:02 AM Jan 22, 2015
Jo And Craig wrote:
Thanks, Trace!
My advice would be not to wait too long to care. Otherwise you risk the water "pitting" the glass which makes it impossible to fix once that happens unless, of course, you would rather just replace it. My method is free, though!
See you and Lee in a few short ones!
What does that mean "pitting" the glass?...Can't wait to see you do Jo and again in OBX!! How lucky we all are :)
Jo And Craig said
08:56 AM Jan 22, 2015
Good morning, Trace! Pitting/etching... same thing. Water that remains on the glass over time will "eat", so to speak, into the glass. The end result is what so many people complain about (me included) when it reaches a point we can no longer clean our shower doors back to their original "beauty". By then, it's too late. I have dedecided I want THESE shower doors to remain pristine. A little wax, time, and elbow grease is all it takes. I've learned the hard way.
Can't wait to see everyone again, too. We are looking forward to it!!!
Terry and Jo said
10:20 AM Jan 23, 2015
With regards to the water damaging the glass, I remember a National Geographic article on water way back in around the '70's that had a little blurb in it. That blurb stated that water is a "universal solvent" that will eventually "eat away" anything. It further stated that was the reason that drinking glasses got so brittle that they easily broke, even with just a slight tap.
I tried to tell my doctor years ago that the information from that article was why I didn't drink water.
He didn't buy it. Now I drink close to 64 ounces every day. So, I'll either "pit away" or rust.
An older post about cleaning tri-fold shower doors has recently been revived, but I thought I would start a new thread offering the method I have devised for cleaning our tri-fold doors and tracks. It seems so many are fretting about this, but I don't find it a very difficult task at all. Warning: This could be long...
We have a routine whereby DH takes his shower, first, and I take mine immediately thereafter. As I am finishing up my shower, I spray the shower doors (and walls) with the hand-held shower head to wash off all shampoo and soap. Next, I turn the water off and shake the hand-held shower head toward the floor of the shower to empty any excess water from the hose and shower head. This prevents any final drips of water onto the shower floor where I keep our small trash can and square rubber container which holds miscellaneous items... such as shower door towels and sponges. (Read on for more information!)
Once I have finished showering, and while still standing in the shower, I squeege all three doors in no particular order. I do pull each end door away from each side so I can get to the edges, and work my way to the other end. There is a sufficient amount of wiggle room in the mid-section of each overlapping door to use the squeege, but not at the top or bottom. And as you are probably already aware, there is a translucent rubber strip from top to bottom on the edge of each door, but have no fear! I get as much as I can with the squeege but, where I cannot, I finish off with the small towels I keep in the rubber container (mentioned above). Reaching around to the outside of the doors, I dry any droplets that may have escaped from the inside. I just work my way back and forth until I have dried the large area of each door.
For the water between the door overlap, I simply push a corner of one the aforementioned towels between the doors in the mid-section where the doors "give" a little more than the top and bottom, and gently pull it until it is snug. Next, I pull this towel up and down from top to bottom to dry the water in-between while holding one end from the inside of the shower and the other end from the outside of the shower. It is necessary to manipulate the position of the doors in order to get to the two overlapping sections so that I can reach around to the outside and work both sides at the same time.
Once the doors are dry, I continue to wipe down the entire shower, including the shower head and wall mount, faucet, and shower door frame (inside and out). I then throw the towels on the shower floor and, with my feet, dry the shower floor so that I can place my trash can and rubber container back on the shower floor once my mission is accomplished. By this time it is all dry, so I am not concerned about mold or mildew underneath either item. Because our Fantastic Fan is always on when we shower (very important, even if we have to manually open it), everything dries in no time at all. Including myself, I might add! I step out.
So what about those shower door tracks that are now full of water and get ooy-gooey, collect all kinds of rubbish, turn pink and grow rot, you ask? Well, I have an answer for that, as well. There is no need to invest in anything other than a package of six (6) 1/2" sponges at Wally World. And here's how I use those...
Slide all three shower doors to one side. On the opposite (or open) side, place the first sponge in the outer track up against the wall. Place the second sponge right next to it, and the third sponge next to it. Grasping all three sponges, begin moving them slowly (still side-by-side) toward and up to the doors. Move the sponges too quickly and the water will spill over the tracks! You will notice excess water already being pushed through the weep holes in the track and into the shower drain. There is no need whatsoever to make these weep holes any bigger as suggested in another topic/post! Why compromise the integrity of these tracks? It's just not necessary.
Once all three sponges have been moved up against the folded doors, push all three doors at the same time (along with the first three sponges) to the opposite side, leaving these sponges in place... for the moment. Now, take the other three sponges and place them atthe very opposite side against the wall, beginning with the outer track and then the middle and inner track as mentioned above. Leave in place. Go back to the first three sponges, lift those sponges from the tracks, and shove the doors the final distance toward the wall. Place these first three sponges right next to shower doors, trapping water in-between the two sets of sponges. (Only a small amount of water will seep backward. Not to worry.) Slowly push both sets of sponges toward each other, manipulating the sponges to force water out of the weep holes and into the shower! Let sit for just a minute to allow the sponges to soak up as much water as possible. If you so choose, you can go back to the opposite end now and soak up the little bit of water remaining. Your shower door tracks are now not only void of water, but are clean, as well! Take a piece of TP or a kleenex, clean the drain, and dispose in the trash. Finally, use one of the towels to dry the sunken ring around the drain which also holds water. That's it. You're done! (Whew! I think I got all of that in the correct order!!)
I know by now some of you are shaking your head thinking... I don't have time for all of that! I challenge you to just try it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I do want to point out that before we ever even used our shower I purchased a spray wax and "primed" the shower doors. I will "re-treat" our shower doors from time-to-time for extra assurance our shower doors don't end up looking like the shower door in our S&B!!! I refuse to let that happen. I truly think that once you get into this routine (if you so choose to follow my method), you will find it really and truly takes no time at all! And, your shower is clean and shiny after each shower, and the showers doors are not eventually pitted from water drying on them over a period of time. Another plus... I have not had to spend one red cent on cleaning products for our shower other than the spray wax which will last for a long, long time.
We have been fulltimers, now, for four months. Our shower doors look as beautiful as they did the day we brought our Baby Girl home!!! Feel free to chime in and let me know what you think, and if my method works for you. Any questions? Just ask. Any better suggestions, we would all love to hear them! Just be nice when you do it.
Update: I am looking at my FrontLine Manufacturing (maker of the shower surround) pamphlet. They suggest that to restore the soft glow back into the shower surround, apply "a light application of automotive type wax".
-- Edited by Jo And Craig on Tuesday 20th of January 2015 08:10:28 AM
-- Edited by Jo And Craig on Tuesday 20th of January 2015 02:01:57 PM
Jo, you just proved why this forum is such a great place. People helping others with "best practices" and other ways to solve problems. Love it!
Trace
Just can't get rid of that picture in my mind
Jo,
We currently have a trackless corner shower with a swing open door, but I'm sure the type of door you have is in our future. We have been squeeging, and that really is helpful. This post is going right in the 'future' file! Great solution to a common problem!
Also, we have a microfiber towel that we use for the final dry of the walls, door and floor. We have plastic over the door hooks (wouldn't work on a tri door like yours) that we double-sided taped over the top of the stationary glass walls. We hang that towel there to dry, along with our wrung out washcloths. Works like a charm.
Thanks for the detailed post and the great idea!
-- Edited by Diana and Jim on Tuesday 20th of January 2015 01:03:55 PM
I say the hubby has to post pictures so we can actually see first hand...........
Trailerking, would you settle for a selfie? Just askin'?
Hi, Jim and Diana! I hope you both are doing well!!
FWIW:
I am familiar with the over-the-door plastic hook you are referring to. Yes, they will work with a tri-fold shower door (ours, anyway) because the metal frame goes all the way around. In other words, the metal frame goes across the top so it is possible to hang the hook inside the shower from the top of the frame. However, instead of using the hanger, we chose to place a shower rod across the top of the shower form with a color that matches our shower. We hang one of our towels behind the toilet and the other over the rod. Spread out, they dry faster. Once dry, I fold the towel in the shower long-ways and drape it over the rod to the far end, leaving the shower with an "open" feeling. (I don't like feeling enclosed!) The rod also provides a place to hang the shower door towels, as well as damp clothes, to dry just under the Fantastic Fan.
Thanks, Trace!
My advice would be not to wait too long to care. Otherwise you risk the water "pitting" the glass which makes it impossible to fix once that happens unless, of course, you would rather just replace it. My method is free, though!
See you and Lee in a few short ones!
Glad you guys are doing well!
What does that mean "pitting" the glass?...Can't wait to see you do Jo and again in OBX!! How lucky we all are :)
Good morning, Trace! Pitting/etching... same thing. Water that remains on the glass over time will "eat", so to speak, into the glass. The end result is what so many people complain about (me included) when it reaches a point we can no longer clean our shower doors back to their original "beauty". By then, it's too late. I have dedecided I want THESE shower doors to remain pristine. A little wax, time, and elbow grease is all it takes. I've learned the hard way.
Can't wait to see everyone again, too. We are looking forward to it!!!
With regards to the water damaging the glass, I remember a National Geographic article on water way back in around the '70's that had a little blurb in it. That blurb stated that water is a "universal solvent" that will eventually "eat away" anything. It further stated that was the reason that drinking glasses got so brittle that they easily broke, even with just a slight tap.
I tried to tell my doctor years ago that the information from that article was why I didn't drink water.
He didn't buy it. Now I drink close to 64 ounces every day. So, I'll either "pit away" or rust.
Terry