Glass shower doors are widely prized for their ability to add functional beauty to bathrooms of all shapes and sizes. However, as homeowners soon find out, these transparent and semi-transparent products also pose a real cleaning challenge: keeping them free of unsightly soap scum. Fortunately, you have a range of do-it-yourself options for controlling soap scum or preventing it from forming in the first place. Here are five tips that will help you keep your glass shower doors in visually pleasing condition.

1) Squeegee Regularly – Squeegees are handheld tools outfitted with smooth, flat rubber blades. These tools allow you to quickly clean a variety of surfaces, including glass and tile. Many glass and home improvement experts consider the regular use of a squeegee to be the best possible way to stop soap scum from building up on glass shower doors. Essentially, this approach works by wiping away the hard water deposits that promote scum accumulation. It doesn’t take long to use a squeegee. However, for the best results, you should wipe down your doors after every trip to the shower. A traditional, all-purpose squeegee will get the job done. If you like, you can also opt for a product specifically designed to clean glass doors.

2) Use a White Vinegar Solution – White vinegar is recognized for its ability to cut through soap scum. Start by mixing this inexpensive product with equal parts of water or dish detergent. Next, use a sponge to wipe down the inside and outside of your shower door with the resulting solution. Leave the solution in place for roughly half an hour, then wipe the door down with water and a sponge or paper towel. Complete the job with a quick squeegee treatment. Please note, if your shower walls are made of stone, the use of vinegar can damage this material. In these circumstances, you can switch out the vinegar for another cheap household product: baking soda.

3) Try Lemon and Baking Soda – If you have any lemons in your household, try this method for cutting through soap scum buildup. First, cut a single lemon in half. Next, dip the exposed fruit interior in some baking soda, coating it thoroughly. Then rub down the glass of your shower door. Repeat this process as many times as necessary to cover the entire door surface, and clean up with a towel or paper towel. To prevent future scum buildup, you can wipe the clean glass down with a touch of lemon oil.

4) Clean Buildup with a Variety of Household Tools – If you have soap scum buildup on your glass shower doors, chances are you also have it on the adjoining door frame. You can address this buildup with a combination of cheap tools already in your household. Start by scrubbing the frame with water and a plain old toothbrush. To get at soap scum that has accumulated at the border of the frame and glass, gently use a paint scraper. In addition, you can get rid of mineral deposits on the glass itself with small, very careful passes of a utility knife blade or razor.

5) Use a Vehicle Window Water Repellent – Several companies make water repellents designed to prevent the vision-blocking streaking that can occur when you use your vehicle’s windshield wipers. Perhaps the most well-known of these products is Rain-X. In addition to using a water repellent on your car, truck or SUV, you can use it to keep soap scum from accumulating on your glass shower doors. In fact, a single treatment with a product in this category can keep your doors in good shape for weeks or months at a time.

Start by spraying down the entire interior surface of your shower door with the water repellent. Next, thoroughly dry the door with a clean towel, paper towel or rag. On your next trip to the shower, you should notice water beading up rapidly on the door and rolling away. Since the water carries the soap scum, this constant action helps prevent scum accumulation.