How To Clean Shower With Vinegar Plus More Vinegar Cleaning Tips

You won’t need to spend too much to get your shower sparkling clean in no time as long as you know how to clean shower with vinegar!

Keeping your shower clean and free of soap scum and grime is essential for a fresh and cozy bathroom. While there are various commercial cleaning products available, a natural and cost-effective alternative is vinegar. Vinegar, with its acidic properties, can effectively break down mineral deposits, eliminate bacteria, and leave your shower surfaces gleaming.

Today, we’ll give you some cleaning tips to keep your bathroom looking amazing. Follow our quick guide to discover the power of vinegar in transforming your shower into a relaxing retreat.

Jump to:

• Why Vinegar Works for Cleaning? 
• What Type of Vinegar Works Best for Cleaning?
• What Do You Need to Clean Shower With Vinegar?
• How to Prepare Your Vinegar Solutions
• Other Ways to Use Vinegar to Clean Your Bathroom
• Use Vinegar for a Clean Bathroom and Shower

Why Vinegar Works for Cleaning? 

Vinegar is made by combining acetic acid with water and is the product of two fermentation processes. You’re probably already familiar with vinegar having so many uses in cooking, as adding it can brighten your food, give some balance to a particularly rich dish, or even pickle vegetables whenever you want to. 

However, many people use this pantry staple outside of cooking, such as cleaning around the house. This is due to its acetic acid content, ranging from 5% to 8%. This acid content is potent enough to help break down oils, dirt, and stains and eliminate sticky residue, grease, and soap scum when used in cleaning! 

Additionally, not only is it relatively cheap (especially if you buy it in bulk), but vinegar is also naturally free from harmful chemicals and toxins. That’s why it’s a popular ingredient for making homemade cleaning products. I even use it to make my glass cleaner, furniture polish, and all-purpose cleaners!

What Type of Vinegar Works Best for Cleaning?

Several types of vinegar can be effective for cleaning due to their acidic nature and disinfectant properties. Here are some commonly used vinegars for cleaning:

White Vinegar or Distilled Vinegar 

This is one of the most popular choices for cleaning. It’s affordable, readily available, and has excellent degreasing and disinfecting properties. It is effective against mold, bacteria, and mineral deposits.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Known for its mild and slightly sweet aroma, apple cider vinegar is also a good option for cleaning. It’s great to use in the bathroom and kitchen especially when removing hard water stains, cleaning drains, countertops, and stovetops, too.

Balsamic Vinegar

Balsamic vinegar has the same acidity as white distilled vinegar, which makes it great for degreasing and removing sticky dirt. However, due to its dark color, avoid using it on light surfaces. 

Cleaning Vinegar

Some manufacturers produce a variety labeled specifically as “cleaning vinegar.” It is often a higher acetic acid concentration than regular cooking vinegar, making it more effective for cleaning purposes.

Pro tip: When using vinegar for cleaning, it’s advisable to dilute it with water, especially for sensitive surfaces. A common mixture is equal parts vinegar and water, but the ratio can be adjusted based on the cleaning task.

Additionally, you can enhance the cleaning power by adding a few drops of essential oils like tea tree oil or lavender oil for a pleasant fragrance and additional antibacterial properties.

What Do You Need to Clean Shower With Vinegar?

Making your DIY shower cleaner is easy with vinegar. You can combine it with other ingredients to make a more potent solution!

To clean your shower, you should use the following to make cleaning easy and safe:

• Spray Bottle for cleaning
• Gloves
• Soft Brush or Old Toothbrush
• Dish Scrubber that can be filled with cleaner
• Microfiber Towel or Cloth
• Paper Towels

As for the cleanser, you can use any of the following:

• Solution of Vinegar and Water
• Vinegar and Lemon Solution
• Paste from Vinegar and Baking Soda 
• Vinegar with Dish Soap

How to Prepare Your Vinegar Solutions

1. Solution of Vinegar and Water

To make the solution:

• Mix 1 cup of vinegar with 1 cup of warm water
• Transfer to an empty spray bottle

Instructions to use vinegar and water solution:

1. With your bottle, spray the solution over any stains you find around the tub, the shower walls, the shower glass, and the shower door. Let sit for about 10-15 minutes.
2. Use a soft brush or any old toothbrushes to scrub the surfaces in gentle circular motions.    
3. Rinse the areas completely, making sure no vinegar residue is left behind. 
4. Use microfiber cloths to dry the surfaces. 

Optional: For hard set or more stubborn stains, spray undiluted vinegar on them. Let sit for up to an hour. 

2. Vinegar with Lemon Solution   

To make the solution:

• Mix 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup water, and the juice from 2 lemons.
• Transfer the solution to an empty spray bottle. 

Instructions to clean with vinegar: 

1. Spray the solution over surfaces with stains, such as floor tiles, faucets, and shower heads. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.
2. Gently rub the surfaces with a soft brush to break down the stains further.
3. Rinse the surfaces well with water.
4. Wipe down the shower surfaces with microfiber cloths. 

3. Paste from Vinegar and Baking Soda 

To make the paste:

• Add one cup of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl.
• Add enough water in the bowl to make a thick paste. 

Instructions to use baking soda with white vinegar solution:

1. Use a soft brush or old toothbrush to apply this paste on the showerhead, tiles, faucet, and other shower fixtures.
2. Let the paste sit on the surfaces for about 20 minutes.
3. Wipe the surfaces using a soft, scratch-resistant cloth. 
4. Rinse with water, making sure not to leave any residue behind.

4. Vinegar with Dish Soap

To make this solution:

Fill your dish scrubber (with dispenser) halfway with dish liquid and the rest with vinegar. 

Instructions to use this vinegar cleaning solution:

1. Once your dish scrubber is filled with vinegar and dish liquid soap, scrub clean the areas along the wall and the tub.
2. Rinse these areas with water afterward, and wipe the shower to make sure all parts are dry.

Other Ways to Use Vinegar to Clean Your Bathroom

Clean a Shower Head

Aside from spraying it with vinegar solutions, you can also deep clean it using this method:

1. Fill a plastic bag with straight vinegar.
2. Tie this bag around the shower head.  
3. Let the shower head soak for a few hours, though overnight would be best.
4. Remove the bag.
5. Scrub with a brush to get rid of any residue.
6. Wipe it dry with a clean cloth. 

This method will ensure that it will be clear of any hard water and other mineral deposits that can adversely affect water flow. 

However, if your shower head is brass, gold, or nickel-coated, limit soaking it for less than 30 minutes. Leaving it any longer could potentially damage or even remove its finish. 

Get Rid of Bathroom Mold

To tackle this common problem, you can:

1. Fill a spray bottle with vinegar.
2. Find the spots in your bathroom with mold and spray them directly.
3. Let it sit for about 15 minutes.
4. Use a soft cloth to wipe away the mold. 

Clean Grout 

Those spaces in between the tiles need to be cleaned, too! For this purpose, you need to:

1. Fill a spray bottle with vinegar.
2. Spray the grout with vinegar.
3. Add baking soda to the grout sprayed with vinegar.
4. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes.
5. Use a soft brush to scrub the areas clean.
6. Rinse the areas with water and wipe dry. 

Just make sure you’re working with sealed grout, however. This is because vinegar can wear out unsealed or damaged grout over time.

Clear Bathroom Sink and Shower Drain

Unclogging drains can be easy if you use baking soda and vinegar. Follow these steps to properly loosen any existing drain clog and remove it from your pipes:

1. Pour a pot of boiling water down the bathroom drain.
2. Pour 1 cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar-1 cup water solution. 
3. Cover the bathroom drain and wait for about 10-15 minutes.
4.  Pour more boiling water down the drain. 

Clean a Toilet Bowl

If you’re dealing with tough toilet bowl stains, you can easily deal with them using this household item. You need to:

1. Pour a cup of vinegar into the bowl.
2. Let it sit overnight.
3. Add some baking soda.
4. Scrub the surface well using a brush.
5. Rinse with hot water.

FAQs

Use Vinegar for a Clean Bathroom and Shower

Knowing how to clean shower with vinegar is good especially if you love keeping every inch of your house looking spic and span. With vinegar, you surely have a trustworthy cleaning ally in your house!