Readers offer salvage solutions to crusted shower doors

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By ED DEL GRANDE
HGTVPro.com
Monday, May 14, 2007

The most fun for me when I work on this column is reading the mail readers send me. Some letters are funny, some are heartbreaking and some include homegrown tips that correspondent wants to share with everyone. Not long ago I did an article on a lady who could not get her glass shower door clean and she asked "What will clean old glass shower doors?" Being a contractor and a no nonsense guy, I told her that "I would replace the door with a new one and then after every use wipe down the door with a squeegee so it will stay new looking."

Well, you should have seen the response I received for suggesting a new door! Many people disagreed with me and wrote to tell me about their secret shower glass cleaning tricks. I included three of these letters for you to read and you can make up your own mind as to the best solution when dealing with crusty looking shower doors. You can change it out like I recommend, or maybe you could be interested in hearing what our readers had to say. Remember, I am not endorsing any of these products and/or solutions and I caution you to always follow only "the manufactures instructions" for product use. With all that said, here they are:

"Dear Ed, I use Easy-Off oven cleaner in the blue can. I spray it on the old shower door and leave it for an hour. Then I scrub and rinse it off and it looks like new! I have also used it on all metal surfaces and to remove tomato stains from my wallpaper." -- Frank F.

"Hello, Ed. In response to your "Shower door needs a good bath" column I had also tried everything until I found excellent results using ... "WD-40"! Yes, I have found that the same stuff used to loosen bolts works great on glass shower doors as a cleaner. Just use it once to clean the door and, then like you said, wipe the door clean after every shower." -- Laura Z.

"Hi, Ed. I read your article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer about trying to get glass shower doors clean. I searched for and tried a lot of products before I found one that worked. Not only does it work, but there is no elbow grease involved! The product is The Fuller Brush Company's "Bathclean Basin Tub & Tile Cleaner." Simply spray it on, wait a few minutes and wipe. It may take more than one application if the door is extremely coated with soap scum and mineral deposits, but this product worked for me when nothing else did." -- Cindy from Ohio.

There you have it, three letters from three different readers with three different solutions each claimed worked for their old shower doors. After all that, I realize that, just like an old foggy shower door, there are so many products and tricks out there that the best way to clean and restore a glass door can be unclear. So, I'm still sticking to my solution: "Get a new shower door!"

(Master Contractor/Plumber Ed Del Grande is known nationally as the author of the book "Ed Del Grande's House Call" and for hosting TV shows on Scripps Networks and HGTVPro.com. For information visit eddelgrande.com or write eddelgrande(at)hgtvpro.com. Always consult local contractors and codes.)