Easy Homemade shower cleaner

Updated: Oct 25, 2023

Do you want a shining shower screen, without having to resort to unpleasant, noxious chemicals to get the job done? (And as an added bonus, requiring minimal effort?)

We may have the answer for you! Here is our favourite recipe for a simple, effective, DIY shower cleaner, that works wonders on limescale and shower scum while using only basic, non-toxic ingredients.

Amber bottle containing home made shower cleaner, standing on a bathroom sink

preparing the homemade shower cleaner

For the DIY shower spray, you will need:

Empty spray bottle – 500-750ml (If you don't have a spare one that you can re-use, we stock amber glass spray bottles in our online store)
1 cup white vinegar
⅓ cup washing up liquid
8 drops of the essential oil of your choice (we like to use peppermint). This is to leave your bathroom smelling nice after the vinegar smell has faded.

Making the shower spray is really easy:

Add all the ingredients to the spray bottle.
Top up with warm water but leave a little space at the top of the bottle (for mixing).
Screw the spray top back on.
Shake the bottle vigorously to thoroughly mix the contents.

Using the homemade shower cleaner

Spray the cleaner generously onto your shower screen and leave it to work its magic for 15 to 30 minutes. The longer you leave it, the more the vinegar will dissolve the water marks, soap scum and limescale.
Give the screen a gentle rub all over with a damp cloth or a gentle natural scourer, then rinse down the shower screen with warm water. (Don't worry, any lingering whiff of vinegar will quickly dissipate.)
For an extra shiny finish, give the glass a final polish with a dry cloth or towel.

That's it: job done, with no excessive scrubbing and no nasty chemicals to make you wheeze!

Alternatives to vinegar

The smell of vinegar fades very quickly when used in the shower spray, but if you find it unpleasant or if you don't have any white vinegar in the house, citric acid makes a good alternative. Just like vinegar, citric acid works by dissolving limescale, removing hard water stains and lifting soap scum. It is not such a strong acid as vinegar, so you may need to leave it a little longer to get to work (or else use it more frequently so that limescale has less time to build up).

To make the DIY shower cleaner using citric acid instead of vinegar:

Dissolve 1 tablespoon of citric acid powder in one cup of warm water. Stir well to ensure that all the crystals have dissolved.
Pour it into a 500ml spray bottle.
Add ⅓ cup of washing up liquid.
Add 8 drops of your favourite essential oil (such as peppermint or lavender) to leave your bathroom smelling fresh afterwards.
Top up the bottle with warm water, then screw on the spray top and shake well to mix all the ingredients.