‘I tried ridding limescale from shower with 5 hacks including vinegar’

These days, I find myself quite enjoying the process of cleaning. It’s a statement I never thought I’d make, but as I near my 40s, I realise I can easily spend hours watching someone use electric scourers to clean their oven screen on TikTok.

There’s something therapeutic about moving from room to room, wiping, bleaching, and vacuuming until everything is just so.

I’m a staunch advocate for working smarter, not harder, and if there’s a product or service that can simplify my life and expedite the cleaning process, I’m all for giving it a go.

Over the years, I feel like I’ve become quite adept at tackling most cleaning tasks, relying on tried-and-true methods to eliminate stubborn stains and problems. However, one area that continues to elude me is the glass shower screen.

Living in London, we have particularly hard water, which makes residue especially difficult to remove from sinks, basins, baths, and glass. Despite trying numerous products, I’ve yet to find one that works as well as I’d like.

After seeing numerous cleaning hacks on social media, I decided to put the top five tricks to the test to see which one truly works the best. The contenders included white vinegar and dish soap, white vinegar and baking soda, citric acid, baking soda and water, fabric softener and water, and Mrs Hinch‘s favourite Pink Stuff Window and Glass Cleaner with Rose Vinegar Spray.

To ensure fairness, I applied each one, left it for five minutes, and then scrubbed off with a reliable Scrub Daddy sponge.

Vinegar and washing up liquid

I purchased a massive five-litre container of vinegar from Amazon for £5.95 for cleaning after hearing about its multiple uses, including descaling kettles and irons.

I mixed equal parts of the two liquids into a spray bottle, gave it a shake, and then sprayed over a section of the glass screen. It went on really nicely and felt quite thick.

When removing it, the substance easily gave way with the sponge and squeegee. The results were actually very impressive, and the limescale had completely disappeared.

The downside? The vinegar smell got right up my nose, and I smelled like a chip shop. 4/5

Vinegar and baking soda

I felt a bit like Walter White from Breaking Bad as I mixed this concoction together, the immediate chemical reaction causing a satisfying fizz. However, once the bubbles had died down, I was left with a paste of baking soda which I smeared onto the glass using a cloth, ensuring it covered the entire area.

After leaving it on for five minutes and then washing it off with warm water and a Scrub Daddy, I didn’t notice much of a difference. Any limescale that was removed seemed to be more due to my scrubbing efforts than the solution itself.

2/5.

Citric acid, baking soda and water

I had high expectations for this one, given the number of cleaning hacks that swear by citric acid.

I purchased a large bag for £6.48 from Amazon, mixed it with baking soda and warm water to create a paste, and applied it to the glass with a cloth. Unfortunately, even after washing it off with warm water and giving it a good scrub, there was still a lot of residue and the water marks remained.

2/5.

Fabric softener and water

I applied the fabric softener directly to the glass and left it on for five minutes. Despite its lovely scent, it didn’t seem to do anything when I washed it off with warm water and the Scrub Daddy. I later read some reviews that suggested leaving the liquid on for an hour or two, but who has time for that?

In my opinion, five minutes should be sufficient to apply, leave while other parts of the bathroom are cleaned, and then return to rinse.

2/5

Pink Stuff Window and Glass Cleaner with Rose Vinegar Spray, available for £1.19 from The Range

Like the rest of the nation’s cleaning enthusiasts, I am completely taken with The Pink Stuff range. My collection includes the paste, the anti-bac spray, and the cream.

When in doubt, my go-to method is to slather something grubby with it and let it do its thing. Besides its delightful scent, which all the products have, the glass cleaner applied smoothly and covered a large area with just a few sprays.

After leaving it for five minutes, I rinsed it off with the Scrub Daddy. The outcome was not what I anticipated. Regrettably, they didn’t quite match up to the distilled vinegar and washing up liquid, but they were a very close second.

3/5

Final thoughts… Despite the superior results from the distilled vinegar and washing up liquid, the bathroom did end up smelling like a chip shop. I would likely lean towards using The Pink Stuff daily after a shower on the screen and then squeegee off, perhaps resorting to the other cleaner if limescale accumulated for a deep clean.