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Many homeowners want shower walls that are easy to clean, and for a good reason, if you’ve ever wondered why some showers remain sparkling clean longer than others, you’re in the right place. Usually, it is the combination of materials, and how well they are maintained that keeps some showers cleaner longer. We’ve compiled this guide to help you keep your shower clean, and enjoy a sparkling bathroom.
Planning a bathroom remodel, especially in Northwest Indiana? Selecting the best materials for your shower walls can help reduce the time spent cleaning them. Here at Lori K Bath, we help homeowners in Northwest Indiana, Elkhart and Mishawaka create beautiful bathrooms that are easy to maintain.
How To Create Easy-Clean Shower Walls
Shower walls can become dirty with all buildup of soap scum, hard water stains, or mold. Soap scum is created by the fatty acids in your soap mixing with the minerals in your hard water. This creates a greasy mess. Hard water stains are caused by the minerals in your water, and are left behind when the water evaporates. Mold, happily, also loves the damp environment of a shower. The easiest shower walls to clean are those that resist these types of buildup. As simple as that!
Different materials repel soap scum and mold in different ways. For example, many surfaces, especially ones that are porous, have crevices that hold onto dirt. Non-porous surfaces, however, repel water and dirt by keeping it from entering in the first place. This is the primary difference between different materials, and plays a part in how easy it is to clean.
Easy-Care Materials for Shower Walls
The material that you select for your shower walls will contribute significantly in terms of ease of maintenance. You should consider non-porous and strong materials for easy care walls. Knowing the properties of different materials will assist you in narrowing down on the most suitable type for your shower walls.
Take, for instance, solid surface shower panels that are mostly non-porous. The mostly acrylic or other material panels do not absorb anything. The surface of the panel is non-porous thus it repels water, soap scum, and molds effectively. Unlike with tiled showers that have grout lines, shower panels are seamless. This means that there is nowhere for soap scum and mold to thrive. They are much easier to clean effectively since there are no crevices for dirt to get into.
Grout: The Number One Enemy For Clean Showers
While tiled showers look nice, they do require more cleaning due to the grout. Having a porous material, grout is prone to absorb water and dirt, making it a breeding ground for mold, mildew, and stains. Grout also often requires routine sealing to limit its ability to absorb unwanted materials, and to keep it from becoming stained and crumbling. This only makes the appearance of the shower less clean. Many people, including myself, seek out other options to avoid the headaches of grout.
Luckily, there are new advancements being made to make cleaning much easier. For example, larger tiles or panel systems can be used to drastically reduce the amount of grout needed for a shower. This reduces the amount of room for soap scum and mold to grow, and makes keeping the shower clean much easier. If you’re planning a bathroom remodel in Valparaiso or Crown Point, I would say it is a wise decision to minimize the amount of grout used to keep the shower clean.
Shower Designs That Reduce Cleaning
Aside from the material, some design choices also impact how easy it is to clean your shower. Some planning during a bathroom remodel can make a world of difference when it comes to reducing the amount of cleaning you need to do. I speak from experience when I say that planning a functional shower is key.
Consider things like the shape and accessibility of the shower. It’s also wise to try and avoid obstacles that may cause water to pool after a shower. Similarly, opting for built in shelves or niches rather than overhead caddies can also reduce the amount of cleaning you have to do. You can even get creative and make the shelves from the same easy-to-clean material as your shower!
Finally, the slope of your shower pan can also impact how clean it stays. A pan with a slight slope can help channel the excess water away from the walls, and help keep it from pooling and creating hard water stains.
Our Simple Tips For Easy-Clean Shower Walls
Even the easiest to clean shower walls need some maintenance to be kept clean. Try out these tips to keep your shower walls looking nice and clean.
First off, using a squeegee or microfiber cloth on your shower walls after each use will help remove excess water, and reduce the chance of hard water stains forming. It’s a quick task that really pays off.
Next, try using liquid soaps and shampoos instead of bar soaps. Bar soaps cause a tremendous amount of soap scum buildup in your shower. Make sure your bathroom is well ventilated will also aid in reducing the amount of humidity, thus preventing the growth of mold and mildew.
Lastly, cleaning your shower walls with a gentle cleaner to maintain their look. If you’re using acrylic or solid surface materials, make sure to not use cleaners that will scratch the material or use a soft cloth to clean. You will thank us later!
Got Questions? We’ve Got Answers.
What materials are best for easy-to-clean shower walls?
When it comes to easy to clean shower walls, I would look into using non-porous materials such as solid surface panels, large porcelain or ceramic tile, or glass panels. They are a lot better at resisting the buildup of water and soap scum, and mold and mildew.
How can I prevent soap scum from building up on my shower walls?
Instead of using bar soap, it would be a good idea to start using liquid soap. The soap scum is caused by the water being left on the walls after you’re done showering, so using a squeegee or microfiber cloth to get rid of the excess water would help. The best way to reduce mold and mildew is by reducing humidity.
Is the grout around my shower hard to clean?
Unfortunately, yes. Grout that is older is much harder to clean because of the porosity of cement-based grouts. But good news, newer epoxy grouts are much less likely to get dirty. Or, another solution is to use large tiles or panels so that there is less grout to get dirty. Large tiles and panels are much easier to clean since they’re smooth surface doesn’t allow for mold, mildew, and buildup to gather in the grooves.
Why are shower panels easier to clean than tiled showers?
Shower panels are easier to clean because they’re usually seamless, meaning that there’s no grout to clean. They’re also non-porous meaning that it’s harder for mold, mildew, and soap scum to buildup on them.
Wrapping it up
It is possible to have easy-cleaning shower walls. It just takes finding the right shower walls, and maintaining them. Using non-porous materials, along with simple maintenance routines will help you reduce the time spent cleaning your shower.
Here at Lori K Bath, we help homeowners in Northwest Indiana and the surrounding areas like Elkhart and Mishawaka create beautiful, easy-to-maintain bathrooms. If you’re looking for a stress-free, sparkling clean shower, consider a simple in-home consultation with us today!