Do you use a daily shower spray? I have always wanted to, because mostly I HATE scrubbing the grime off of the showers, but I never have because I just couldn’t justify the cost or the fact that I was essentially spraying chemicals into the shower, only to add steam to them later. Kind of seems like a vaporous nightmare on the old lungs.
I stumbled onto this DIY shower recipe recently, though, and I LOVE it. It is super simple, void of harsh chemicals, and CHEAP. Plus, it seems to be doing the job. I don’t need to scrub my shower hardly at all {the key is to start using it right after you have scrubbed the shower so it stays clean, and not relying on it to do the job entirely.}
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Distilled White Vinegar
- 1 Cup Dawn Dishsoap
- Spray Bottle
Seriously, that’s it.
Directions:
- Heat the vinegar in a glass container in the microwave for two minutes. {Heating the vinegar helps the vinegar and dawn combine better.}
- Pour the vinegar into the spray bottle {I used a funnel, because I am messy}
- Now add the cup of Dawn.
- Place the spray nozzle back on the bottle, screw it down nice and good, and now shake it like you mean it.
- Spray your shower daily.
- Check clean the shower off your list of to-do’s.
Here are a few more DIY Products I make:
How to Make Your Own Laundry Detergent
DIY Fabric Softener
Homemade Soft Scrub
Meg says
Love this! I also make laundry detergent, and dishwasher detergent too (because it uses 2 of the ingredients in laundry detergent). After I realized how incredibly CHEAP these are to make, and how EASY they are to assemble, I felt as if the soap industry had totally taken advantage of me and duped me into believing that these products had to be purchased ready-made. What a dummy I was!
Kat says
No Meg, you were never a dummy, just brainwashed like the rest of us. Here’s to waking up!
JayJay says
I made the powder form of homemade laundry detergent–Borax, Arm and Hammer Washing Sodas and Zote–last October.
I still have about 2 inches in a 2 gallon bucket. And I do NOT hesitate to do a half load when ready because I don’t have laundry day at my house with 12 loads to do–evah!!!
That’s just not the kind of gal I am.
It is one of the greatest money savers you can practice. 🙂
Nichole says
I am a fan of Method daily shower spray but I am going to give this a shot.
Rhonda Hittle says
This is the BEST SHOWER cleaner ever… the dirt just wipes off.. We have used this for about 2 years… Best find I ever made…
Brandi @ Savvy Student Shopper says
I use the same vinegar + Dawn combo, but instead of putting it in a spray bottle, I pour it into those dish scrubbers (sponge with handle attachment) and scrub the shower down.
Annette Shaw says
Hey Mavis,
Where do you get your spray bottles? I’ve bought a few cheap one and they always seem to break on me.
Thanks,
Annette
Mavis Butterfield says
The dollar store. 🙂
S. David Brown says
Bingo!
Trina says
Hi Mavis,
Just a tip for products containing vinegar. It’s a really bad idea to use on marble showers, counters or floors. It will pit and remove the finish and cause unsightly spotting because of the acidity. It is great on granite but marble is very soft and porous. I’m a housecleaner who likes to use natural products and I found this out the hard way. Luckily my client already had damage on the countertop so I did not have to relpace it. Test it first in a hidden spot on questionable surfaces just to be safe.
Trina :o)
Rubi says
Excellent suggestion Trina!
I would also like to note that anything acidic (vinegar, citrus juice etc) will strip the sealant off ANY natural material (including granite.) Since you have to use water-based and/or natural sealers on porous counter surfaces that you want to keep food-safe (stone, concrete, unglazed/polished tile etc.), they will deteriorate even faster when using abrasives or acids and will need to be reapplied more frequently than the average 6-12 month sealer. So, unless you have a non-porous surface or plan on being very diligent with re-sealing, I would not recommend using harsh vinegar-based cleaners.
Also, it’s a good idea to keep in mind that the grout in between tiles is usually cement based and is also porous so don’t bother using acidic stuff on grout either, especially if you are routinely sealing it to keep out bacteria and mildew growth.
Angalie says
So what would you suggest for showers that have stone and grout?
Kimberly says
We spray daily after our shower as our shower is all glass, ao residue shows up immediately. Do you spray it before shower? Or after? And wipe down or no wipe down?
Thanks!!
Jessica says
So excited to have stumbled on your website for this! I’m gonna try it! My shower is slate, is it safe to use there?
Debbie Collingwood says
Does anyone know if this works on breaking down hard water stains? We have really hard water, no matter how hard I scrub I never feel like my bathroom is clean when I get done. So frustrating!!
Crystal says
Debbie,
I was a cleaner, and when we had bad hard water, and time, we would use BonAmI Powder Cleanser, and a toothbrush, or scrub pad and elbow grease, and scrub. Then we just had to be diligent about cleaning it really well the next week.
Good luck!
-CrystalJade
Rose says
This looks promising! Can I use another kind of dish soap or foes it have to be Dawn?
Delilah says
Debbie,
this does work on hard water. i have hard water, no rust but hard water and our walk in shower door has hard water spots that i have not been able to get rid of completely and this works wonders. the only thing is the smell gets to me. so i just spray it off after about 30 min and it still helps clean the shower between deep cleanings..
Carrie says
Do you just spray it on after you shower every day? We generally squeegee our short after we use it, would you still do that?
Jamie says
I tried this and I thought it was so much Dawn that it just made such a soapy mess. I use the same amount of vinegar but less than half the amount of Dawn. It does work, I just didn’t like how much Dawn it used.
Audrey says
I too used only half the Dawn. If I leave it without rinsing, the shower is way too slippery for us old folks to stand in. If I rinse it after spraying it takes way too much water to get rid of all that soap.
sk says
You can skip the Dawn. Try 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water. Spray after showering–and once in a blue moon scrub down your tub/shower the way you used to to do every week.
Katie says
I tried this and it seemed too concentrated. It left blue streaks and soapy bubbles all over my shower. Maybe it’s not meant to just spray it and leave it. I am supposed to let it sit and wipe it off? Anyone have any application suggestions? I saw the idea of putting it into a dish scrubber. Maybe I will give that a try. I did like that the addition of the soap help cut the vinegar smell.
Stacy says
My first though on this was….while you’re heating the vinegar in the micro….leave it in there a little while to steam clean the microwave. After it steams, just wipe the grime away for a clean micro and then reuse the vinegar for the cleaner.
Two birds with one shot!
Heather says
I can’t wait to try this out on my shower. Currently we are using the works toilet bowl cleaner to get all the very hard water stains off of everything. It works, but it leaves streaks. Plus, if you accidently splash it on yourself (or myself rather), it stings. Then I block off the bathroom from everyone, and leave the exhaust fan for a couple minutes before I turn on the cold water and let it run for a good hour or so to get all the chemical and the smell off. This also makes it hard with the little ones because I have to ban them from one bathroom for a couple hours until it is done, because it hurts me to breathe all that in, I can’t imagine what it does to my buggies. So, I’ve been searching for an alternative and came across here. I really can’t wait to try it out. Even if it is a bit difficult to get off from the soap, it has to be better than my current method.