Shower glass takes more hard water contact than any other glass in a house, several times a day, every day. When it stops responding to normal cleaning there are two possible causes and they need opposite treatments, so identifying which you have matters before reaching for a product.
Soap scum is a soft, slightly waxy film built from soap and body oils, and it responds to the right cleaner and a little dwell time. Mineral deposit is hard, gritty to the fingertip, and does not budge. If your fingernail catches slightly on the surface and it feels rough rather than slick, you are dealing with mineral rather than scum.
Hot water carries more dissolved mineral and evaporates faster, and the glass gets wetted and dried multiple times a day rather than seasonally. That compresses years of window-equivalent exposure into months, which is why a shower panel can be visibly etched within a couple of years.
Abrasive pads and powders scratch glass, and the scratches then hold more mineral and look worse. Strong acidic removers can damage metal frames, hinges and any coating. Once glass is scratched or a protective coating is stripped, nothing restores it, and this is where most DIY shower glass ends up.
A squeegee after every shower removes the water before it can evaporate and deposit, and it is by far the highest-value habit for shower glass. For panels already affected, professional mineral removal is quoted by severity, and deeply etched glass improves rather than returns to new.
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Feel it. Soap scum is slick and waxy; mineral deposit is gritty and rough, and your fingernail catches slightly.
Hot water carries more mineral, evaporates faster, and the glass is wetted and dried multiple times daily rather than seasonally.
It can be significantly improved. Once minerals have pitted the surface, it does not return to new.
They remove deposit and scratch the glass doing it, and the scratches then hold more mineral. It makes the panel worse over time.
Squeegee the glass after every shower. Removing the water before it evaporates prevents the deposit forming at all.
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