Black Glossy Ceramic Tiled Shower + Hard Water = Ugh!!!

I use Lime away and it works wonders. I've never found anything else to work as well, although vinegar water works, but not as quickly.

Vinegar and water spray OR get a steam cleaner! I love my steam cleaner :) It was worth the cost!

Also, glad to know you put your clothes back on :0

Vinegar is supposed to help. I also used a TIlex product once for stubborn soap scum and it worked.

Also, we use marine boat polish on the glass in our shower. It is a pain in the rear and a lot of sweat equity but after it is done, the water just beads like Rain-X.

We also squeegee the glass every time we shower.

Our tiles are porous and don't show the scum like the glass does. I use scrubbing bubbles for the tile and floor. BTW.. once I had a bottle of shampoo that turned over and when I noticed much later, i was shocked at how clean the spot where the shampoo was. I dried the shower floor and used that shampoo on the floor and it came out great. Just liet it sit for a while... I dolloped it on with my hands, nice and thick and left if a couple hours or more.

Good luck... water stains are hard to get rid of..

Melaleuca's tub and tile is amazing!! Nothing over the counter worked for me at all. I thought it was ruined. But when I used Melaleuca's products and it worked without making me sick with the chemicals, I was thoroughly impressed and I'm not easily impressed. =)

Too bad about that black tile – poor color choice for an area with minerals in water (most areas, in other words!).

I can't use products that have strong chemicals or added scents, so I use vinegar for a job like this. It's lightly acidic, so it dissolves mineral buildup, but if there's already a lot, then it will naturally take longer. I have been known to slap a paper towel saturated with vinegar on a surface, re-wet it over several hours as it dried out, and then wipe or scrub lightly. That can be a big time investment.

I have heard that Lime Away is also good. Be aware that any product you use that contains toxic, acidic or corrosive ingredients can both soak through your skin and be inhaled. I've had two acquaintances in recent years who did serious damage to their sinuses and lungs this way, so excellent ventilation is important, as is protecting your skin and feet as much as possible.

Good luck.

I am surprised that the scrubbing bubbles didn't work, I use them once in a while. I also have a white shower, one of those one piece showers that is probably fiberglass.
I can't stand black tiles. They show every water mark and streaks. Vinegar takes off hard water stains and build up. You would have to keep applying it, it usually needs to sit on there for a few minutes. I have a steamer, but haven't had to use it in the shower. If you get a steamer you can add vinegar to the water in it.

From http://www.msue.msu.edu/objects/content_revision/download...

Under tub and tile cleaners:

Baking Soda. Sprinkle baking soda like you would scouring powder. Rub with a damp sponge. Rinse thoroughly.

Vinegar and Baking Soda. To remove film buildup on bathtubs, apply vinegar full-strength to a sponge and wipe with vinegar first. Next, use baking soda as you would scouring powder. Rub with a damp sponge and rinse thoroughly with clean water.

Vinegar. Vinegar removes most dirt without scrubbing and doesn't leave a film. Use 1/4 cup (or more) vinegar to 1 gallon water.

Baking Soda. To clean grout, put 3 cups baking soda into a medium-sized bowl and add 1 cup warm water. Mix into a smooth paste and scrub into grout with a sponge or toothbrush. Rinse thoroughly and dispose of leftover paste when finished.

Under lime and mineral deposit remover

Vinegar and Paper Towels. Hard lime deposits around faucets can be softened for easy removal by covering the deposits with vinegar-soaked paper towels. Leave the paper towels on for about one hour before cleaning. Leaves chrome clean and shiny.

For Plastic and Metal Showerheads: Vinegar. To remove deposits which may be clogging your metal showerhead, combine 1/2 cup white vinegar and one quart water. Then completely submerge the showerhead and boil 15 minutes. If you have a plastic showerhead, combine 1 pint white vinegar and 1 pint hot water. Then completely submerge the showerhead and soak for about one hour.

You might want to try a shower head which attaches to a hose.
You can get a descent one at Home Depot for about $20.
Don't feel bad - I always end up cleaning the shower naked.
When your water is hard, you can't let it dry on your shower glass or tile surfaces.
A squeegee will be your best friend.
Scrubbing Bubbles is pretty good but if the build up is bad (it's not just mineral build up, it's soap scum, too), you might have to repeat a few times before you get it all off.
Be careful with vinegar (and Lime Away) - it can eat away at some types of grout.

Maybe call a tile person/contractor/showroom, and ask them what they recommend. I am sure, many clients have this same problem, per dark/black tile.

Is your tile, textured or glossy?

Not the greenest solution, but CLR or Limeaway works for our hardwater issues.

:(

(In our old house we had a complete Culligan water system installed. Expensive, but WORTH it.)

Use a very good cleaner but make sure you have excellent ventilation. Something like soft scrub or maybe even some of those for hard water build up. Once it is completely clean use a good quality furniture polish with beeswax or other coating agent in it. Spray it on and then rub it until it's shiny. It will repel water better then the build up won't happen near as often. One other thing...make sure you don't spray it on the floor unless you want to go slip sliding away while showering...lol. It can be slick on the floor so make sure you clean the floor after you do all the waxing on the walls.