Cleaning and Stain Removal - Glass Shower Doors

I have read the previous posts about cleaning hard water deposits off clear glass shower doors and have tried them with no luck. I believe that I have removed everything that was on the surface, including the cloudiness, and the stain that remains almost appears to be etched into the glass - -is that possible?

The one remedy that I have not tried is automotive polish and I am wondering if anyone has tried this with an electric palm-sized sander/buffer? I have one with interchangeable pads (0000 steel wool pads, as well as white "scrubby" pads). Will this damage the glass? I do not want to compromise the glass and possibly scratch it further, but I am at a loss for other ideas. Thank you for any help!

Hard water minerals can etch glass. The damage is permanent. Waxing with auto glass polish or wax may minimize etching. More importantly, the wax will provide sheeting action to send water on its way so water droplets do not adhere to glass where they deposit minerals. Wiping shower down with squeegie or chamois after each use tends to minimize mineral deposit & scum which create cleaning nightmares.

I had the same problem. Got me one of those battery powered scrubbers and a big jug of vinegar. Worked wonderful. I hate those bumpy glass shower doors. They are like a magnet for scum.

Glass restoration is one of my specialties. Your problem is likely mineral deposits that are based on silicates. They are based on a similar chemistry to that of the glass itself. And yes, a chemical exchange reaction can take place between the hard water and the atoms of the glass. Without getting into the four different stages of glass degradation, suffice it to say that these deposits usually do not eat up a glass surface bad enough to show orange peal once those microscopic pieces of rock are removed. The solution lies in a polishing system based on either an optical grade silica, or a cerium oxide powder. The powder is mixed with some pure water. Then a felt pad is used along with a rotary machine like a drill motor. 1200 rpms is usually sufficient. But speeds up to five thousand have been used in machines like Novus' Autostock. It cost about two thousand bux. My system cost twenty. Plus the drill motor. Theirs is of course much much better. What ever the speed the two greatest dangers are heat build up which can crack the glass. Also particulate dirt contamination that can create scratch swirls all over the plate. The Novus machine eliminates these problems completely. There is another system out there called the Scratch Hog II. And another being sold by a company called Janvil. The Hog is around fifteen hundred last time I looked. And Janvil is likely much less than that. There are other systems available as well. The bottom line here however is all hope is not lost. It can be done. Don't worry about an etch. But NEVER use any type of glass restoration commercial or otherwise product that is based on a glass etchant such as hydrofluoric, sulfuric, or ammoniumbifluoride. There are tests for this that I have developed.

Henry Grover Jr.
Glass Tech Consulting
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