Home Cleaning

The way to Make Old Fiberglass Shower Stalls Look New

Soap scum, rust and limescale … oh my! When your fiberglass shower stall looks as if you have to replace it, well … you probably don’t. All that grunge that has gathered on the shower pan along with the rust accumulating under the tap handle might be signs of age, however they are not permanent. As long as the fiberglass remains in 1 piece, it is possible to restore it using less effort than you think.

Basic Cleaning Procedure

Among the simplest ways to keep your fiberglass stall clean is to wipe the walls down with a shampoo and sponge while you’re taking a shower. This simple maintenance process controls soap scum and stops minerals from building up, but it won’t clear up existing limescale or remove rust. You might make more headway using a somewhat more permeable procedure: Make a paste using baking soda and water and use it to scrub the walls. Avoid abrasive scrubbing pads that can scrape the surface of the fiberglass; opt rather for a soft cellulose sponge or a cloth.

About Those Minerals

Soap or baking soda won’t have much influence on the yellowish mineral deposits that collect around the seams of the walls and around the drain. These deposits are mineral salts; it also requires an acid to dissolve them. Vinegar is a strong enough acid for the job. Make a paste by mixing vinegar and borax; spread it liberally on the shower walls and pan allow it to work for one hour or so. When you bathe it off and rinse, then the yellow deposits will go with it. Repeat the treatment if needed, and then make a habit of repeating it every couple of months.

Rust Begone!

The vinegar/borax may also deal with the rust stains that mar the shower walls beneath the old tap and the pan around the metal drain. You might have to leave the glue on longer; if so, spray it using full-strength vinegar to stop it from drying out. Vinegar will also help remove rust in the tap, drain strainer and other chrome parts, but there’s an even better means to do that. Crumple up some aluminum foil and rub off the rust all the metal parts. This apparently magical treatment for rust owes its success to how rust actually transfers from steel and chrome to aluminum because of the latter’s superior affinity for oxygen atoms.

A Whole Makeover

Even if you can not receive all the stains off your shower stall, then it still isn’t necessarily time for it to go. You may repaint fiberglass, employing an appropriate epoxy-based paint, such as that used to paint appliances. The secret to good results is proper preparation. Wash the stall using trisodium phosphate and water, rinse well and allow it to dry; subsequently scuff it using 220-grit sandpaper. After masking all the metal parts or — if possible — removing them, then spray several thin coats, letting each coat dry and sanding it with 320-grit sandpaper before applying the next. The outcome might be even better than replacing the stall.

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