Soap Scum: The Bane of the Bath

This deal can help you with one of the most notorious bathroom chores—cleaning soap scum. Read on to learn more about what causes this pesky buildup.

Soap and water go together like peas and carrots, and they’re much better at cleaning to boot. But there’s a darker side to this cleansing duo—together, they create a vile substance that can take over the entire bathroom: soap scum. This cloudy, white or gray film amasses when the plant oils contained in bar soap combine with the calcium or magnesium deposits found in hard water. The result is a solid buildup that sticks onto shower walls, doors, and curtains. If left untreated, the buildup can collect mold or mildew, body oils, and even bacteria.

Once soap scum has built up on a surface, there’s only one way to remove it: scrub, scrub, scrub. House cleaners may incorporate unconventional solutions such as vinegar, since the acid helps break down the buildup better than many other cleaning products. Either way, removing soap scum is a difficult and time-consuming process, so prevention is the key to keeping showers scum-free. The easiest way to prevent soap scum buildup is to switch from bar soap to liquid soap, since liquid soaps are often chemically formulated to avoid reacting with mineral deposits. Wiping down the shower walls and doors with a squeegee after each use will also help prevent most—if not all—buildup. Installing a water-softener showerhead can help, too, by removing the mineral deposits that react with soap in the first place.