Shower Enclosures Care & Maintenance

When properly maintained, your glass enclosure will provide you many years of trouble free service. Below are a few helpful tips to properly care for your enclosure.

Never lift the glass by any towel bar or pulls especially when mounted through the glass. This may weaken the glass and cause it to break immediately or in the future

Always lift the glass by holding the glass itself

Never let the edge or corner of the glass touch a hard surface such as tile or concrete

Always place a cushion such as a towel between the glass and any hard surface whether underneath or against a wall

  • Squeegee the glass after every shower. This will minimize water spotting and make cleaning the glass easier.
  • With a clean, soft damp cloth or sponge and a mild detergent, clean the glass and aluminum on a weekly basis. Make sure to rinse it off completely.

Never use the following to clean your shower frame enclosure:

  • Vinegar or Vinegar-based cleaners
  • Abrasive Powders
  • Steel or Teflon Pads
  • Dirty or gritty rags
  • Mist-type cleaners that are non-rinseable, such as Clean Shower & Tilex Fresh Shower, they will damage plastic & acrylic components of your shower door & void your shower door warranty.

DO use a soft, clean rag or sponge.

The Bath Enclosure Manufactures Association recommends Comet Non Abrasive Bathroom Cleaner, by Procter & Gamble. It was tested to be the most effective cleaner, while still being gentle on the glass & metal surfaces of an enclosure.

The simplest and preferred method of cleaning your unit is by washing it with clean water and drying with a soft cloth. If soil is still present after drying a non-abrasive cleaner with a pH of seven to eight may be used. Do not use scouring pads, sharp instruments, or acid-based cleansers to clean the unit. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the labels of household cleaning products. To protect the finish of your bath enclosure you should only use products recommended for glass and anodized aluminum surfaces by the manufacturer of the cleaning product. If in doubt contact the manufacturer of the cleaning product. Use of harsh cleansers or detergents not specifically recommended for use on anodized metal or glass surfaces may damage your unit.

In some geographic locations, extremely high mineral content or other foreign compounds in regular tap water causing excessive acidity or alkalinity can damage or discolor glass and anodized aluminum surfaces with repeated exposure. Etching of glass surfaces by chemical agents is irreversible and appears as a light gray or whitish stain on the glass that is rough to the touch and can not be removed. This is the same effect seen on a glass tumbler washed repeatedly in a dishwasher using strong dishwashing detergent. Spotting is normally the result of mineral buildup on the glass or metal. The anodic coating of aluminum is one of the hardest substances known and is chemically inert to most compounds, however it will be damaged by strong acidic or alkaline solutions. Any chemical that can remove mineral buildup on the surface of aluminum can damage the anodic coating. This will dull or discolor the finish and, on gold units, ultimately cause the color to fade. The most reliable preventative measure to preserve the quality of your bath enclosure unit is to wipe the surfaces dry with a soft cloth after each use.

The following chart lists the results of testing various bathroom cleaners on the anodic coating of the bath enclosure aluminum parts. Parts were placed in a solution of each cleaning product & the results were recorded.

cleanersPH cleanersDuration cleanersEffect
  Lime-Away 1 cleanersRange Destroyed
  SOS Vinegar Glassworks 4 cleanersRange Unaffected
  Klean & Shine 7 cleanersRange Unaffected
  Glass Plus 9 cleanersRange Unaffected
  Scratch Guard 9.5 Destroyed
  Mr. Clean 11 cleanersRange Destroyed
  Windex 11 cleanersRange Severe Damage
  Fantastik 12 cleanersRange Diminished
  Formula 409 12 cleanerrange Severe Damage
  Dow Bathroom Cleaner 13 cleanerrange Destroyed
      cleanersTime  

With Proper Care, Your Coastal Enclosure Will Last a Lifetime.

To receive years of beautiful service from your enclosure requires only a minimum of care and maintenance.

You should not use cleaners that might scratch your glass or do damage to the metal finish of your enclosure.