How do you clean a stainless steel shower door frame safely?

A brushed stainless steel door frame is cleaned with a mild, non-abrasive cleaner and a soft cloth, never with gritty powders or scouring pads. On an Ella's Bubbles walk-in tub, the stainless frame belongs to the inward-swing door, and that door lifts off so you can clean the frame, the seal and the tub wall behind it. The broader routine for glass, stainless and chrome together is in Cleaning the Glass Shower Screen, Stainless Door, and Chrome Fixtures, and this page concentrates on the frame itself and on telling a stainless frame apart from a chrome one, because the two follow different rules.

First, Confirm That Your Frame Really Is Stainless Steel

Many frames that look like stainless steel are a different metal with a bright finish, and the right cleaning method depends on which one you have. In the Ella lineup the materials are published clearly:

• Inward-swing walk-in tub door: a custom crafted brushed stainless steel door and frame with a frosted tempered glass panel. It is fitted to the Elite, Petite, Royal, Deluxe, Ultimate, Companion and Escape. The frame is a U shape, which is why some owners call it the U-shaped stainless door.
• 4-fold glass shower screen for walk-in tubs: a chrome ionized aluminum frame, offered in chrome only. It is not stainless steel.
• Ella Duo framed sliding shower door: published in chrome, brushed nickel or black.
• Towel bar: brushed stainless steel, matched to the stainless door on the models fitted with it.

If you are not sure which door your tub has, What Is the Stainless Steel Inward-Swing Door on a Walk-In Tub? describes the brushed frame, the frosted glass and the interior chrome handle so you can match them to what you see. The finishes published for the sliding shower doors are laid out in Do Ella glass shower doors come in frosted glass or non-chrome frame finishes?, which is helpful when your frame is on a shower stall instead of a tub.

How to Clean the Brushed Stainless Frame

The care guidance for the stainless inward-swing door is short, and it works well because it is gentle. Follow it in this order:

1. Wipe the stainless frame and the frosted glass panel with a mild, non-abrasive cleaner. A soft cloth is all you need.
2. Clean the door seal with rubbing alcohol. The seal is the part that keeps the water in, so keeping it clean matters as much as keeping the frame bright.
3. From time to time, remove the door and clean the seal and the tub wall behind it. This is where residue collects out of sight.
4. Leave the door open when the tub is not in use.

What to keep away from the frame is just as important. Gritty or abrasive cleaners mark both glass and frames, and a scouring pad should not be used even on visible spotting. If you are ever unsure about a bathroom product, check with that cleaner's manufacturer before you use it on the door.

Why the Door Comes Off, and What to Clean Behind It

The stainless inward-swing door is designed to be removable, and detaching it is the intended way to reach the hard-to-reach places behind and beneath it. With the door in place you can wipe the faces of the frame, but the back edge of the frame, the seal and the tub wall behind the door are only fully reachable once the door is lifted off. The video on this page shows the brushed stainless door with its frosted tempered glass panel and points out that these doors are removable for easy cleaning.

While you are cleaning, treat the door kindly. Never lean on the door or use it to lower yourself into the seat. The door and seal warranty is valid only when the door alignment is correct and has not been changed by a bather's weight, so a gentle hand during cleaning protects more than the finish. If the handle no longer sits flush when the door is locked, that is an adjustment question for your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, not something to force while you clean.

Stainless Frame or Chrome Screen Frame: The Alcohol Rule Is Different

This is the detail that catches people out. Rubbing alcohol is the recommended cleaner for the seal of the stainless inward-swing door. The 4-fold glass shower screen, with its chrome ionized aluminum frame, has the opposite rule. Its instructions say not to use abrasive or strong cleaning solutions on the shower enclosure, such as alcohol, petroleum liquids or any other chemical cleaner.

For the screen and its frame the whole method is this: for dirty stains, clean with a soft lint-free cloth and warm soapy water, then rinse with clean water afterwards. The same gentle approach applies to the glass shower screen on the LayDown models, which is cleaned after use with soap and water and kept away from strong chemicals.

One more distinction is worth knowing. The tub cleaning instructions allow denatured alcohol on the acrylic tub shell for stubborn construction debris. That permission is for the shell only and does not extend to the shower enclosure. So if your tub has both a stainless door and a glass screen, keep the alcohol for the door seal, and use warm soapy water on the screen.

Hard Water, Epsom Salts and the Metal You Never See

If you live in a hard water area, the glass screen care instructions ask you to clean the glass with soap and water after each use. Insoluble lime salts can deposit on the glass and build up over time, and a quick wipe and rinse while the surface is still wet is far easier than removing dried scale later.

Chrome parts near the door, such as the interior chrome handle and the faucet, stay bright longest when you rinse the tub after bathing with Epsom salts, because the salts can spot or discolor chrome if they are left to dry.

There is also stainless steel you will never need to clean. Every Ella walk-in tub sits on a rust-proof stainless steel frame under the acrylic shell, and it is covered once the tub is installed. What Is a Hybrid Stainless Steel Walk-In Tub Made Of? lists which parts of the tub are stainless and which are acrylic or chrome, so you can match each surface to the right care.

If a mark will not come off with the gentle method, or you are unsure what your frame is made of, the team is glad to help at ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850. Have your model name and a photo of the frame ready so the answer fits your door.

Watch: Walk-In Tub with Stainless Steel Inward Swing Door for Easy Entry & Exit | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Using Your Stainless Steel Inward-Swing Door: Opening, Closing, and Handle Adjustment
• How Do You Remove and Reinstall the Elite Stainless Door for Cleaning?
• Every Cleaning and Sanitation Video in One Place

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