How do I safely clean chrome shower frames and glass doors?

Chrome shower frames and the glass they hold are cleaned the gentle way: wipe them with a soft, lint-free cloth and warm soapy water, rinse with clean water, and wipe the chrome dry. Keep alcohol, petroleum liquids, chemical cleaners, scouring pads and gritty powders off the glass, the frame and every plated chrome part, because those are what haze a pane and dull a bright finish. A brushed stainless frame follows a slightly different rule, and How do you clean a stainless steel shower door frame safely? shows how to tell the two apart. This page concentrates on the chrome frames, chrome handles and clear glass on Ella shower doors and screens.

First, Know Which of Your Frames Are Chrome

Frames that look alike are often different metals, and the right method depends on which one you have. Ella publishes the material of each glass product, so you can match what is in your bathroom to this list:

• The 4-fold glass shower screen for walk-in tubs has a chrome ionized aluminum frame and is offered in chrome only. Its panels are 1/8 inch tempered clear glass joined by PVC geared hinges, with a knob on both sides and a rubber gasket along the bottom.
• The Ella Duo framed sliding door is published in chrome, brushed nickel or black. It carries two panels of clear tempered glass about 1/4 inch thick, and its extended horizontal handle doubles as a towel bar.
• The Primo thick-glass slider appears in chrome, with 5/16 inch glass, no bottom rail, and a flexible gasket along the bottom edge of the glass.
• The inward-swing walk-in tub door is a brushed stainless steel door and frame with a frosted tempered glass panel and an interior chrome locking handle, so even a stainless door has a chrome part to look after.
• The outward-swing tub doors have a decorative glass panel in an industrial strength PVC frame with a chrome locking handle.

The video on this page walks through the Ella door styles and shows the chrome locking handles, the brushed stainless inward-swing door and its frosted glass, which is a quick way to confirm what you own. Do Ella glass shower doors come in frosted glass or non-chrome frame finishes? lists the published finishes for the sliding doors, and What is the difference between the Ella Duo and Primo sliding shower doors? puts the two sliders side by side. Whatever the finish, the routine below uses nothing stronger than soap, so it is safe on all of them.

The Routine for Chrome Frames and Glass

The gentlest method is the right one, and it takes only a minute after each shower or bath.

1. Wipe the glass and the frame with a soft, lint-free cloth and warm soapy water. Let the cloth and the soap do the work rather than pressure.
2. Run the cloth along the bottom of the enclosure too. The gasket under a 4-fold screen or a Primo door, and the channel of a framed slider, are where soap film settles.
3. Rinse with clean water so no soap is left behind to dry on the chrome.
4. Wipe the frame, the handle or knobs and the hinges dry with a fresh cloth.
5. On the 4-fold screen, fold the panels flat against the wall once they are dry, which is where they live when the tub is not in use.

Doing this after use is what keeps a chrome frame looking new, because nothing is ever allowed to build up to the point where a stronger product seems tempting.

What to Keep Off the Glass and the Chrome

Ella's care guidance is as much about what not to use as what to use. Keep the following away from the shower enclosure:

• Alcohol. Rubbing alcohol has exactly one job on an Ella tub, cleaning the rubber seal of the inward-swing stainless door, and it stays off the glass and the chrome.
• Petroleum liquids and any other chemical cleaner.
• Scouring pads, gritty powders and abrasive or strong cleaning solutions, on the glass, the frames and plated chrome alike.
• Muriatic acid, which must never be used anywhere near the tub. If tile above the tub needs an acid cleaning, protect the tub fully and keep the product and its fumes away from the acrylic and the chrome.

If you are ever unsure whether a bathroom product is safe for your door, check with that cleaner's manufacturer before it touches the glass or the frame. The products Ella approves for the acrylic shell itself, and the ones to avoid there, are in What Can I Safely Clean My Walk-In Tub With?.

After a Salt Soak, Rinse and Dry the Chrome

Epsom salt baths are popular, but salt residue left to dry on chrome can spot or discolor the finish. After a soak with Epsom salts, rinse the tub and wipe the chrome dry, including every chrome fixture the water touched, the door handle and the screen knobs. Make the rinse and the wipe-down part of the soak itself, so the metal never sits wet with salt water. A frame that is wiped dry after every use will not have the chance to spot in the first place.

Where the Stainless Door Is Different

If your tub has the brushed stainless inward-swing door, three things change. The frame and the frosted glass are wiped with a mild, non-abrasive cleaner and a soft cloth, never with gritty powders or scouring pads. The door seal is cleaned with rubbing alcohol, because the seal is what keeps the water in and it deserves the same attention as the frame. And the door lifts off its hinges, so from time to time you can remove it, wash the door, the frame and the seal area, clean the tub wall behind it where residue collects out of sight, then rinse, dry and rehang it. Leave the door open when the tub is not in use. The video shows the removable stainless door and the chrome handle on its interior, which is the one chrome part on that door and is cleaned with the same soapy water as any other chrome.

Related Guides

• Which cleaners are safe for my walk-in tub, and which chemicals should I avoid?

Common Questions