How to Clean Your Textured Fiberglass Shower Floor Pan

Showering is not only relaxing and a great way to jumpstart the day, it is also one of the main ways we get clean. However, while we are washing away, our shower floor is taking on all that dirt we wash off.

Learning how to clean a textured fiberglass shower floor will help you get rid of the soap scum buildup that happens between the grooves. It will also help keep your shower looking and smelling fresh.

​How to Clean a Textured Fiberglass Shower Floor

Learning how to clean the floor of a shower pan with texture can be a little tricky. This is because soap scum will easily become trapped inside the grooves and corners of your shower floor. To prevent a large buildup, you will need to find a way to effectively clean your shower floor.

Good floor cleaning products are hard to find. We recommend Wet and Forget Shower Cleaner if you need something for your shower floor. Works really well, with no bleach, no ammonia, no dyes.

Some of the best cleaning products you can use are not found on the cleaning aisle. Instead, most of them are located in your kitchen pantry. These safe-to-use natural cleaners are great when you are worried about inhaling fumes or want to keep your kids away from harmful products.

Using Vinegar

​​White vinegar is naturally high in acidity and great for cleaning up hard water spots or dealing with mineral build up. For soap scum, add a few drops of Dawn to a half and half water/vinegar solution.

This go-to vinegar cleaning solution is highly effective at cleaning up almost any mess.

Here are the steps to cleaning your fiberglass shower floor with vinegar:

1. Spray the solution on your shower/bathtub floor.
2. ​Let it sit about fifteen minutes.
3. Use a sponge or soft brush to gently scrub in little circles.
4. Rinse.
5. Repeat if necessary.

Scrubbing in little circles allows you to agitate the dirt in multiple directions, instead of just back and forth. Stubborn grime may need some extra elbow grease but will come up with a little scrubbing focus.

Vinegar is a fantastic all around cleaner. You can use it to remove rust from your shower head and handles. It is also great for cleaning other areas around the home including laundry and getting stains out of carpet.

Using Baking Soda

​​Great for neutralizing odors and absorbing dirt, baking soda is a must have in your pantry and routine cleaning. To clean with baking soda on your shower floor, you can use it one of two ways.

​​Method One: ​Baking Soda & Water

Here is how to clean your textured shower floor with baking soda and water:

• Make a baking soda paste with water and baking soda.
• Apply the paste onto the shower floor and use a scrub brush or a cleaning tooth brush to scrub the paste into the textured grooves.
• Rinse it clean when finished.

The other way you can use baking soda is to mix it with vinegar.

Method Two: ​Baking Soda & Vinegar

Here are the steps to clean a fiberglass shower pan with baking soda and vinegar:

• ​Sprinkle baking soda liberally over the shower floor.
• Then pour vinegar directly on the baking soda and let it react.
• While the two components are creating a foaming chemical reaction, you should use a scrub brush to scrub the floor in small circles.
• Rinse the shower floor when you are finished.

These natural cleaners are great for using in your bathroom because they do not emit any harmful fumes in the small space. They are also safe to flush and rinse down the drain.

Because ​it isn’t as harsh as bleach and other store bought chemicals, it can also be used to clean other household items such as carpets and ​wool rugs.

How to Clean a Shower Pan

​​A shower pan or base refers to the bottom of a shower. Some homes have a full three-wall fiberglass cut out shower. Others have a ​full ceramic tile shower wall or glass shower walls with a fiberglass shower floor. This is referred to as a pan.

When it comes to cleaning a fiberglass shower pan, you can follow the same steps you would use to clean a fiberglass shower or bathtub.

Fiberglass is a strong material that will not fade or chip away like porcelain or enamel-based showers and tubs.

​Sometimes, a shower pan is past the point of cleaning (which we hope isn’t the case for you)! You might need to start over by replacing the shower pan. If you have to follow this path, it might be a good time to remove your shower head and handles and replace the hardware as well. 

​If you​ find yourself ​looking into a complete bathroom renovation​, you might want to consider a few upgrades, such as a spa-like rain shower experience. For not much, you can create a wonderful experience as you bathe. Read our shower head reviews to help you pick ​one out!

​How to Clean a Fiberglass Shower Stall Floor with Chemicals

​​​While natural products are a great way to have a non-toxic clean home, some individuals prefer to clean with chemicals. There really is no right or wrong choice when it comes to cleaning your bathroom. You need to find what product and methods work best for you.

When you use chemicals, it is highly recommended you protect yourself. Wear rubber or latex gloves to keep your skin from being irritated by the cleaners. Also, make sure the bathroom is well ventilated. Most of the main cleaning chemicals can make you lightheaded or nauseous if you breathe them in too much.

The most important thing to remember when using ammonia or bleach is to make sure these two chemicals never cross paths. When combined, these two chemicals will form a deadly gas that is hazardous to anyone nearby.

Using Bleach

​​Bleach is the go-to chemical when it comes to cleaning a bathroom. This is because bleach not only cleans away dirt, grime, soap scum, and other unmentionables, it also kills 99.9% of germs and bacteria.

While bleach can be a no-no on wool, ​on silk, and o​​​ther certain fabrics and carpeting, this chemical bodes well in the bathroom where most surfaces are tough enough to be cleaned with it. When you want to know how to clean a shower base with bleach, follow these easy steps:

1. With gloved hands, mix one cup of bleach in a bucket of hot water.
2. You can also add in a cup of laundry detergent to help with scrubbing away excess buildup.
3. ​Plug the tub or shower, making sure the shower head is mounted on its handle ​before pouring the mixture ​to the bottom. Let it sit for about fifteen minutes to allow the cleaner to soak in and begin to lift the soap scum.
4. ​Use a scrub brush on the floor to finish pulling up the grime.
5. Allow the shower to drain.
6. ​Rinse the shower floor.
7. ​Repeat if any stubborn spots remain.

The detergent in this mixture works to help lift and clear the grime buildup while the chemical property of the beach works to dissolve it. This is similar to how Dawn and vinegar work together to make a super cleaner.

​Using Ammonia

​​Many people turn to ammonia to clean instead of bleach. It is just as strong of a cleaner, while gentler on surfaces. This cleaner is also not known to discolor clothes and is better on your hard surfaces.

Ammonia is a perfect choice for cleaning up gummy and greasy buildup when cleaning a shower pan floor. You don’t need to mix the ammonia with anything.

• Close the drain on your shower and pour in enough to cover the floor.
• Let it sit for about 10 – 15 minutes and then scrub with a brush.
• After scrubbing, open the drain and rinse the area with cool water.

Using Oven Cleaner

​​You may never have considered oven cleaner a viable option when it comes to cleaning a shower base that’s fiberglass. But, this cleaner is perfect for dealing with built up grime.

When using oven cleaner on your fiberglass shower base, make sure you purchase the type that states “non-fume.” This particular mixture will not give off strong fumes when cleaning the area. Instead, it focuses on cleaning what it has been sprayed on.

1. Spray the oven cleaner on a dry shower floor.
2. Let it sit 15 minutes.
3. Use a ​Mr. Clean Magic Eraser sponge to scrub the entire shower floor.
4. Rinse the shower clean.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Original, 6 Count

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• The melaimine sponge's microscrubbers lift and remove dirt all around your home.
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As odd as this combination sounds, it has the effective power to clean while also restore the shine to your shower base.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Cleaning your fiberglass shower floor pan isn’t difficult, and there are a variety of different methods and products to accomplish the task. Whether you want to use all natural or store brought products, make sure to clean your floor consistently to prevent soap scum and buildup.