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Recipe 7 of 100 · The Country Cleans Mix Book

How to Clean Cloudy Shower Glass That Vinegar Won't Fix

Bar Keepers Friend

Cloudy even after an acid soak? The minerals have bonded into the glass. Stir 2 tablespoons Bar Keepers Friend powder with 2 teaspoons water, a half teaspoon at a time, to a thick toothpaste. Gloves on, test a low corner first. Work 2 foot squares in light circles with a damp white non-scratch pad, rinse before it dries, squeegee and buff. If two passes don't help, the glass is etched for good. Keep it off aluminum frames and chrome.

Bar Keepers Restore for Etched Glass recipe card: 2 tbsp Bar Keepers Friend powder, 2 tsp water, a half tsp at a time, Damp non-scratch white pad, Rubber gloves
What it fixesShower glass or window panes that stay cloudy even after an acid soak, where minerals have bonded into the surface.

You need

Mix it

  1. Put the powder in a small dish and add the water a half teaspoon at a time, stirring to a thick toothpaste texture.
  2. Mix it fresh every time. Once it dries out it stops working and just scratches.

Use it

  1. Glove up and test on a low corner of the glass first. Rub for 30 seconds, rinse, and check clarity before you commit to the whole panel.
  2. Work one 2 foot square at a time. Spread the paste with the damp pad and rub in small overlapping circles with light steady pressure for about a minute.
  3. Rinse that section thoroughly with warm water before moving on. The paste must never dry on the glass.
  4. Squeegee, then buff with the microfiber and check it in raking light.
Dale's noteThe fine abrasive is what actually does the work here. Oxalic acid chelates iron and rust, which is why this stuff erases rust runoff stains, but against calcium scale it just forms insoluble calcium oxalate that the pad then polishes away. If two full passes do not improve it, the glass is permanently etched and no mix on earth is bringing it back.
Don'tThis powder is oxalic acid. Gloves and eye protection, keep it away from kids and pets, never mix it with bleach, and rinse it off the surface completely. Do not let this paste sit on aluminum shower frames, chrome hinges or any painted metal trim. Oxalic acid pits aluminum in minutes and leaves dull grey blotches that will not polish out.
The Country Cleans Mix Book

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