Homemade Daily Shower Spray for a Cleaner Shower for Less

What This Replaces in Your Budget

Skip buying:

• Daily commercial shower spray
• Some mildew and soap-scum removers
• Part of your bathroom deep-cleaning supplies

Typical cost: $3–$5 per bottle (used up quickly with daily spraying)

Dollar Stretcher version: Pennies per refill using vinegar, dish soap or rubbing alcohol you already keep on hand.

Real-life savings: If you normally use one store-bought spray a month, switching to homemade can keep $35–$60 a year in your pocket — and you’ll likely spend less on heavy-duty cleaners because there’s far less buildup to scrub.

Bonus stretch: One bottle + one quick daily spray often replaces those long, product-heavy weekend shower cleanings.

An alcohol-based shower spray recipe

If you look at the ingredient panel of daily shower sprays, you can see what the ingredients are. The ingredients are basically alcohol, a cleaner and fragrance. I mixed up a 16-ounce bottle of rubbing alcohol and 8 oz. of cleanser (I used liquid TSP) and added some water to make a gallon. I then placed it in a trigger bottle. I prefer to wipe, but one can let air dry.
Debi

A simple bleach spray

Buy a small spray bottle, add a few tablespoons of bleach and fill with water. Spray when needed.
S.

A squeegee instead of a shower spray

I say save your money. We built our house five years ago and have never had to scrub the shower walls! After every shower, we use a squeegee to wipe the walls dry. It may take a couple of minutes a day, but it sure beats the scrub brush.

To help prevent water spots on glass shower doors, you can try Rain-X for showers.
Steve from Indiana

A vinegar and shampoo shower spray solution

A formula I found online (don’t remember the source) is 1/2 tsp. shampoo with 1/2 cup vinegar and 2 cups water. Sponge on the tub or shower and let it sit for a few minutes. Scrub off. Sorry, but the directions did use the scrub word. 
Joan

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A laundry solution for the shower

In my experience, the commercial spray works, but you have to use so much that it doesn’t seem worth the price. As an alternative, I’d like to share some shortcuts I used when I cleaned houses for a living. For the shower, first clean it thoroughly, wipe it dry, and then spray a layer of Spray and Wash (yes, Spray and Wash, the laundry stain remover). Buff it with a dry rag, and the next time you shower, you will notice the water beading and running off the walls instead of clinging to them and the grout (you will also notice your tile and glass are a bit shinier than usual).

When it’s time to clean the shower again, spray more Spray and Wash and wipe off the scum with a dry rag (no scrubbing needed). This works great on all parts of the shower, even glass doors. We don’t know why this works, but we suspect there is a wax in the product that creates a barrier between the tile and the water. The only place I wouldn’t spray it directly is the shower floor, as it might make it a bit slippery.
K. Jones