Planning bathroom - alternative to glass shower doors

[BabbleBee]

We will have to replace our bathroom within the next year, it has needed doing for a while but it just can’t be ignored any more (thanks to the crap but expensive Bath Store!)

I am completely fed up with the battle of keeping glass shower doors clean, especially the seals which seem to go green and / or grimy no matter what I try. We have no alternative but to put the shower over the bath. Other than the equally disgusting shower curtains, what other choice is there?

Can you make it a wet room?

Just replace the seals with new ones every year or two? How quickly can they get manky?

Definitely look at a different bathroom cleaner. We use Cif bathroom spray and haven't had green shower seal. They still look clear and new after 4.5 years

Why are shower curtains disgusting? I live in a hard water area and no way would I be cleaning a shower screen every day.

Put the shower curtain in with the towel washes and it never gets disgusting.

Well you can put a solid door round the side of the bath but it needs cleaning just the same.

@EwwSprouts

Can you make it a wet room?

It’s upstairs with floorboards so I don’t think so. DD still likes a bath so I wouldn’t want to get rid of it.

@CasperGutman

Just replace the seals with new ones every year or two? How quickly can they get manky?

Bath Store don’t make the exact seals any more. We’ve bought generic fit ones and they don’t fit well annoyingly.

@PoshWatchShitShoes

Definitely look at a different bathroom cleaner. We use Cif bathroom spray and haven't had green shower seal. They still look clear and new after 4.5 years

That’s just been added to my shopping list! Will give it a try, thank you

@Chicchicchicchiclana

Why are shower curtains disgusting? I live in a hard water area and no way would I be cleaning a shower screen every day.

I just remember the ones we had when I was a child sticking to me and going mouldy… although my mum didn’t clean much

I’m not a fan of shower curtains either. It’s like being mugged by a plastic bag while trying to wash. But do you use a mould and mildew spray on your shower seals? I’ve never had a problem with shower doors. Your other option, as others have said, is to do a walk in shower and separate bath. But doesn’t sound as though you have room for that?

@SimonedeBeauvoirscat

I’m not a fan of shower curtains either. It’s like being mugged by a plastic bag while trying to wash. But do you use a mould and mildew spray on your shower seals? I’ve never had a problem with shower doors. Your other option, as others have said, is to do a walk in shower and separate bath. But doesn’t sound as though you have room for that?

Haha yes just that! I hated the feeling of it touching me!

Unfortunately we have quite a small bathroom. It was the payoff for having a loft conversion but I really regret it and I wish I’d gone with an alternative design. We have a small bath - 1500mm with a shower over, a sink on a unit and the toilet and that’s all there’s space for. I gave up a huge corner bath and separate shower and really wish I hadn’t!

And I’ve just seen the title, no bloody idea what that autocorrect is about!!!

I’m glad someone knows what I mean about shower curtains! Frustrating compromise for you. I do think it’s worth trying some products as recommended above though. It shouldn’t be too bad if you use something bleach based regularly.

The bottom seal has a little thin (pointless) tube that runs through it. To get it clean I have to take the whole seal off and run hot water through it, then bleach it. The crappy Bath Store ones get brittle really quickly and then snap when I put them back on. This bathroom wasn’t cheap and it’s shit. The sink unit has got water into the fibreboard or whatever it’s made of and blown. The bath has cracked. We’ve had to replace the soft close toilet seat too many times to count because it cracks at the back. The quality of everything we got from there is awful. Will be sticking to the cheapest B&Q bathrooms from now on!

If you have a screen again, keep it off the bath rim when it's not in use so it can air. It makes a big difference.

@BridgetInHerBravery

If you have a screen again, keep it off the bath rim when it's not in use so it can air. It makes a big difference.

We already do that. The glass is scraped down after each shower and the door left over the bath rather than sitting on the edge of it. I’m 99.9% sure it’s a design issue.

I had a plain white shower curtain in my first flat. I loved it. It was inexpensive and I’d replace it every 6-12 months or any time I noticed mould spots. H&M currently sell them for £8.99.

In our new house we’re having a water softener installed, so maybe I can have glass again!

You can just chuck a white shower curtain into a towel wash or spray it with a bleach spray and wash itself by itself if it is very manky. They come up spotless.

I know what you mean about the seal, the water gets in and turns green, I have the same problem.

If you use a curved rail for the shower curtain it holds it away from you and stops it from clinging to you when you shower. I can't have one unfortunately because there is a window at one end of the bath.

The bottom seal has a little thin (pointless) tube that runs through it.

Oh, yes! These tube thingies are just crap, whoever designed them has never had to clean a bathroom themselves!

We originally had the same type of seal on our bath shower screen. It was installed in October and in a few months the tube was mouldy, cleaning inside was v fiddly, nigh on impossible. We've replaced it with a slightly differnet design and have no issues with cleaning now.

It doesn't have to be of the same design (i.e. with a tube). I think the tube is there to provide something that can expand/contract slightly to fill the gap. A decent flat "flap" type seal (maybe also with a little deflector "skirt" on the inside) will do the same job perfectly well, provided it's the right size. Look on eBay or Amazon (that's where we got ours). Just make sure it's the right size for (i) the thickness of your shower screen glass and (ii) the gap between the glass and the tray/bath.