Shower Glass Staining & Restoration
Why It’s Not “One Size Fits All” (and Why a Real Assessment Matters)
If you’ve searched for shower glass restoration in Wellington or tried a “miracle” cleaner you saw online, you’ve probably noticed something strange.
Some people swear certain products or home remedies are amazing. Others say they did absolutely nothing.
From the outside, that feels confusing. From the inside — as someone who works on glass every day — it makes complete sense.
Shower glass staining is not a single problem with a single solution. It’s the result of multiple layers of real-world variables that most DIY products, and much online marketing, completely ignore.
Whether your shower can be restored — and how much work it will actually take — depends on:
How deep the staining has gone
Whether your shower is kitset or custom
Whether the glass has a protective coating
Your local Wellington water chemistry
How often the shower is used
How well it’s been maintained
And how the glass actually responds when worked on
That’s why Glass Genius doesn’t sell “magic in a bottle.” We provide professional shower glass restoration in Wellington based on real testing, not guesses.
If you want a definitive answer for your glass, that starts with a proper Glass Assessment & Test Patch
The Real Reason Shower Glass Stains (It’s Not Just ‘Dirt’)
Most people assume cloudy shower glass just hasn’t been cleaned properly.
In reality, most staining comes from minerals in Wellington tap water — calcium, magnesium, silica, and other dissolved solids. Over time, those minerals don’t just sit on the surface; they can chemically interact with the glass itself.
Once that happens, no amount of scrubbing or spray-on cleaner will fix it.
To understand what level of work your shower needs, I think in terms of four restoration outcomes.
The four levels of Shower Glass Staining (What Restoration Really Involves)
Level 1 — DIY -removable staining
Light surface build-up that can be removed with retail products from a hardware store or online, or a DIY remedy like white vinegar or baking soda.
If these methods are successful you never needed an expert, and this should be your first step to seeing you actual need a specialist to help with your shower glass.
Level 2 — Light Staining (One-Step Professional Restoration)
Here, mineral build-up is mostly sitting on the surface of the glass. We can usually remove this in a single step using professional compounds and pads — tools and methods that aren’t available to the public (because in the wrong hands they can damage glass).
Typical results:
Noticeably clearer glass
Easier ongoing cleaning
No grinding or resurfacing required
If your shower falls into this category, restoration is relatively straightforward.
Level 3 — Moderate Staining (Two-Step Restoration)
At this point, minerals have started to bond more strongly to the glass.
A single step won’t cut it.
Instead, We use a two-step process that:
Breaks down bonded mineral deposits
Refines the glass surface so it looks clear and uniform again
This takes more time but still avoids resurfacing (removing a thin layer) the glass itself. For a real world example of what professional restoration looks like, you can watch Glass Genius removing moderate staining on a shower in the video linked here
Level 3 — Severe Staining (Four-Step Resurfacing Process)
If a shower has been neglected for many years, minerals can chemically react with the glass surface. At that point, you’re no longer dealing with “stains on glass” — you’re dealing with damage in the glass.
This becomes a five-step resurfacing process:
Mechanical grinding — removing the damaged outer layer of glass
Refinement step 1 — smoothing out grind marks
Refinement step 2 — eliminating micro scratches
Refinement step 3 — restoring optical clarity
Machine polishing (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) — bringing back shine and transparency
This is precision resurfacing, not cleaning.
That’s why top-end jobs cost more — they’re closer to surface engineering than restoration.
Kitset vs Custom Showers — Why This Matters
Not all shower glass behaves the same.
Kitset Showers (Typically 5mm Glass)
Most kitset showers use ~5mm glass and often have:
A visible brand logo or stamp at eye level
A plastic shower liner instead of tiled floors
Because this glass is thinner and manufactured differently (they are cheaper for a reason), it tends to stain faster and show damage sooner.
That doesn’t mean it can’t be restored — but it often needs more care, earlier in its life.
Custom Showers (Typically 10mm+ Glass)
Custom showers usually use 10mm glass and often have:
A safety stamp referencing AS/NZS 2208 in the bottom corner of each panel (with a local glass supplies unique mark).
Glass set in aluminium channels fixed to the floor and walls with silicon.
This glass generally:
Resists staining for longer
Ages more slowly
Responds better to professional restoration
That’s why two showers of the same age, same amount of use, and exact same level of care can look completely different.
Protective Glass Coatings — A Hidden Variable That Can Change Everything
Many homeowners — and even some installers — don’t realise that factory-applied protective coatings are now common on kitset showers.
That means a shower can already be installed with a coating in place.
The problem is:
The installer may not know, or may not explain it, and
The homeowner is rarely told how to care for it properly — or that it even exists.
So you can end up with a coated shower where no one knows it’s coated, no one maintains it correctly, and the coating slowly degrades over time.
H3: When a coating is present but poorly maintained
If a factory coating hasn’t been cared for correctly, staining can still appear — but the glass often behaves differently during restoration because the surface chemistry has been altered.
How a proper coating actually protects the glass
If the shower glass has had a professional-grade protective coating applied — whether at the factory or by a specialist — it fundamentally changes how staining develops.
A high-quality coating effectively seals the surface of the glass, which means:
Minerals sit on top of the coating rather than reacting with the glass
Deep, chemically bonded staining (Level 3 damage) is far less likely to form
In practical terms, I have never encountered a properly coated shower that required full Level 3 resurfacing.
A good coating doesn’t just make cleaning easier — it prevents the worst type of damage from forming in the first place. Not all coatings are of the same high level of quality and this is why Glass Genius applies Nano Glass Protection , a higher-preforming , more durable coating.
Why Glass Genius applies protective coatings (the “guardrail” analogy)
This is exactly why Glass Genius applies protective coatings as part of restoration.
We describe it like this:
It’s like installing a guardrail at the top of a cliff rather than turning up later in an ambulance at the bottom.
Without a coating, a shower can look fine for years, then slowly deteriorate until it needs expensive resurfacing.
With a proper coating in place, you dramatically reduce that risk.
If you want to learn more about this protective glass coating , you read about Nano Glass Protection here , or alternatively you can find out more by watch a short video explanation by clicking on this link
Your Local Water — Why Wellington Water Changes Everything
It’s not “water” that damages glass — it’s the minerals in the water.
Low-Mineral Water (Rainwater Tanks)
Homes running on plastic rainwater tanks collecting from roofs often have very low mineral content.
In these cases, I’ve seen 5–10 year old showers with no staining at all, even those these showers were not well maintained.
High-Mineral Bore Water (Common in NZ)
On the other end of the extreme, In parts of New Zealand, councils draw water from underground bores that have sat in contact with rock for hundreds or even thousands of years.
That water can be highly mineralized, which means:
Staining builds up faster
Deposits bond more aggressively
Showers deteriorate much more quickly
Two identical showers in different Wellington suburbs can age completely differently purely because of water chemistry.
How Often Your Shower Is Used (Usage Is a Silent Multiplier)
Usage is just as important as age.
One person showering daily = ~365 water exposures per year
A large family = potentially thousands per year
Every shower adds:
Heat
Steam
Minerals
More use = faster deterioration.
That’s why a heavily used 3-year-old shower can sometimes need more work than a lightly used 10-year-old one
How Well the Glass Has Been Maintained
Even two identical showers in the same house can age very differently.
Example:
Shower A: used once a year, never cleaned
Shower B: used daily, wiped down regularly
Shower A can still develop severe staining because minerals sit on the glass for long periods.
Meanwhile, Shower B may stay in far better condition despite much heavier use.
Bottom line:
Good maintenance slows damage. Poor maintenance accelerates it — regardless of glass type.
Why Many DIY Products Fail (And Why Reviews Are So Mixed)
If you’ve read online reviews, you’ve seen this pattern:
“It worked perfectly!”
“It did absolutely nothing!”
That’s because most retail products ignore critical variables:
Glass type (5mm vs 10mm)
Wellington water chemistry
Usage patterns
Maintenance history
Depth of staining
A product that works on light surface build-up can do literally nothing once staining has chemically interacted with the glass.
H3: Deceptive marketing does exist
I’ve personally seen ads where the “before” glass is heavily stained, and the “after” is clearly a different piece of glass that was never stained and only had soap scum build up.
That’s not restoration — that’s marketing theatre.
Home Remedies — Why They Sometimes ‘Work’ (and Often Don’t)
If you spend time in Facebook groups or Instagram comments, you’ll see the same advice again and again:
“Just use vinegar.”
“Baking soda will sort that.”
“Try this magic mixture I make at home.”
On the surface, that sounds convincing. In reality, this is where things get misleading.
H3: Do home remedies work? Sometimes — but not because they’re miracles
The honest answer is: yes, home remedies can work in some situations.
They tend to work when:
Staining is very light,
The shower has been maintained reasonably well, and
Minerals have not yet chemically reacted with the glass.
In those cases, something mildly acidic like vinegar can dissolve loose mineral deposits sitting on the surface.
But once minerals have bonded to the glass, no amount of vinegar, baking soda, or homemade potion will reverse that. At that point, you’re dealing with surface alteration of the glass itself.
Why online advice is so inconsistent
This is where all the variables come back into play:
Glass type
Water chemistry
Usage
Maintenance
Coatings
Two people can try the same remedy and get completely different results — not because one is “doing it wrong,” but because their showers are in fundamentally different condition.
So you end up with:
One person swearing it’s a wonder solution, and
Another saying it did absolutely nothing.
Both are telling the truth — they’re just working with different levels of staining.
H3: If these remedies were truly effective, I’d be using them
Here’s the simplest way to look at it.
If vinegar or baking soda could reliably remove moderate to severe hard-water staining from shower glass, I would be using it in my business.
I restore glass for a living. If a $5 home remedy genuinely solved most problems, I’d adopt it instantly. .
The fact that I don’t use these methods isn’t stubbornness — it’s because, in real-world conditions, they simply don’t work once staining has progressed beyond a very light level.
How My Professional Glass Assessment Works
Because of all these variables, I offer an on-site Glass Assessment in Wellington.
👉 https://www.nanoglassprotection.co.nz/glass-assessment
H3: What happens during the assessment
I tape off two small areas at waist height in the most heavily stained parts of the glass and carry out real restoration on those patches.
This isn’t a “wipe test.” It’s a proper, controlled restoration process.
Why I don’t test in a hidden corner
In lightly stained or poorly lit areas, staining can come off easily — which gives a false impression of how difficult the job will be.
Testing in the worst areas tells us the truth about:
How deep the staining is
How long full restoration will take
What level of treatment is really required
What you get from the assessment
You are left with the definitive clear, professional answer:
Yes, this is restorable, or
No, this is permanent — resurfacing or replacement makes more sense
No guesswork. No sales pressure. No more money wasted on DIY products. Just facts based on your actual glass.
Customer Expectations — Why “What You See” Isn’t the Same for Everyone
There’s one final layer that’s just as important as water, glass type, or maintenance: how people actually see and interpret their glass.
Looking at the glass vs looking through the glass
As a professional, I don’t just look through shower glass — I look at the surface of the glass.
Most homeowners naturally look through the glass. As long as they can see through it, they may not register surface damage — even if it’s significant.
So you can have three people looking at the same shower and seeing three different things:
A specialist like me
Another tradesperson
A homeowner
All valid — just different.
Perception, eyesight, and the “happy wife, happy life” factor
Some people notice the slightest haze. Others don’t see a problem until staining is obvious.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve turned up to a job where the husband has said:
“Honestly mate, I can’t see anything wrong with it — but my wife wants you to do it.”
There’s definitely an element of “happy wife, happy life” at play in a few bathrooms around Wellington. 😄
Lighting can completely change how staining appears
Bathroom lighting is a huge hidden variable.
In some homes, strong natural light reveals every bit of staining. In others, poor lighting hides it completely.
This often leads to:
Glass slowly deteriorating for years
The homeowner not noticing
Until it becomes severe enough to be obvious in any light
This is another reason I rely on test patches rather than opinions or photos alone.
Why This Approach Saves You Money in the Long Run
I regularly meet homeowners who have spent hundreds of dollars on DIY products that achieved nothing.
A proper assessment gives you certainty in one visit — instead of trial-and-error, frustration, and wasted money.
H2: Final Takeaway — If You Want Real Answers, Start With Real Testing
Shower glass restoration isn’t simple because shower glass isn’t simple.
The outcome depends on:
How stained it is
Whether it’s kitset or custom
Your local Wellington water quality
How often it’s used
How well it’s been maintained
Whether a protective coating is present
And how you perceive what you’re seeing
That’s why I don’t sell “miracle in a bottle” solutions.
Instead, I assess your glass properly, show you real results with test patches, and recommend a solution based on your specific shower.
If you’re in Wellington and want to know what’s truly possible for your glass, book a professional assessment here:
👉 https://www.glassgenius.co.nz/contact-us
Copyright & Sharing Notice © 2026 Glass Genius Ltd. All rights reserved. You’re welcome to share a link to this article, but please do not copy, reproduce, or republish any part of it without written permission.
