I'm a chemical engineer and 57p kitchen staple removes water stains from showers instantly

A chemical engineer has revealed how one everyday household item can tackle one of the most stubborn cleaning challenges: water stains on shower glass. According to cleaning specialist Diego Fernandez, the secret weapon against cloudy, streaked shower screens isn't a pricey cleaning product but a simple solution made from hot water and a tea spoon of liquid dish soap.

Fernandez explained that the difficulty in removing shower stains comes from the fact that they are made up of two different types of dirt. The first is inorganic limescale, a hard, chalky residue that builds up when water evaporates and leaves behind deposits of calcium and magnesium. The second is organic residue, consisting of leftover soap, shampoo, and body oils, which combine to form a greasy compound called stearate.

Most off-the-shelf cleaning products fail because they only address one of these two problems. Fernandez said that while conventional cleaners often remove the organic residue effectively, they struggle to dissolve the mineral deposits.

"That's why you scrub and scrub and nothing happens," he said.

To completely remove water stains, he recommends a two-step approach that targets both the grease and the mineral build-up.

The first step is to prepare a solution of one teaspoon of liquid dish soap diluted in 500ml of hot water in a spray bottle. Spraying this mixture over the shower glass and scrubbing with a sponge will remove the greasy organic film.

Once the glass is free from oils and residue, a mild acid, such as white vinegar or citric acid, should be applied to dissolve the limescale deposits.

After this, wiping the glass with a microfiber cloth prevents new marks from forming and leaves the surface crystal clear.

Fernandez explained that this method works because it combines the two types of chemistry needed to restore glass to a gleaming finish: a surfactant from the dish soap to cut through grease, and an acid from the vinegar or citric acid to dissolve mineral deposits.

A bottle of dish soap can cost as little as 57p at Morrisons.

The result is a sparkling shower screen without harsh scrubbing, specialist cleaners, or expensive products, demonstrating that sometimes the most effective solutions are found in the simplest kitchen staples.