How do I clean Nano coated shower glass? 

There is a current trend by shower suppliers to have their glass precoated with a Nano coating or so called “no clean”, or maybe “easy to clean” surface. Unfortunatly many of these are very over-sold and simply do not do what they say they will do, and usually don’t come with any care instructions, or any back up from the supplier or manufacturer if they don’t work as how they are sold.

Why do you need a Coating on your shower glass anyway?

Spoiler alert. Its not because of Soap Scum.

Almost all water contains dissolved minerals. Now, think back to your school science class, only pure water evaporates, so when water evaporates it leaves behind these minerals, which sit on the surface as a waterspot. In a shower this happens not just on the glass, but the tapware, the frame of the showers, and wall liner – usually tiles, or acrylic – but on the glass is usually the most noticeable.

Microscopically, Glass has a rough surface – often it is refered to as porus, which is an easy way to explain and understand it. Naturally, because of the microscopic rough surface, glass is Hydrophillic, meaning it attracts water. Then, the water that likes to stay on the surface of the glass, then evaporates, depositing it’s suspended minerals into the microscopic “pores” of the glass. You can significantly reduce the amount of mineral deposited by drying your glass after use, but, as the surface is rough, a tiny bit of water is left, and mineral does get left as water is running off, so you will still get an eventual mineral buildup, this is sometimes called glass corrosion when left for a long period of time.

“Nanocoatings” are usually Hydrophobic, meaning they repel water usually charicterised by water “beading” and the larger drops running off the surface. Some also provide some sort of barrier to reduce the ability of the mineral to attach to the glass surface.

Most “Nano” coatings do give a small benefit. But where they are left wanting is their care, and lifespan.

What can you do?

First, go back to where you got the shower from. Ask them what the product is, both Brand, and what it is – is it toxic? Almost all of these products wear off the glass quickly, so what harm does it do? not only to yourself and your family, but also to the environment? These products are chemicals, what testing has been done to prove it is safe?

Next, ask how long it lasts? And how to take care of it.

There is simply no such thing as a no clean surface. Easier to clean, yes, but no clean? – unfortunatly – No. That is impossible.
Every product needs to meet consumer standards. If they cannot provide you with how to care for it, or it does not do what was said it was going to do then the seller needs to remedy this.

Unfortunatly most Suppliers simply wont know the answer to these questions. So what now?

Here at Diamond Fusion Glass Defender, we have been doing this for a long time, and over this time have seen many coatings come and go. The variety of suppliers and quality is very wide, But we have learned how to make many of these unknown coatings work far better than they do “out of the box” with our aftercare products – Note, you will need to experiment to find the best timing and frequency for your particular product and situation. The end result is only as good as the base its starting from.

– Dry the glass after EVERY use. Most coatings cannot cope with water left on the glass.
– Clean the surface with a mild detergent – usually weekly.
– Clean the surface with Diamond Fusion Restoration Powder as needed to remove surface spotting and clouding.
– Boost the surface with Diamond Fusion Revitalizer as needed – recommended is 2 to 6 monthly.

The more regularly you use Revitalizer, the easier the cleaning will be, and the less you will need Restoration Powder
with following the above suggestions, the coating you have will perform far better, and for far longer, but as the base degrades you may find performance reduces further, at that point it may be time to get intouch with us to give the glass a deep clean and apply one of our long term solution products.