Use a mild recommended cleaner or white vinegar and water, rinse well, and skip abrasives and harsh chemicals. The Bath Planet care page lists 13 products not to use, including ammonia, acetone and Dawn dish soap.
Updated October 2026. General information, not medical, tax, insurance or legal advice.
An acrylic shower stays clean with a mild cleaner, a soft cloth and a good rinse, and most of the damage people see comes from using the wrong product rather than from wear. The Bath Planet care page for its acrylic systems names the cleaners that are safe, lists 13 products that can dull or crack the surface, and warns that those chemicals void the product warranty. This guide turns that page, the EPA's moisture guidance and the EPA Safer Choice label into a simple routine.
Start with the gentlest thing that works. The Bath Planet care page puts it simply: “Usually a little vinegar and hot water is all that is required”. For everyday cleaning it suggests the manufacturer's own cleaner and adds: “You may also use Formula 409 or Microban 24 Hour”. The recommended list also names white vinegar and water to soften mineral deposits, and a disinfecting mix of 1/2 cup of Clorox bleach per gallon of water.\n\nWhatever you use, finish the same way. The care page says to “Rinse thoroughly after cleaning”, because cleaner left to dry on the surface is what builds up into a dull film. Apply with a soft cloth or sponge, work top to bottom so the dirty water runs down over areas you have not cleaned yet, then rinse the walls, the shelves and the base with clean water. A squeegee or a towel on the walls afterward keeps water spots from forming and leaves nothing damp for mildew to use.
Thirteen products are on the do not use list for Bath Planet acrylic systems: Original Clean Shower, Clean Shower for Plastic Showers and Glass, ammonia, aerosols, acetone, Soft Scrub, Dawn dish soap, Dow disinfectant cleaner, Scrub Free, fingernail polish remover, scouring pads, Lestoil and Lysol disinfectant cleaner. The page explains why: “Use of these chemicals could cause a dull surface and chemical cracks. This will void your product warranty”.\n\nTwo items on that list surprise people. Dawn dish soap is a common household tip for showers, and nail polish remover is a common fix for stubborn marks, yet both are on the list. Abrasives are the other trap. The care page notes that “The use of scouring pads or abrasive cleansers will dull the surface”, and that abrasive cleaners dull the gloss over a period of years. If a product is not on either list, the page says to test it on a small area in the corner of the surface first. That warning matters because the Bath Planet limited lifetime warranty on the acrylic depends on the surface being cared for as directed.
Mildew comes off acrylic with the disinfecting mix the care page recommends, 1/2 cup of bleach per gallon of water, applied with a soft cloth and rinsed off thoroughly. Soap scum usually lifts with the everyday cleaner or with white vinegar and water. Because the material is non porous, the page explains, it “prevents buildup of dirt and grime while resisting mold and mildew growth”, so stains sit on top rather than soaking in the way they do in grout.\n\nStopping mildew from coming back is a moisture problem, not a cleaning problem. The EPA's guide to mold says “The key to mold control is moisture control”, and for mold that keeps returning in a shower it recommends that “increasing ventilation (running a fan or opening a window) and cleaning more frequently will usually prevent mold from recurring”. Run the bathroom fan during the shower and for a while after, leave the door or curtain open so the stall can dry, and check the caulk lines at the base. If a leak ever wets the wall behind the shower, the EPA advises drying damaged areas within 24 to 48 hours.
For mineral deposits, the care page lists white vinegar and water as a way to soften them. Spray or wipe it on, give it a few minutes to work, then wipe with a soft cloth and rinse. Repeat rather than scrub harder, since scrubbing with an abrasive pad is exactly what dulls the finish over time.\n\nOnly when the recommended cleaners do not work does the page allow something stronger: “In extreme cases where the recommended cleaners do not work, use a Chore Boy or 3M Sponge pad”, choosing only the kind made for Teflon or non stick cookware. Those pads are designed not to scratch coated pans, which is why they are the exception. The easiest fix for hard water is prevention: a squeegee pass on the walls and glass after each shower leaves no droplets to dry into spots, and it takes under a minute. The same habit keeps the shower door track and the base drain area clear of the film that collects in corners.
Yes, with care. The care page says “Liquid drain cleaners are recommended over powders and/or crystal”, and adds two cautions: “Always make certain that chemicals do not come in contact with the acrylic surface”, and use drain cleaners sparingly so that they do not boil out and attack the acrylic. Pour slowly, directly into the drain, and flush with plenty of water afterward.\n\nA mechanical fix is often better than a chemical one. A plastic drain snake or a hair catcher over the drain keeps most clogs from forming and never touches the finish. If a slow drain keeps coming back, it can point to a venting or line problem rather than hair, and that is worth having looked at instead of repeating chemical treatments. Keep drain cleaner bottles off the tub ledge and shelves, since a drip left on the surface is the kind of chemical contact the care page warns against.
Check the label against the do not use list first, then look for the EPA Safer Choice mark if you want a product reviewed for health and environmental safety. The EPA says that before a product can carry the label, “EPA reviews all chemical ingredients”, that labeled products are safer for people, pets, workers and fish and the environment, and that “All products must perform comparably to conventional products”. Nearly 2,000 products qualify for the label.\n\nThe two checks answer different questions. Safer Choice tells you about the ingredients; the Bath Planet list tells you what the acrylic surface tolerates. A product can be gentle on people and still contain an ingredient, such as ammonia or a solvent, that the care page says not to use on acrylic. So read both: if a Safer Choice product is not on the recommended list, test it on a small corner of the base or skirt first, as the care page directs, and rinse it off completely after use.
| Task | Use | Avoid | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everyday cleaning | Manufacturer cleaner, Formula 409 or Microban 24 Hour; rinse thoroughly | Dawn dish soap, Soft Scrub, Scrub Free | Bath Planet care page |
| Disinfecting and mildew | 1/2 cup Clorox bleach per gallon of water | Lysol and Dow disinfectant cleaners | Bath Planet care page |
| Mineral deposits | White vinegar and water | Scouring pads and abrasive cleansers | Bath Planet care page |
| Stubborn spots | Chore Boy or 3M pad made for non stick surfaces | Acetone, nail polish remover | Bath Planet care page |
| Slow drains | Liquid drain cleaner, used sparingly | Powders or crystals; any chemical on the surface | Bath Planet care page |
| Mildew prevention | Run the fan or open a window; dry leaks within 24 to 48 hours | Leaving the stall closed and wet | EPA mold guide |
Source: Bath Planet care and maintenance page; EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home.
A short routine beats a hard scrub. After each shower, squeegee or towel the walls and glass and leave the fan running. Once a week, wipe the walls, shelves and base with one of the recommended cleaners or vinegar and hot water, then rinse. Once a month, disinfect with the 1/2 cup per gallon bleach mix, wipe the door track, and look over the caulk where the walls meet the base. Clean the drain catcher as often as it needs it.\n\nPlanning ahead for older users helps too. Census estimates show 26.4 percent of Arkansans 65 and older report an ambulatory difficulty, and bending and kneeling to scrub a tub are hard for many of them. A long handled soft sponge, a seat built into the shower and a handheld shower head for rinsing make the routine safer. If the surface is already etched from years of the wrong products, a new acrylic system typically runs $10,000 to $18,000 installed for a shower replacement anywhere in Arkansas.
Not Dawn, according to the Bath Planet care page, which puts Dawn dish soap on its list of 13 products not to use on its acrylic systems, along with ammonia, acetone, Soft Scrub and Lysol disinfectant cleaner. The page warns these can cause a dull surface and chemical cracks and void the product warranty. Use the cleaners it recommends instead, such as Formula 409, Microban 24 Hour or white vinegar and water, and rinse thoroughly.
Diluted, yes. The Bath Planet care page recommends 1/2 cup of Clorox bleach per gallon of water as a disinfectant for its acrylic systems. Apply it with a soft cloth, give it a few minutes on mildew, then rinse the surface thoroughly. Do not mix bleach with other cleaners, and keep the bathroom ventilated, which the EPA also recommends to keep mold from coming back.
Prevention is the reliable answer, because the Bath Planet care page notes that abrasive cleaners dull the gloss over a period of years and scouring pads dull the surface. For stubborn spots the page allows a Chore Boy or 3M pad made for Teflon or non stick surfaces, only after the recommended cleaners fail. A surface already etched by harsh products may need replacement rather than polishing, which is worth checking at a free in home consultation.
A quick squeegee after each shower and a cleaner wipe once a week keep most acrylic showers spotless, with a bleach disinfecting pass of 1/2 cup per gallon once a month. The EPA's mold guidance adds the habit that matters most between cleanings: run the bathroom fan or open a window when showering, since “cleaning more frequently” and better ventilation usually prevent mold from coming back.
It can. The Bath Planet care page lists 13 products not to use, including aerosols, acetone, ammonia and Lestoil, and states: “Use of these chemicals could cause a dull surface and chemical cracks. This will void your product warranty”. Keep the recommended list near the shower, test any new product on a small corner of the base or skirt first, and rinse every cleaner off completely.
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