Quick answer
Clean the tray daily with microfibre and neutral soap. Once a week spray vinegar diluted half and half with water, wait ten minutes and rinse to remove limescale. For yellow stains, use active oxygen dissolved in warm water for 30 minutes. Avoid scouring pads, abrasives, acetone, solvents and neat bleach, which scratch, dull or yellow the resin.
What you need
- Soft microfibre or non-abrasive sponge
- Old toothbrush
- Spray bottle
- Gloves
- Shower squeegee with a rubber blade
- Dry cloth
- Neutral soap or mild washing-up liquid
- White cleaning vinegar (Mercadona, Dia, Carrefour)
- Citric acid powder
- Active oxygen product, such as Vanish Oxi Action powder
- Fine polishing paste for light scratches, if there are any
- Anti-mould sanitary sealant, if the perimeter has deteriorated
Step by step
- 1
Remove hair and debris from the grating
Take off the waste grating and pull out the hair and built-up soap with your fingers protected by gloves. That stops it spreading when you rinse. If the water is slow to drain, see how to unblock a shower drain.
- 2
Wet it and apply neutral soap
Wet the tray with warm water and rub with microfibre and a little neutral soap or washing-up liquid. Use gentle circles, with extra attention on the non-slip textured areas, where soap residue collects.
- 3
Rinse and see what is left
Rinse with plenty of water and look at the tray in raking light. What stays white and dull is usually limescale; what looks yellowish, soap or dye; what is grey in the joints, mould or dirt. Each needs a different treatment.
- 4
Remove limescale with diluted vinegar
In a spray bottle, mix vinegar and water half and half and spray the tray. Wait ten minutes, without letting it dry. If the limescale is very hard, use two tablespoons of citric acid per litre of water. Rub gently and rinse.
- 5
Treat yellowing with active oxygen
Dissolve one measure of active oxygen product in warm water, spread it with a sponge and leave it for 30 minutes. Rub without pressure, rinse and dry. It is gentler than bleach and does not leave the yellowish tone.
- 6
Clean the perimeter joints
With the old toothbrush and the vinegar solution, go over the joint between tray and tile. If there are black marks that will not come out, the mould is inside the sealant. See how to remove mould from the shower.
- 7
Rinse thoroughly
Rinse the tray with clean water several times to remove any trace of acid or product. The waste and grating too. Do not leave residues to dry, because they mark the surface.
- 8
Dry with a squeegee and cloth
Run the squeegee over the tray and the walls and dry with a cloth. Every drop that evaporates leaves limescale. Leaving the shower dry is what most reduces the cleaning work.
- 9
Check for scratches and chips
If you find light scratches, a fine polishing paste on a soft cloth can disguise them. If there are deep marks, cracks or lifted areas, stop rubbing: see how to repair a resin shower tray.
What a resin tray is and why it gets stained
A mineral-filled resin shower tray is a mix of resin and mineral powder, with a surface finish that can be smooth or textured non-slip. It is tough, but its surface is not enamel like that of a steel bath: it scratches with abrasives and absorbs dye, grease and rust if not cleaned in time.
The most usual marks are three: limescale, which leaves a white film; soap and grease, which yellow the tray; and mould in the joints, which darkens the perimeter. Each needs a different product, and mixing them or scrubbing hard is what ruins the most trays.
| Stain | Cause | Solution | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| White film, rough to the touch | Limescale from hard water | Diluted vinegar or citric acid | Scouring pad |
| Yellowing | Soap, grease and hair dye | Active oxygen | Neat bleach |
| Reddish or orange marks | Rust from the water or from cans | Citric acid and a soft cloth | Scraping with a blade |
| Black spots on the perimeter | Mould in the sealant | Cleaning and, if it does not come out, resealing | Spraying bleach daily |
| Fine scratches | Abrasives or scouring pad | Fine polishing paste | More abrasives |
| Dye marks (hair) | Hair dye | Clean at once with soap and water | Letting it dry |
How to clean a resin shower tray when the limescale is already baked on
When the white film can already be felt by touch, passing a sponge is not enough. Lay kitchen paper soaked in vinegar over the limescaled areas, leave it half an hour and remove it. Repeat if needed. It is gentler than scrubbing and avoids scratching. On trays with a non-slip texture, use the old toothbrush following the pattern.
After removing the limescale, rinse thoroughly and dry with a squeegee and a cloth. A dry tray does not collect new limescale. Regular cleaning of the tray should go with cleaning the shower screen, which collects the same limescale. The method is in how to clean limescale off a shower screen.
What never to use on a resin tray
- Green scouring pads, wire wool and abrasive powders. They scratch and leave a dull tray where more dirt sticks.
- Neat or repeated bleach. It yellows the resin over time. If you have to use it to disinfect, dilute it, use it briefly and rinse.
- Acetone, solvents and nail varnish remover. They attack the resin and leave permanent marks.
- Caustic soda drain cleaners. They are aggressive on resin and sealant.
- Mixing bleach with vinegar, citric acid or descaler. It releases chlorine gas, which is very irritating. One product at a time, rinsing between them.
- Blades and metal scrapers. They cut the surface. If you need to scrape, use a plastic spatula.
When to call a professional
A well-kept resin tray lasts fifteen years or more. Call someone when cracks appear, the surface flakes, the tray creaks underfoot (there are voids underneath) or the perimeter loses its sealant and water gets into the wall. In those cases, cleaning fixes nothing.
At Manitas Costa, resealing with sealant costs €40-70, removing an old shower screen €50-65 and fitting a new one €90-170 depending on type. If you need several things done in the bathroom, we do it by the hour: €35-45 for the first hour and €28-35 for the following ones. We give a fixed price before we start.
All the details are in shower screens and shower trays and shower screen prices. If your tray is in Alicante or Valencia, see shower screens in Alicante or shower screens in Valencia. To replace the whole tray, there is how to fit a resin shower tray.
Limescale and damp: the cleaning routine on the coast
In Alicante, Torrevieja and Elche, hard water deposits limescale on the tray within a week, and in Benidorm or Villajoyosa the humid air encourages mould in the joints. The routine that works best is simple: squeegee after every shower, neutral soap weekly and diluted vinegar every two weeks.
In holiday homes or second homes, the tray goes weeks without use and fills with dust and stale limescale. When you arrive, rinse with hot water and go over it with diluted vinegar before using the shower. And if the bathroom has poor ventilation, open the window or run the extractor fan for 15 minutes after each shower to prevent mould.
Frequently asked questions
How do you clean a white resin shower tray?
With microfibre or a soft sponge and neutral soap daily. Once a week, vinegar diluted half and half with water, ten minutes and rinse, for limescale. For yellowing, active oxygen in warm water. Drying with a squeegee after the shower prevents almost all limescale and cuts the work.
Can bleach be used on a resin tray?
Only diluted and occasionally, to disinfect or for mould, rinsing well. Used neat or often it yellows the resin and dulls the shine. And never mix bleach with vinegar, citric acid or descaler: it produces chlorine gas. For daily use, neutral soap and vinegar are enough.
Why has my white tray turned yellow?
From soap residue, body grease, hair dye or frequent use of bleach. Try an active oxygen product in warm water for 30 minutes. If it does not improve, the yellowing is already in the resin itself and can only be disguised by polishing, or fixed with a repair kit or by replacing the tray.
How do I remove scratches from a resin shower tray?
Very light scratches are disguised with fine polishing paste and a soft cloth, always on a small area first. If you can feel the scratch with a fingernail, it is deep and will need repairing with a resin kit. We cover it in how to repair a resin shower tray. Do not use abrasives again.
How often should the tray sealant be cleaned?
Check the perimeter every month. If black spots appear, clean them with a brush and vinegar; if they persist, the mould is inside the sealant and it needs replacing. Sealant lasts four or five years. Resealing the perimeter with us costs €40-70 and is done in one visit.