Need a frugal way to clean this obnoxious shower!

[Frugal]

Need some advice! I have a new house, but the formerly white shower has turned gray with grime in only five months of living here. I have been told we have hard water, and I don't know if anyone else notices this, but we have PINK rust stains where the water hits caused by the chemicals in the hard water this area is notorious for.

I spent an hour this past weekend using some Magic Eraser cleansing pads ($1.25 at Walmart after my $0.75 cents off coupon), trying desperately to attack the layers of grime and make my shower shining and new-looking once again. To no avail. I used up a whole roll of paper towels, a lot of energy and elbow grease, and could not get more than a few white streaks clean. Now it is grayish inside, with a few clean "stripes". I am a clean-freak, and want to look at a sparkling-clean, white shower each time I walk by it.

Does anyone with obnoxious hard water that stains sinks and tubs know a cheap way to save money on a homemade shower cleaner?

I would even consider an inexpensive shower cleaner bought at the store, that would actually WORK!!

Thanks.

[snshijuptr]

We use soap, water, and the occasional scrubbing brush. Our trick it to clean every surface at least once a week. Progress is slow, but after a couple months you will notice a vast improvement. Other ideas:

Squeegee the walls after every shower
Try a vinegar & water mixture
Try a bleach & water mixture

[irmanator]

try C.L.R. spray it heavy and let it soak in then wipe, might need a 2nd application depending but it wipes off no scrubbing needed

[zakity]

baking soda

It gets my orange shower white again. We have iron in the water here.

[marvholly]

CLR is good but very $$$. Lime Away works just as well & has coupons and can be bought at some of the dollar stores.

[khosta]

`I'm on the CLR team!!! I lived in a place hard water once and the CLR definately helped!!! Had to use it a couple of times after build up but you can see the differnce after those couple of times!

[Veritas]

Bar Keepers Friend. Works amazingly well!!! About $1.50 at Home Depot. Check out the reviews on Amazon.

[thefrugallery]

Couple things I've used: mix baking soda and water into a paste. Apply on walls of shower and leave for about 15 minutes. Scrub off and rinse with water. Also, Tilex works great. The scent is potent, but if you spray it, leave it for awhile, and then spray off with hot water--it works wonders. The baking soda is more work but I like it better than using chemicals.