Florida water is hard, and what you are seeing is mineral scale etched into the glass rather than dirt sitting on it. Once it has etched, cleaning will not fully remove it — which is why squeegeeing after every shower is the only thing that actually works long term.
Scale, not dirt
Hard water carries dissolved calcium and magnesium. When a droplet evaporates on glass it leaves those minerals behind. Left alone, they bond to the silica in the glass surface and, over months, etch it. At that point the cloudiness is a texture change in the glass itself and no cleaner will restore it.
This is why a new shower door looks perfect and a five-year-old one in the same house does not, regardless of how often it has been cleaned.
What removes it, while it is still removable
- White vinegar, warmed, sprayed on, left ten minutes, then a non-scratch pad. Effective on recent deposits.
- A commercial CLR-type descaler for heavier build-up. Follow the contact time, rinse thoroughly, and keep it off metal trim and any natural stone.
- Cerium oxide polish for genuinely etched glass. It is a mild abrasive polish and it is the only thing that touches etching. Slow work, and easy to make worse if you press too hard.
Do not use a razor blade on tempered glass, and do not use abrasive powders. Both leave scratches that are permanently more visible than the scale was.
The only real answer is prevention
A squeegee hung inside the shower, used for thirty seconds after each use, keeps glass clear indefinitely. It is unglamorous and it is more effective than every product on this list combined.
A rain-repellent glass treatment, the kind sold for car windscreens or as a dedicated shower-glass sealant, makes water sheet off and buys real time between cleans. Reapply a couple of times a year.
Should you soften the water?
A whole-house softener genuinely solves this, plus the scale in your fixtures, your water heater and your kettle. It is a real expense with real running costs and it is a house decision rather than a bathroom one. If you are already fighting scale everywhere, it is worth pricing. If it is only the shower door, a squeegee is a better investment.
When replacing the glass is fair enough
If the glass is etched through and cerium oxide has not brought it back, a new panel is the honest answer. On a frameless enclosure that is not cheap. It is also the point where, if the rest of the bathroom is dated, people tend to look at the room as a whole rather than spend meaningfully on one panel of glass.