Shower Enclosures

The purpose of a shower enclosure is to keep the water where it should be - falling on you rather than all over your bathroom floor. A full enclosure is a much more satisfactory solution than a shower curtain. Curtains are only effective with relatively low-pressure showers, they tend to get mouldy and they are a bind to take down and clean.

The type of enclosure you buy should very much depend on the space available to you. One of the most important decisions is what sort of door you need. There are basically three choices - sliding, swinging or folding. If are are elderly or in some way restricted in your movements, you should also consider a walk-in shower without a standard tray at the bottom.

An enclosure with sliding doors is probably best if space is restricted, or if you’re covering a wide opening, such as the whole of one side of a bath. However, sliding doors run on a track which can become damp, and therefore a great place for mould and bacteria to grow. Also, because they can’t be opened fully, they can get in the way when you’re trying to clean up, or be a hindrance to elderly or disabled users. If you go for a set of sliding doors, make sure you buy a good quality brand that slides easily without sticking and is as easy to keep clean as possible.

Folding doors also run on tracks, a little like sliding doors, although because they fold back entirely they don’t cause the same access restrictions as straightforward sliding doors and are very space-efficient - they’re excellent when space is really tight, for example if your shower is tucked in a corner of a room. When buying, bear in mind that cheaper, low-quality brands may have problems with sticking as they get older.

Swinging doors are just ordinary doors. They are dead simple and easy to keep clean - for the larger bathroom they are the ideal solution. However, make sure that the door you’ve chosen has plenty of clearance - you don’t want it swinging into washbasins, toilets or towel rails that may cause it to crack. A swinging door should either be in a rigid frame and/or be made of an appropriately thick glass.

When it comes to the walls of the enclosure themselves, it’s worth considering what material you’d like to have. At the cheaper end of the market are the various transparent plastics. These are fine, and will last a good long time. However, they don’t have the sheen of natural glass, though they are a little easier to clean. Additionally,  opaque or patterned plastic can look distinctly naff. Glass looks cool, though if you’re going to have plain glass walls you should be prepared to put in some elbow grease during the cleaning process - it’s much harder to keep smooth, transparent glass completely free of smearing, especially in a damp environment.

Whatever option you take, follow the manufacturer’s guidelines about which cleaning agents are best. Standard household cleaners will probably be too corrosive, and even window cleaning spray may not be good for the anti-damp sealant around each pane.

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