Shower Door Sweep vs. Wipe: What's the Difference
"Sweep" and "wipe" get used loosely, but they seal different parts of the door. Here's what each one actually does.
4 min readSweep: the bottom seal
A sweep always refers to the bottom of the door — the horizontal seal between the glass and the shower pan or tile. It's the seal most exposed to standing water, which is why it's usually the first one to fail.
Wipe: the vertical (side) seal
A wipe is the vertical seal running up the side of the door, at the hinge or strike side, sealing against a fixed panel or wall. Some manufacturers use "wipe" for both bottom and side seals interchangeably, which is where the confusion creeps in — but on most current US listings, "bottom sweep" and "side wipe" are the precise terms.
Where a bulb seal fits in
A bulb seal is a specific TYPE of side seal (a hollow, compressing tube instead of a flat flap), used mainly on frameless doors at the hinge or strike side. It's not a separate location — it's an alternative design to a side wipe for that same vertical gap.