How to Clean a Shower Head
We make cleaning a shower head quick and easy with our top tips. Our step-by-step guides show you how to clean a shower head using vinegar or baking soda.
If the water pressure in your shower is no longer what it used to be, then the solution might be simpler than you think.
You might not need to replace the shower head. You might just need to give the shower head a deep clean. We’ll show you how.
Why you should clean your shower head?
The water you use to shower contains minerals. Over time they build up and clog the little nozzles on your shower head.
The small, warm and dark enclosed holes then become the perfect environment for mould and bacteria to grow right over your head.
How often should you clean a shower head?
Water quality is essentially the main factor in determining how often you should clean your shower head.
If you live in an area with hard water, there is likely to be more mineral buildup in the nozzles. This means that you might have to increase your shower head cleaning from once every other month to once a month.
How to clean a shower head with vinegar
There are many ways you can go about cleaning using vinegar, depending on the state and type of shower head you have.
Removable shower head:
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Using a wrench if needed, remove the shower head.
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Fill a bowl with distilled/white vinegar, enough to submerge the shower head.
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Place the shower head in the bowl, nozzles side up.
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Leave it in the bowl for a few hours to soak.
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Rinse the shower head before reassembling it.
If your shower head is in dire condition, there are a few steps you can add to this process for deep and thorough cleaning:
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After soaking the shower head in the vinegar solution, scrub it with an old toothbrush.
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Poke through the nozzles using a toothpick or a safety pin.
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Rinse out the shower head under a strong blast of water to remove loosened buildup.
After you finish with the cleaning process, reattach the shower head and turn on the water to make sure everything works properly.
Non-removable shower head:
Do not fear! If the shower head model you have cannot be removed, we have an easy fix for you:
- Wrap a rubber band a few times around the water pipe and make sure it is tight enough.
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Fill a plastic bag or a zip-lock bag with distilled/white vinegar.
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Submerge the shower head in the plastic bag and secure it at the top with the rubber band.
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Soak the shower head for a few hours.
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Remove the bag and turn the water on to rinse out the nozzles and test the water pressure.
How to clean a shower head without vinegar
For an alternative to white vinegar, you can use lemon juice or baking powder.
Mix water and lemon juice together in a bowl and follow the soaking and scrubbing tips from above.
If you are looking for a quicker solution that does not involve soaking the shower head for hours, mix enough water and baking powder to create a paste-like substance or use salt with lemon juice and scrub the shower head and nozzles with a toothbrush.
Both baking soda and salt add an abrasive texture to the solutions which will help you with the scrubbing.
One step further - Cleaning the filter screen
If you’d like to go one step further when cleaning your shower head, you can also clean the filter screen found at the part of the shower head that connects to the pipe.
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After removing the shower head with a wrench (if needed), remove the filter screen with a pair of tweezers and run it under water.
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Scrub the screen with white vinegar using a toothbrush.
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Use a toothpick to remove debris and buildup that persists.
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Run the filter screen under water again and finally reattach the shower head.
A few more tips for cleaning a shower head
Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to cleaning and maintaining a shower head:
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If you’re not using natural products when cleaning, make sure not to use a too-strong chemical cleaning solution, as it might cause discolouration in the chrome of the shower head.
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Clean your shower head on a regular basis to avoid having minerals build up and affect your water flow.
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Don’t mix vinegar with baking soda to scrub your shower head. The two don't work too well together. Each one has a different pH level and together they cancel each other out leaving you with a foamy solution that has the same merit as water.
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If you discover that your shower tap is dripping, make sure to have that fixed as constant dripping will cause hard water deposits where the water is leaking out.
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Avoid using bleach or abrasive brushes and sponges as they may cause scratches on the surface of the shower head.
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