Have you ever had a clogged showerhead? Maybe it wasn’t completely clogged but it shot water in different directions? It can be frustrating and annoying.
Luckily, we have the perfect solution for how to clean a showerhead fast and easy. We’ll go over six methods that will fix your problem in no time.
We’ll start with one of our favorites: cleaning it out with apple cider vinegar!
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Try removing it by hand by turning it counterclockwise. If it’s too tight, use a crescent wrench to remove it. Scroll down to our section on how to remove a shower head for more information.
Depending on the size of your shower head, you might be able to fit it into a quart-sized bag. Make sure to use one that fits the entire thing.
This will help accelerate the cleaning process, but it’s not required. The baking soda reacts with the acidic vinegar to help break down the mineral buildup in your shower head.
Vinegar is acidic, so it’s important to dilute the solution. This will protect the finish on your shower head.
If your shower head has a coating, don’t soak it for much longer than 30 minutes. Acidic vinegar may break down its finish.
Use a microfiber cloth for the best results.
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You don’t need to submerge the entire nozzle. But you can do that for a more thorough clean.
If your showerhead is quite grimy, you might want to use more baking soda. It will help break down the tough mineral deposits.
Use a microfiber cloth for the best results.
A quart sized bag usually works, but gallon bags are great for larger showerheads.
You don’t need to fully submerge the shower head – just make sure to submerge the rubber nozzles. That’s where calcium and other minerals can build up and harden.
We recommend diluting the vinegar so you don’t damage the finish.
Vinegar by itself takes a little time to tackle tough mineral deposits. But if you give it time, it will leave your shower head sparkling.
If it’s coated with a finish like gold, nickel, or brass, you should let it sit for just 30 minutes. If it’s left to soak for hours, the finish may get damaged. Diluting the solution will reduce the risk of damage.
Remove it away from your eyes, nose, and mouth. The vinegar smell will be quite strong.
Use a microfiber cloth for the best results.
It is not recommended to clean a shower head with bleach. Using bleach to clean showerheads accelerates the production of bacteria, according to a CU Boulder study. The bacteria found in showerheads is resistant to chlorine-based cleaners like bleach. This allows it to grow quickly, which can be hazardous to your health. Most bacteria in showers is harmless, but some lead to lung disease.
Bleach can damage shower heads with chrome, nickel, brass, or other finishes. It also stains clothes and is unsafe to use around children. So, to keep your shower head clean and bacteria-free, use a safer solution like vinegar, baking soda, or CLR.
In most cases, a CLR and water solution will work great. CLR is a strong cleaning solution so it’s important to dilute it before cleaning. This will make it less abrasive.
Since CLR is an acidic cleaner, it can break down the finish on your shower head. If it’s coated with chrome, gold, nickel, brass, or another finish, do not soak it in CLR for over five minutes. Two minutes is ideal.
We recommend diluting both the CLR and vinegar. Both of these compounds are quite acidic, and CLR is especially potent. Add more vinegar or CLR & water until it is fully submerged.
It’s best to put a little less in the bag, so you don’t risk it overflowing when you put the bag over your shower head.
Wrap the rubber band around the shower arm so that the bag of vinegar or CLR solution can sit on its own. Electrical tape or plumbers tape works well too.
Vinegar and CLR are acidic cleaners, so they can damage nickel, chrome, brass, or other finishes. The more you dilute the cleaner, the less risk you have of damaging the finish.
If you want to soak your shower head for a few hours, dilute the vinegar with 50% water. That will neutralize some of the acid making the vinegar more finish-friendly.
If the hard water stains are not dissolving, you can rinse it with water and repeat this process. But proceed with caution. Consult your manufacturer on the best way to clean your shower head if you’re in doubt.
To remove a shower head, first try unscrewing it counterclockwise by hand. Hold the shower arm with one hand and untwist the head with the other. If you can’t loosen it, use a crescent wrench or adjustable wrench. Just set it to the appropriate width, secure it to the shower nozzle, and twist counterclockwise.
Wrap some electrical tape around the jaws of the wrench before removing it. This will protect the finish from damage.
Most shower heads will loosen counter clockwise, but you might have to turn some clockwise.
In some cases, it might be really stuck thanks to heavy rust buildup. Then, grab a second crescent wrench or channel lock and secure it to the shower arm. Once that wrench is secure, loosen the shower head with your other wrench.
If you need more torque, try a wrench with a longer handle.
Check out the video below to see how it’s done.
Vinegar is acidic, so be careful about soaking it for over 30 minutes. It may damage the nickel, brass, gold, or other finishes.
A toothbrush is great to get in between the rubber nozzles and scrub the hard-to-reach places.
The best way to clean a shower head is to use vinegar and a quart-sized bag. Just fill the bag with one part vinegar and one part water, enough to submerge it. Seal the bag to the shower arm using electrical tape or a rubber band. Then, let it sit for a few hours. If your shower nozzle has a finish like chrome or nickel, don’t soak it for more than 30 minutes. The finish may get damaged. Once it’s done soaking, rinse it, dry it with a towel, and reattach it.
White vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or CLR are great cleaning solutions to remove limescale from your shower head. For more stain-cutting power, you can add a couple of tablespoons of baking soda to the vinegar. Avoid bleach and other abrasive, toxic cleaners.
Soak a shower head in vinegar for about 30 minutes. Otherwise it may damage the outer finish. If you want to soak it for longer, you can dilute the vinegar with water. A 50/50 vinegar and water solution is great to soak your shower head for a couple hours. Take a closer look at the manufacturer’s instructions to determine how long to soak it in vinegar.
You can use one part CLR and one part water to clean your shower head as well. If you don’t have white vinegar, apple cider vinegar works too.
Do not use bleach to clean a shower head. A CU Boulder study showed that bacteria found in showers is resistant to chlorine-based cleaners like bleach. So bacteria is more likely to grow in your shower if you clean with bleach than if you use other types od cleaners. It’s also dangerous and toxic; there are plenty of safer alternatives such as white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or CLR.
We hope you enjoyed our six methods for cleaning your shower head. Vinegar is typically the safest and easiest solution, while you should avoid bleach and other abrasive cleaners. If you can’t remove your shower head, don’t worry. Just put your cleaning solution in a plastic bag and let it soak for 15 to 30 minutes.
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