How to clean your shower head?

How to get your shower head back to as good as new.

Is your shower head not performing the way it used to, or did it lose its shine? Over time, you may find your shower head looking worn down or losing water pressure because of clog build-up accumulating in the holes.

Thankfully, you don’t always have to invest in expensive cleaning agents filled with chemicals. Most of the time, a deep clean is just enough to solve your problems and chances are high you already have all the tools and cleaning agents around your home.

Here’s how to get started.

If the water spray from the shower head is irregular or water pressure is low, it is worth cleaning the shower head.

Often, you’ll only realise that your shower head needs a proper cleanse when there’s a sudden decrease in water pressure or irregular spray patterns.

Especially when living in a region with hard water conditions, you’ll inevitably end up dealing with limescale deposits building up over time. This can lead to clogged up holes, affecting your water flow and the shine off your hand shower.

 But no reason to panic. Here’re a few simple tips to get your shower head back to as good as new.

1. Choose the right cleaner

There’s no need to use aggressive cleaning products, such as bleach solutions or harsh chemicals. In fact, they may even end up damaging the surface of our fixtures.

There are many non-toxic methods that prove to be more healthy, sustainable, and effective in maintaining a long-lasting, durable shower head.

In most cases, a mix of vinegar and water or mild cleaning products (pH 6-9) are already sufficient for killing germs and will protect the surface of your shower head.

2. Protect your surfaces with the right application

Applying your cleaner to surfaces directly can lead to the cleaner entering the inner structures of your hand shower and may cause corrosion over time.

Instead, spray your cleaner on a soft cloth and wipe off your shower head, while making sure to remove all solvent residue with plenty of warm water.

3. Going for a deeper clean:

If you’re going for a deeper clean, consider the vinegar method. A 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water is one of the most effective cleaning solutions for a clean shower head. The acids can effectively resolve limescale, minerals and other residues that accumulate over time. (Note that for the general cleaning of chrome surfaces, neutral cleaning agents are usually a better choice.)

1. Wipe as much debris from the holes of the shower head as you can.
   
   
2. If possible, remove the shower head from the hose and soak the shower head in vinegar.
   
   Most modern shower heads are easily detachable from the shower pipe. Once you’ve screwed off the shower head, place it in a container of white vinegar and water and let it soak for a few hours.
   
   In case you can’t remove the head from your shower, you can pour the vinegar mix in a large plastic bag and fix it over the shower head with a zip tie or a rubber band.
   
   In either case, make sure that the handle of the hand shower is not fully soaked in the vinegar mix, but is left on the surface to avoid the cleaning solution from entering the inside body of your hand shower.

3. Re-attach the shower head to the shower pipe or remove the plastic bag and run hot water through the head to dislodge the debris.

To prevent serious build-up and for a simple cleaning experience, spray your shower head with a vinegar-based cleaning solution on a regular basis to avoid the build-up of limescale and reduce the breeding ground for bacteria to grow. Always make sure to thoroughly rinse the shower head after soaking it in the water-vinegar liquid.

Be careful not to use too strong detergents when cleaning the shower head.

Is it time to invest in a new shower head?

Lastly, consider how old your shower head is. Has it ever been replaced?

The warm and humid environment of our bathrooms provide the perfect conditions for corrosion over a longer period of time – and our shower heads are not an exclusion.

Sometimes there’s no way around investing in a new shower head. Luckily, upgrading your shower head is an easy, inexpensive fix that doesn’t demand much time or effort. You can browse around and find the right model for your shower here.

A regular cleanse can bring your shower head back to life, while also increasing water flow and your overall shower experience.

Adopting a regular routine will reduce time and effort for cleaning in the long run and extend the lifecycle of the shower head.