If you can’t remember the last time you cleaned your showerhead, it is definitely time. People regularly clean their bathroom, but many don’t know when, or how to clean a showerhead.
In today’s blog, we explore why unclean shower heads are a problem, the benefits of regular cleaning, and some options for the best way to clean a showerhead.
How Often to Clean a Shower Head
You might be surprised to learn that cleaning your shower head once a month is recommended to keep your bathroom healthy and working well. Some specific shower heads come with different cleaning requirements, so check your manufacturers recommendations if you recently installed a new one.
Why You Should Clean Your Shower Head?
In many homes, the shower is used everyday. Build up of minerals and bacteria over time can make your shower head less effective and even a hazard for your health.
Regular cleaning helps to:
- Remove mineral deposits: Tap water, particularly unfiltered water, contains many natural deposits of minerals. These minerals can build up over time, becoming harder to remove and leading to water flow problems. Learn how to clean your shower head to maintain optimal water flow and prevent mineral buildup.
- Prevent build up of mold and mildew: In the damp and warm atmosphere of the bathroom, with holes and crevices around your shower head, bacteria can find the perfect place to grow. If problem bacteria, mold, and mildew start growing in your shower head, they can be released into the air with the steam of your next shower, potentially causing you to breathe in these unwanted pathogens.
- Stop clogged shower holes: Mineral deposits can do more than just slow water flow, over time your shower holes can be blocked completely. Regular cleaning prevents mineral build up from reaching a stage where it interferes with your shower experience.
- Maintain water pressure: Build up within the inside of your shower holes can slowly change your pressure of water, without you noticing it on a daily basis.
- Prevent potential skin infections: With bacteria raining down from the shower head above, we are open to potential skin infections. People with chronic illness, or those living with open ports and catheters could be particularly susceptible to infections. Keep your family healthy by preventing bacteria from growing on your shower head to begin with.
- Keep your shower looking good: We feel better when our home looks good, and we certainly feel better about having visitors. By keeping your shower in tip-top condition, you may be surprised how much better your bathroom looks on a day-to-day basis. Learn how to clean your shower head to ensure it stays sparkling and functions efficiently.
What You'll Need To Clean a Shower Head
Fortunately, you can find most of the things you need to clean your shower head around the house already. Clean, safe, and non toxic, these cleaning methods mixed with some elbow grease, can naturally eliminate bacteria and mineral build up from your shower.
To Clean With Vinegar
Vinegar is a tried and true way to keep your shower head sparkling clean. Knowing how to clean your showerhead with vinegar is simple: you’ll need white distilled vinegar, a plastic food storage or zip-loc bag, and some cable ties, tape, or string.
To Clean With Lemon Juice
Cleaning with lemon juice requires making a paste to work with. Along with some lemon juice, you’ll need a few tablespoons of either baking soda or salt, to create an abrasive paste for your shower head cleaning.
To Clean Filter Screen
Cleaning your filter screen usually requires removal of your shower head since the filter screen is generally located between the shower head and the water pipe. While most shower heads are easy to remove, if yours has been there for many years, a wrench and some work gloves may come in handy for removal.
To Remove Mineral Deposits
Removing mineral deposits with any, or all of the above methods usually requires some scrubbing. An old toothbrush or small scrubbing brush can effectively remove minerals from small cracks and crevices along with the home based cleaning products above.
Knowing how to clean your showerhead properly can make a big difference. A pin or opened paperclip can help to dislodge any stubborn build-up in the holes of your showerhead, and a microfiber cloth is great for polishing it up after you finish.
How to Clean a Shower Head With Vinegar
Provide clear step-by-step instructions for cleaning a shower head using vinegar.- Add about ½ cup of white distilled vinegar and ½ cup of water to a small plastic bag.
- Tie the vinegar filled bag around your shower head, fully submerging the showerhead in the liquid.
- Secure the bag with a cable tie or some tape while you leave your showerhead to soak for several hours.
- Leave overnight for particularly dirty shower heads
- Remove the bag of vinegar and turn on your shower head to push out any remaining mineral deposits from the holes.
- Remove any remaining loose minerals and dirt with a cloth, sponge, or scrubbing brush.
How to Clean a Shower Head With Lemon Juice Paste
- Create a paste using a few tablespoons of baking soda or salt, and add a few squeezes of lemon juice. Both baking soda and salt offer an abrasive action to help remove dirt and grime from your shower head.
- Use an old toothbrush to scrub your shower head with the newly formed paste.
- This combination helps to lift visible dirt. Pay particular attention to the holes in your shower head, removing the start of any mineral build up to prevent further problems down the line.
- Rinse your shower head with water and turn on the water flow to effectively rinse out the holes.
How to Clean the Filter Screen in a Shower Head
To thoroughly clean your shower head, you can’t forget your filter screen. Trapping a lot of grime and minerals that are not visible from the outside, if you are not cleaning your filter, you may not feel the full benefits of cleaning your shower head.- Most filter screens will require unscrewing your shower head. You may need a wrench to free your shower head more easily from the pipe.
- Carefully remove your filter screen, using tweezers can help to grab it easily.
- Thoroughly wash the filter under hot water, scrubbing with a vinegar solution to fully remove bacteria and mineral deposits.
- Place your filter back into your showerhead, and reattach to the pipe with plumbers tape.
How to Remove Mineral Deposits From a Shower Head
If your shower head has a lot of mineral deposit build up, a simple soak or scrub may not be enough to remove them. You may need to employ all of these techniques, more than once, to fully remove build up.
While it can take extra time, the benefits are definitely worth the effort when you know your shower is working at peak performance again.
- Soak your shower head in a vinegar solution as mentioned above
- Employ your lemon juice paste to manually remove mineral build up from the shower head
- Use a pin or paperclip to remove deposits lodged in the shower holes
- Run your shower after any thorough cleaning to help remove any remaining build up
- Repeat steps if your cleaning efforts only remove some of the build up. Some shower heads have not been cleaned in years and take a little extra time to clean them thoroughly.
Final Thoughts
Along with a regular shower head cleaning ritual, using a premium AquaBliss shower filter can also help reduce mineral deposit build up, saving you a lot of time and cleaning power over the years.
An AquaBliss shower filter also prevents these minerals interacting with your skin and hair, keeping your family healthy. Prevent mineral build up and save yourself so much time - pick up an AquaBliss shower filter today.
