How to Clean Shower Heads

Maybe you looked up and noticed your shower head was filled with gunk, or maybe you’ve noticed lower water pressure or strange spray patterns. If this is the case, your shower head might be clogged with mineral deposits from hard water. With a bit of cleaning, you can get your shower back to normal in no time.

Over time, your shower head can get clogged up with mineral deposits from the hard water. This can clog the spray jets, causing water and spray pattern issues. If that’s not enough reason to start cleaning your shower heads regularly, the inside of your shower head is also the perfect breeding ground for germs, including bacteria that can cause serious lung infections.

To help keep minerals and bacteria at bay in your shower head, it’s a good idea to clean them at least once a month, though weekly can be really effective at stopping buildup before it happens.

A lot of mineral buildup can be difficult to remove but using the wrong products or cleaning tools can damage your shower head. For example, you could scratch the finish on the shower head or even damage the components inside. No one wants that to happen, so we’ve got a few tips for gentle but effective cleaning for your shower heads.

Vinegar as a Shower Head Cleaner

For mild to moderate mineral buildup in your shower head, you can try dissolving those minerals and restoring your shower head with vinegar. This is an incredibly simple process, with the vinegar doing most of the work for you.

What you’ll need:

  • 1 cup vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • Clear sandwich bag
  • Rubber bands
  • Old toothbrush or gentle cleaning tool

Start by filling up the clear sandwich bag with vinegar. Then, lift the bag up until the shower head is fully submerged in the vinegar. Secure in place with rubber bands and let it sit like that for about four hours or even overnight. The acids in the vinegar should eat away at the mineral buildup without harming the shower head. After its soak, you can gently brush any mineral crust away with an old toothbrush or even a soft cloth.

Now, if you have a detachable shower head, the process is a little simpler. Instead of placing the vinegar in a bag and using rubber bands to hold it in place, you can simply fill a small bowl and allow the shower head to soak that way.

Vinegar + Baking Soda as Head Cleaner

If just vinegar doesn’t do the trick, you can also try this fizzy cleaning trick for your shower head. You may have used this in a science experiment once and you probably have all the ingredients you need in your cupboard. Just make sure you mix up the vinegar and baking soda slowly so it doesn’t fizz up and overflow from the bag!

What you’ll need:

  • ⅓ cup of baking soda
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • Clear sandwich bag
  • Rubber bands
  • Old toothbrush or gentle cleaning tool

You can follow the same process as the vinegar process for this as well. Simply soak the shower head in the bag or in a bowl for detachable shower heads and wipe or gently scrub clean after four hours or so.

Limescale Removers for Cleaning Shower Heads

For really tough buildup, you might need to use a cleaning solution specifically made for limescale. Some popular limescale removers include CLR® and Lime-A-Way®, which you can find in the cleaning supplies aisle of most grocery stores.

What you’ll need:

  • Limescale remover
  • Clear sandwich bag
  • Rubber bands
  • Old toothbrush or gentle cleaning tool

You can use the same process to soak the shower head in lime remover as we described for cleaning the shower head with vinegar. However, if you’re using lime remover to clean your shower head, you likely only need to soak it for two to three minutes. Make sure you read the label for specific instructions!