Are you wondering how to clean a clogged shower head? Rather than panic because your shower is only dripping, learn how to clean your clogged shower heads using vinegar, CLR, baking soda, lemon, and cola. Get tips and tricks for getting the best spray out of your shower head.
How to Clean a Shower Head
When you turn on your shower, you expect water to start spraying out. When it doesn't, your shower head is typically clogged or you have a water pressure problem. While the clogged shower head can be dealt with at home, the water pressure problem might require a professional plumber. To rule out a clogged or rusty shower head, you'll need to grab a few tools.
- White vinegar
- Baking soda
- CLR or lime stale cleaner
- Bristle brush (boar or similar bristle brush)
- Toothbrush
- Coca-cola
- Plastic bags
- Rubber band
- Scrub pad
- Mixing bowl
- Cloth or sponge
- Rubber gloves
- Lemon
How to Clean a Shower Head With Baking Soda
Baking soda is a pretty simple solution for cleaning a mildly dirty or clogged shower head. And, it doesn't take a whole lot of time.
- Take the toothbrush or bristle brush to the shower head to remove dirt or loosen crust.
- Use a wet cloth or sponge to remove anything loose.
- In a mixing bowl, mix enough baking soda with water to make a paste. How much you use will depend on the shower head size. Use more for a larger shower head.
- Use a clean cloth or your hand to add the paste to the shower head.
- Allow the mixture to sit on the shower head for about 15-20 minutes.
- Use a cloth to rinse the mixture.
- Run the water through your shower head.
- Repeat or try a different method if you still have clogs.
For a bit of extra cleaning boost, you can add vinegar to the baking soda rather than water. Allow it to stop fizzing and use a cloth to add it to the shower head.
Clean a Shower Head With Vinegar
If you have a good amount of gunk in your shower head, you might try this vinegar hack in addition to baking soda method. It also works great alone. To do this, you'll need to grab the plastic bag and rubber band.
- Use the brush or toothbrush to give a quick removal of loose gunk.
- Fill a plastic bag with half vinegar and water.
- Submerge the shower head in the mixture.
- Use the rubber band to secure the bag in place.
- Let it sit for at least 60 minutes, although you can leave it as long as overnight for really bad shower heads.
- Remove the bag and pour the mixture down the drain and rinse.
- Test the shower head.
Clean a Shower Head With CLR
If vinegar is just not cutting it, you need to pull out the big guns. If you have a clogged shower head, it's most likely due to rust from hard water. Cleaning a hard water shower head is going to take harsher chemicals and a bit of elbow grease. Bring on the CLR. When using CLR, it's a harsh chemical so you'll want to make sure to grab your rubber gloves. This technique will follow many of the same steps as vinegar.
- After cleaning the head, mix half water and CLR in a plastic bag.
- Rubber band the bag to the shower head carefully.
- Remove the bag after 2 minutes.
- Carefully pour the CLR mixture down the drain.
- Rinse and go.
Add more time for shower heads with a lot of grime or rust. Additionally, be aware that CLR removes the finish from copper and aluminum.
How to Clean a Shower Head Without Vinegar
If you don't like the smell of vinegar, you're not alone. Cleaning a shower without vinegar will require grabbing the cola. This is not for drinking. Rather, cola works as an excellent clog cleaning tool.
- Clean the shower head with a brush or toothbrush.
- Fill the plastic bag with straight cola.
- Let it sit for at least an hour, overnight if possible.
- Dump.
- Use soapy water to remove the sticky residue.
- Rinse and go.
Cleaning Shower Heads With Lemon
Another vinegar-free cleanser for a dirty shower head is lemon. This method is good for those shower heads that need a little upkeep or light cleaning.
- Give the shower head a brush cleaning.
- Halve a lemon.
- Dip the half in some baking soda to give it a good coat.
- Use the wedge to scrub the shower head.
- Leave the mixture on the shower head for 15-30 minutes.
- Rinse and enjoy.
How to Clean a Clogged Shower Head
Having a clean shower head makes sure when you step in the shower, water is coming out. Therefore, you can use these methods every few months as part of your cleaning routine or more often, depending on the hardness of your water, just to make sure you don't have an issue. Now, it's time to get that shower head glistening.
