How to descale a showerhead: a step-by-step guide

Are you tired of the limescale build-up clogging your shower head? Well, this detailed guide will show you how to remove limescale from a showerhead.

The solutions are simple, cost-friendly, and highly effective. In fact, most of the tools that you’ll need are probably in your house already.

What causes limescale in your showerhead?

Before we get into the procedure, you need to understand what limescale is and how it develops.

Hard water is the main cause of limescale build-up in showerheads, kettles, and other home appliances that run the water regularly.

This water contains a high percentage of minerals like magnesium and calcium deposits, that accumulate and clog the showerhead, especially if you don’t clean the appliance often.

Requirements to descale a showerhead

You need the following:

Distilled white vinegar
Baking soda
Plastic bag
Paper towels
Rubber band
Soft cloth
Bucket

How to descale a showerhead

Now, before you start shopping for a new showerhead, try these descaling methods.

Cleaning a fixed shower head with vinegar

For a shower head that is hard or impossible to detach, you’ll have to descale the showerhead from where it’s installed.

You will need a rubber band/string, vinegar, and a plastic bag.

Mix equal amounts of distilled white vinegar and water in the plastic bag.
The plastic bag must be strong, and big enough to cover your shower head.
Put the plastic bag over the showerhead. Its entire head must submerge into the vinegar and water mixture.
Use the rubber band or string to tie the plastic bag to the pipe. Make sure it’s held tightly before letting go.
Leave it for a couple of hours so that the vinegar can extract and dissolve all the limescale.
Remove the plastic bag and run the water to wash off any loose limescale inside the shower. This also washes off excess vinegar.
You can use a toothbrush to scrub the surface of the showerhead for a more thorough cleaning.
Wipe with a soft, clean cloth.
If you feel the showerhead isn’t clean enough, repeat the process.

Cleaning detachable or hand-held shower heads with vinegar

As far as deep cleaning goes, this is arguably the best way to clean a clogged shower head.

First, to remove a shower head to clean, you ought to use the right tools and be cautious to avoid damaging the shower head’s finish.
Next, turn it upside down under a faucet and run high-pressure water so that it passes through the small holes and comes out through the side that connects to the pipe/shower arm. This loosens and removes some of the accumulated debris.
Use a toothbrush and vinegar to scrub the showerhead thoroughly.
Get safety pins or toothpicks and poke the small holes to remove any small deposits.
Lastly, put the entire shower head in a mixture of distilled white vinegar, water, and baking powder to soak for a couple of hours (overnight). This will extract any remaining limescale.
Make sure it’s fully submerged in the mixture.
If possible, dismantle it as much as possible to make it easy to clean some hard-to-reach areas.
Remove it from the mixture and give it another scrub with the toothbrush, in warm and soapy water.
Rinse the showerhead with clean water and re-install it. You could run the shower water for a few seconds to be sure the holes aren’t clogged anymore.

For both cleaning methods, you must be patient and let the vinegar do its work. But, if the showerhead material or finish is likely to react with the vinegar, you may have to limit the amount of time it soaks in the solution, or look for alternative cleaning options.

To know how vinegar reacts with the finish of your shower head, soak a small piece of paper or towel in vinegar and put it on a small part of the showerhead. If there is no reaction, then you’re good to go.

But, if it reacts, or you can’t stand the smell of vinegar, you have to opt for other cleaning methods. From the safe options that involve lots of scrubbing with a toothbrush and using warm water and soap, to the harsh chemical limescale removers.

How to remove limescale from a showerhead without vinegar

Apart from vinegar, you can use chemical limescale removers to clean shower head rubber nozzles, among other shower head parts. For this, you must be very careful.

First, buy the right product. Secondly, read the user manual keenly and follow all instructions to the latter, including the recommended safety measures.

How to descale the shower hose and pipe

Don’t forget to clean the shower hose, pipe, and any other appliance connected to the showerhead.

These parts have varying amounts of limescale build-up, which if it’s not removed ends up in the showerhead. So, it’s imperative that you clean the entire water path.

How to prevent limescale build-up

To keep your shower head limescale-free after descaling, you must practice a proper maintenance routine. This involves:

Wiping off the surface water after taking a shower.
Reduce shower time because less water flowing through the shower means less limescale.
Regular cleaning of the showerhead by soaking in vinegar.
Water softening treatment for your home.

Note: The cleaning of your shower head should be done in a well-ventilated room. Especially if you’re using the chemical limescale removers.

Conclusion

A limescale-free shower head releases clean and free-flowing water for enjoyable showers. Plus, you won’t have to worry about bacteria build-up that pose a huge health risk to you and your family.

Not forgetting the increased lifespan of the showerhead, that saves you from buying a new shower head occasionally. So, check and descale your showerhead often. For extreme cases seek the help of an expert plumber.