It may seem unrealistic, but day-to-day showering may have a significant impact on your shower head. Over time, limescale builds up on your shower head as you continue using it up to a point where it is blocked completely.
The frequency of this blockage also varies depending on where you live. But it will most certainly provide you with less than satisfactory shower experiences in the future. Knowing how to descale a shower head is a relatively simple and cost-friendly process. Plus, you can apply the method we will discuss in this post to both the fixed and removable showerheads.
What Causes Scale in Your Shower Head?
Naturally, there are a few causes of showerhead blockages. These include:
- Frequency: scale in the showerhead results when water flows through the showerhead. Therefore, as soon as you turn off your shower, some water containing scale settles on the showerhead. This causes mineral deposits to settle on the showerhead, as well. As a result, some showerheads block sooner than others because of the frequency of their use.
- Hardness of the water: hard water contains plenty of calcium, which causes scale on showerheads quickly. But you can combat this by always drying off your showerhead after use.
Cleaning Your Showerhead
Cleaning your showerhead is a simple DIY process. In most cases, you almost certainly don’t need a professional for the job. To clean your showerhead and remove all the scale from its nozzles and tiny holes, you need a few tools.
Here’s what you need:
- A plastic bag that the showerhead can fit into
- Distilled white vinegar
- Rubber band or piece of string
- Old toothbrush
- Soft cloth
- Secure the Plastic Bag with Vinegar
The first step requires you to fill the plastic bag with the distilled white vinegar. Slip the rubber band or piece of string over the top of the showerhead, then submerge the showerhead completely into the white vinegar.
Secure the plastic bag on the showerhead using the rubber band or piece of string.
NOTE: it is important that you get the right vinegar to descale your showerhead. For example, malt vinegar is not too effective, while brown vinegar might stain the showerhead. Therefore, ensure you’re using white distilled vinegar for the best results.
- Wait and Rinse
After you have secured the plastic bag with vinegar onto the showerhead, wait for between 30 minutes to one hour before removing the bag. Turn on the shower to flush out any remaining scale sediments on the showerhead.
If necessary, you can repeat this process until you have removed all the limescale the vinegar can remove.
- Scrub Residue Using an Old Toothbrush
Some limestone residue may still latch onto the showerhead after removing the vinegar and rinsing it. You can scrub off these scale deposits with an old toothbrush. Pay special attention to the nozzles and tiny holes because these are where most limescale build up.
Use the old toothbrush to scrub over any limestone residue. Do this until you are satisfied with the result as you rinse with cold water to help the remaining residue flake off.
- Dry the Showerhead
You can use a soft cloth to dry and polish the showerhead. Wipe it clean until dry and there aren’t any water spots. Turn on the shower to remove any remaining limescale residue your toothbrush might not have gotten.
Preventing Limescale Built-Up in Your Showerhead
Once you’ve removed all the limescale residue on your showerhead, your next step is to ensure it remains limescale-free. Well, there are a few simple steps to make that possible. Always time a few seconds to ensure your showerhead is dry after every shower. You can use a small towel to wipe off any water on the surface of the showerhead.
We also recommend repeating the steps above after every few months, depending on the frequency with which you use your shower the type of water you use. These simple maintenance routines will help keep your showerhead limescale-free.
