How To Clean Calcium Buildup On Shower Head

redlaw    Shower Head     buildup, calcium, clean, shower

Are you brand-new to shower head cleaning ? Then come and learn with us as enthusiasts and authorities alike share clues about this subject. This blog has developed into a one stop library on shower head cleaning .

Our audiences love reading and sharing and voted us the best place for rookies on the topic. We have sections which handle the subject generally and we also have a comprehensive library of particular info.

Is your showerhead blocked by unsightly calcium deposits? “Hard” water, particularly from wells, can be high in calcium, magnesium, lime, silica and other minerals. Once hard water passing through a showerhead dries, it leaves behind deposits. This mineral buildup is both unattractive and problematic, as it can plug up the waterways and prevent your shower from flowing at full blast.

The same hard water that clogs up your showerhead can leave off-white or brown spots on glass or ceramic surfaces, particularly in bathrooms and kitchens. Sinks, tubs, and glass shower walls and doors are all common places for mineral deposits to collect. Although it’s not as problematic as a clogged showerhead, it’s still unattractive. Rinsing the area with a solution that’s half vinegar, half water will eliminate such spots. The solution can be mixed in a spray bottle and sprayed directly onto the affected area. Wipe it away with a soft cloth or sponge. 

Showerheads can collect all kinds of mold, mildew and bacteria, so it is important to clean them at least once a month. And, it’s easy to clean your showerhead using one household ingredient and a couple other items from around your home. Follow this easy way to clean your showerhead in just 30 minutes.

Scrub away any residue using an old toothbrush. Focus on the base where the holes are; this is where the most mineral buildup will be. Gently scrub the brush over any residue and rinse with cool water. Keep doing this until all of the residue is gone.

If there is one thing which is annoying it is having a shower with the water squirting out in every direction but down. The water is being squeezed through the holes in your showerhead which have become clogged with limescale and no matter how much you try to fix the problem by wiping the showerhead you find the situation only gets worse.

Don’t use baking soda. Sometimes it will clump up if there’s water in your showerhead. Just use the vinegar. It’s the best way. If you need to, flush out the showerhead with hot water and repeat the process until it’s clean. It may take a few times if you have mineral build up. It’s especially bad with well water.

You can use these products to make the process a lot faster:

First, make sure to avoid contact with the eyes. If any vinegar gets in your eyes, promptly rinse the entire eye with fresh water until the sting has completely dissipated. Also, although it’s safe to use vinegar to clean areas where children play, you will want to do so when they are not present. Like adults, children should not be consuming vinegar in any way. 

Kettles, irons, showerheads: anything that comes into regular contact with hard water will inevitably lead to limescale. And as limescale builds up, showerheads get blocked, affecting the water flow and taking the shine off your shower. But descaling a shower head doesn’t have to be a difficult chore.

It is much trickier to remove a build-up of limescale from your pipework if it is still attached. For big problems, it may require the help of a plumber. But pouring vinegar or limescale remover into the pipe may help.

I use distilled vinegar, before I cottoned on to buying it in 5 gallon cartons from the cash & carry I used to use Sarsons distilled but it was very expensive. In an emergency I have used malt vinegar but the smell did not seem to evaporate nearly as much as distilled when it dried.

Simply add your showerhead to a saucepan of vinegar and bring it to a gentle simmer. Within a few minutes, the limescale should start to dissolve. Keep checking it and only simmer it until it is clean of deposits. Take care not to get it too hot especially if it is plastic.

Allen Shulman is a veteran Colorado homebuilder, proud dad, and floor hockey enthusiast. He founded BrightNest, a Denver-based business that gives people the online tools, tips and motivation to keep their homes in great shape.

It is unusual to find showerheads which cannot be removed from their fittings, but if yours is one of the few, you can still clean it of limescale. Fill a plastic bag with vinegar and tie it securely with a rubber band around the showerhead. Make sure it is fully immersed. Once again leave it overnight and then run the shower to see how clean it is. The video above shows exactly how to do this.

Occasionally when we lived in London, we would put a couple of bags of washing soda in the water tank in the loft (hot water) and let it sit there overnight then let it run through the system, it really kept the limescale down, I used to do all my washing with that water on a saturday or sunday morning, the old fart would swap the washing maching hoses over so the machine filled with hot water then put them back, id do all thecurtains and bedding and towels etc then our clothes and by that time the washing soda had gone and we could get baths etc

If your shower head is clogged with years of limescale build-up, then it’s time for a thorough clean! There’s no need to reach for the harsh chemicals though as they could damage your shower head, try using vinegar instead. In this blog we share our top tips on how to descale a shower head.

If you notice discolouration on your shower head (chalky white, green or brown), you’ve got some for of calcium, limescale or rust. While it’s not a health risk, it means your shower head’s performance is going to be sluggish, leaving you with a less than exciting shower experience. Here’s what to do.

Is your shower head not performing like it used to? Over time mineral deposits can build up which can cause the nozzles to squirt water in all directions or clog up completely, leaving you with poor water pressure or low flow.

Cleaning limescale from shower heads with white vinegar is a good way to remove all that nasty buildup! However, using vinegar can take a few hours to have the maximum effect, so you may prefer to use a specialist cleaning product, like Cif Bathroom Spray. Whichever product you use, make sure to follow the directions on the label and test it in a small area first. You will also want to rinse the product thoroughly before using the shower as normal.

If you enjoyed this article please consider sharing it!