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How to Clean & Descale A Shower Head: Easy Cleaning Hack

If your shower head is clogged with calcium build-up and long overdue for a clean, this simple hack for descaling a shower head and tap faucets will help you improve water pressure again.

Learn how to clean a showerhead using this simple trick with non-toxic ingredients you already have in your home.

How to clean a shower head and descale

This article was first published in February 2015 and has been updated for the current year.

Why You Should Clean Your shower head

Your shower heads can become clogged and dirty with calcium, limescale, mineral deposits and various gunk that travels through the pipes.

Over time, not only does it lose its sparkle, but you may even find the water pressure reduced as well.

This is also the reason you may find some of the water spraying in different directions from your showerhead – because there is an obstruction or a build-up impacting the flow of water through the jets.

The same can occur with sink faucets around the house so this simple descaling hack can be done in the bathroom, kitchen, laundry… and even with your outdoor faucets if you wish.

This should be part of your regular bathroom cleaning schedule to ensure your fittings stay in excellent condition for longer!

Shower head with calcium build up and limescale
BEFORE – You can see the build up and limescale around the water jets

Reducing Chemicals At Home

The typical household is so full of chemicals and various cleaning products, therefore it was little wonder that many of us are seeking more natural cleaning alternatives in our home.

Thankfully, there are 2 ingredients most of us have in our kitchen that are powerful cleaning tools when combined – vinegar and baking soda.

We use them to clean our microwave, and they also work wonders on unclogging a blocked showerhead too! They can also be used to deep clean most other appliances around your home, or as a non-toxic drain cleaner too.

Baking soda and vinegar for cleaning

What You Will Need For This Shower Head Cleaning Hack

A solution to a clogged shower head is to create a natural showerhead descaler and shower head soak using those same amazing household products you already likely have.

  • 1/3 cup of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  • 1 cup of white vinegar
  • A small plastic bag such as a zip lock or freezer bag
  • An elastic band
Clean shower head

How To Clean A Shower Head

STEP ONE – Add the baking soda to the ziplock bag. Then pour in the vinegar. It will instantly react and start fizzing when the two ingredients combine.

STEP TWO – Cover your shower head or faucet with the bag so they are submerged in the solution. Do this as quickly as possible after adding the vinegar so the showerhead gets the full benefit of the reaction.

Cover shower head with ziplock bag

STEP THREE – Keep the bag in place over the showerhead or facet with a rubber band (or make do with a hairband if you cannot find one) and leave it in place for several hours to work the magic. You can leave it overnight if you wish.

How to unclog shower head with vinegar and bicarb

STEP FOUR – Remove the ziplock bag and cleaning solution from your shower head and scrub with a scrubbing brush or an old toothbrush to remove any remaining calcium and buildup. Run the hot water for a minute to rinse away the solution.

How to clean a shower head
AFTER – You can still see some limescale remaining which can be scrubbed off

If you are using this simple descaler method to clean your faucets around the house, follow the above steps, securing the zip lock bag around the tap instead.

This natural cleaning solution for your home uses 2 key ingredients from your kitchen… bicarb and vinegar, which means no nasty chemicals are needed.

Not only is this shower cleaning hack a non-toxic alternative for removing limescale build up, but it is also very thrifty!


Free homemaking printables

Here are more cleaning tips to save you time:


For further bathroom tips and hints, grab the free printable bathroom declutter checklist and cleaning schedule to help you in your journey to a cleaner, more simplified home.

Clean shower head

How To Clean A Shower Head

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Learn how to clean a showerhead using this simple trick with non-toxic ingredients you already have in your home.

Materials

  • 1/3 cup of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  • 1 cup of white vinegar
  • A zip lock bag
  • An elastic band

Instructions

  1. Add the baking soda to the ziplock bag. Then pour in vinegar. It will instantly start fizzing.
  2. Cover your shower head with the bag so they are submerged in the solution. Do this as quickly as possible after adding the vinegar.
  3. Secure the bag over the showerhead with an elastic band and leave it in place for at least 3 hours or overnight.
  4. Remove the ziplock bag from your shower head and scrub with a scrubbing brush or an old toothbrush to remove any remaining calcium and build up.
  5. Run the hot water for a minute to rinse away the solution.

Did you try this project?

Leave a comment below and share a photo tagging me at @simplifycreateinspire

What are your bathroom super clean tricks and hints?

Suhana Morgan

Saturday 15th of September 2018

Helpful Information. I appreciate your hard work. It will be helpful for every housekeeper. What is your opinion about the new mainstream vinegar and daybreak dish cleanser as a tub/shower cleaner? How do you feel about the new popular vinegar and dawn dish soap as a tub/shower cleaner? Is that safe to use?

William Johnson

Sunday 8th of July 2018

Great ideas for cleaning the shower faucet. Thanks for sharing such an excellent idea for cleaning shower faucet.

Thomas Madinson

Monday 25th of June 2018

What an incredible tip for cleaning these things! My shower head is continually getting loaded with Iron and lime as my water source is from a well. I will need to attempt this invention out; it's additionally extraordinary that it's all characteristic. You seem as though you have had some great outcomes with it.

Filip

Monday 30th of April 2018

I have to admit, adding baking soda does the trick. I used to do it just with vinegar before. Great advice !

Jessica @ HomeAddons

Friday 18th of August 2017

Hey Holly,

What a great tip for cleaning these things! My shower head is always getting filled with Iron and lime as my water source is from a well.

I am going to have to try this concoction out, it's also great that it's all natural. You look like you have had some really good results with it.

Thanks for sharing your secret recipe!

Jessica

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