Cleaning the shower head in four simple steps
To descale the shower head thoroughly, you need to unscrew it and ideally take it apart. This only takes a few simple steps:
Step 1:
You can usually unscrew the shower head from the hose by hand, or you can use water pump pliers, which make it effortless.
Step 2:
For effective cleaning, if possible, remove the spray plate from the shower head and soak it in a descaling solution. Alternatively, you can descale the whole shower head.
Step 3:
To remove the spray plate, take a screwdriver and loosen the corresponding screw on the shower head, which is often located under a cover.
Step 4:
Once the spray plate has been removed, rinse off the worst of the dirt under clean water.
Everyday household remedies that help
Chemical descalers from specialist shops of course do their job. However, if you would rather avoid chemicals and prefer an environmentally friendly and cheaper option, you can descale your shower head with the following household remedies:
Descaling a shower head with citric acid
With citric acid, you can descale your shower head in a short time. Put a teaspoon of citric acid into a cleaning bucket or bowl and mix the acid with warm water. Now place the spray plate or the shower head in the solution and leave the citric acid to work on the limescale for about 30 to 45 minutes.
Then rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water to remove any remaining limescale and dirt.
Cleaning a shower head with vinegar
Even if the pungent smell is not to everyone's taste, vinegar is a tried and tested household remedy for limescale stains in the kitchen and bathroom. To avoid damaging the seals, only clean the spray plate when using vinegar. Ordinary vinegar or highly acidic vinegar essence are both suitable for descaling the shower head.
Pour the vinegar into a bucket and top it up with water until the spray plate is completely covered. Ideally, put the container outside or cover it to reduce the strong smell. Depending on the acidity of the vinegar, it may take several hours for all the limescale deposits to dissolve. Afterwards, rinse the spray plate thoroughly again.
Cleaning a shower head with baking powder
You can achieve an equally good result, and a brilliant shine into the bargain, with baking powder. Mix a sachet of baking powder with hot water and soak the shower head in it. In this case there is no need to remove the spray plate, as baking powder does not damage the chrome.
Leave the shower head in the baking powder mixture until the limescale has dissolved. Then rinse the shower head again thoroughly with clean water, after which you can polish it to a high shine straight away.
Lasting protection against limescale
In areas with very hard water, recurring limescale deposits are unavoidable. Nevertheless, you can counteract unsightly limescale stains by carefully wiping your shower cabin, and the shower head in particular, dry with a cloth after each use and removing all water residue from the surfaces. However, as water also collects inside the shower head and cannot be completely wiped away, descaling will be necessary from time to time. Whether you descale your shower head with citric acid, vinegar or baking powder is up to you; in every case, after successful cleaning you will be rewarded with a renewed feeling of comfort in the shower.
You can find more cleaning tips in our articles “Mould in the bathroom” and “Washing a shower curtain”.
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