Water is not always perfectly clean, even if it comes from a well. It contains metal compounds that eventually settle on the surface of the shower head, the smallest grains of sand and pebbles that cannot pass through the holes in the shower head. All this forms a plaque.
Immediately, pollution is not noticeable, but gradually the water begins to flow more slowly or stops flowing at all. The jets change their direction and spray in all directions. Then many owners wonder how to clean the shower head and how to do it as safe as possible for plumbing.
Types of pollution
The most common reason why shower heads fail is limescale. It, unfortunately, affects even the most modern and expensive shower heads, which are not always easy to clean. Small particles gradually accumulate around the holes, over time, the trickles change their trajectory or stop functioning altogether.
No less popular is the problem of scale formation. If you often use hot water, then you simply cannot avoid this. Scale affects any material. But there is good news - scale is easily removed from any surface.
How to clean
As a rule, manufacturers indicate information on cleaning and prevention on the packaging. But this is not always convenient. Firstly, the funds may not be in the store or the price of such cleaners is too high. Therefore, folk remedies come to the rescue, which have been tested for years.
Everyone has grandparents who have experienced limescale at least once in their lives. It is worth asking how they could clean the shower head from limescale. And the most popular remedies are vinegar, soda and citric acid. See below for how to clean your shower head with these products.
Vinegar
The easiest way to remove any dirt, whether it be scale or limescale, is vinegar. The recipe is simple: pour vinegar diluted with water in a ratio of 4: 1 into a container and immerse a clogged watering can there. It is important to leave the shower head in the solution for at least 6 hours.
Very often you can hear a life hack that will help reduce time. The advice is that the solution must be boiled. This is not the best advice, because when heated, vinegar can corrode the outer coating of the shower head and damage other parts of it.
Vinegar and soda
Folk remedies are not limited tousing vinegar. A recipe proven over the years for cleaning limescale from any surface involves the use of soda and vinegar. Due to the fact that soda reacts with vinegar, the limescale breaks down into small particles and is simply washed off with water. This is the easiest and most indispensable recipe for a quick shower head cleaning at home.
You need to mix half a glass of soda with a glass of vinegar. In the very first seconds, you can see how the composition begins to foam. In this solution, it is worth lowering the shower head for 2-3 hours. This time is enough to destroy the limescale. To make the result faster, you can lower the watering can into a container with soda, and only then pour in the vinegar.
Citric acid
This Grandmother's tool is perfect for removing limescale marks. Moreover, it is able to cope even with severe pollution. Citric acid should be used with hot water. For the shower head cleaning procedure, half a bag will suffice. The exposure time of the solution is 20-25 minutes. After you remove the watering can from the solution, you need to brush through all the parts and details. After that, everything should be rinsed well with cool water, and allowed to dry thoroughly.
Another little life hack that you can hear from friends or acquaintances is to use a plastic bag to clean the watering can in the shower. The method is very funny. Its essence is that the watering can will not need to be immersed in a container with a solution, it will be replaced by a bag that is put onright on the watering can. The solution inside acts on the entire area of the shower head. It is important to carefully secure the package so that it does not fall. This method can be used not only for citric acid, but also for other solutions.
How to disassemble the shower head
Shower head cleaner recipes are good. You can clean a clogged shower head without disassembling it. But if you keep your watering can in good condition and regularly clean it, you may not need to disassemble it. In exceptional cases, it is still necessary to disassemble. It is worth disassembling very carefully, since the parts are made of plastic.
For disassembly you will need:
- screwdriver, plain or Phillips;
- pliers;
- adjustable wrench;
Before you start disassembling the watering can itself, you need to disconnect it from the hose. To do this, use a wrench. Next, you need to remove the splitter of the jet. In most modern models, it is fastened with a self-tapping screw or bolt. Unscrew it carefully counterclockwise. At this stage, the disassembly process can be considered complete, then just carefully disconnect all the parts from each other.
Prevention
Of course, the degree of clogging and its frequency depends on the material from which the watering can is made, as well as how prevention is carried out. Most often, accessories made of cheap materials are exposed to strong limescale. In this case, the responsibility of the manufacturer plays a major role.
But no one can guarantee that limescale will not appear at all. In order toto minimize the risk of plaque, it is worth regularly prophylaxis.
Citric acid will do just fine with this task. This tool is from the category of "cheap and cheerful". With this product, you can also clean the top shower head.
It would also be nice to get a tool that will help clean the watering can in the shower. Most often, these are soft creamy formulations that contain abrasive particles that are absolutely safe for all parts of the shower head.
Whatever model of shower head you choose, remember that cheap materials are not capable of long-term operation even with careful care and prevention. It is worth purchasing goods from responsible and well-known manufacturers. This will help you save not only money, but also nerve cells.
