Clean the shower head - these home remedies help with descaling

Often, deposits form on the shower head that look ugly, but also reduce water pressure. Most of the holes are clogged and others half clogged so that the water splatters on all sides. So showering is not fun anymore. A shower head should be cleaned at intervals. The more calcareous the water is, the more often this has to be done.

With regular cleaning, the lime usually dissolves quickly and easily. It does not matter what the showerhead is made of, limescale adheres to chrome, plastic, rubber and other materials. Fortunately, cleaning is not difficult. Here are some tips on how to easily clean the shower head. It is recommended to wear disposable gloves, as some remedies are quite sharp and should not touch the skin.

Tip: Plastic jets are the easiest to clean. For chrome parts you have to be more careful and not choose so aggressive means.

Release shower head

It is best to separate the shower head from the hose so that it is easier to clean. In general, this is also easy. You turn off in easy. Now and then he sits too tight to turn it off, then a water pump pliers can be used. Much effort is rarely needed.

In modern showers, the shower comes directly from the ceiling or the wall. But usually it can also be easily unscrewed, not from the hose, but from the next pipe.

Disassemble shower head

To make it easier to clean the shower head, it makes sense to disassemble it as far as possible. Most of the heads are easy to peel off the cover. Below her is a screw hidden, mostly in the middle. This can be easily solved with a screwdriver. Underneath sits a perforated disc which is lifted off.

Clean perforated disc

First, the perforated disc is rinsed under running water, so that the loose dirt is washed away. Only the more stubborn surface remains. The easiest way is to place the disc in a suitably large container and to add it to the decalcifying, so much so that the disc is covered with it. The disc remains in the fluid until the pads have dissolved. Usually, ready mixed descalers from the trade are used. As an alternative, vinegar and vinegar essence are recommended.

If not all deposits have dissolved in the small holes, an old toothbrush can help. Immerse them in the decalcifier and use them to brush the baked lime from inside the shower head. Also the rest of the shower head is treated like this.

Important: Do not clean chrome parts with descaler, they are too hot.

Descale shower head with vinegar

Vinegar is a popular home remedy. It can be used to clean the shower head. He is significantly cheaper than the chemical agents and also much more environmentally friendly. The same procedure as described above. The shower head is detached from the hose and disassembled. The disc is placed in a vessel and covered with vinegar instead of descaler. It must be completely in the liquid. It takes a while for the calcifications to dissolve, as long as you leave the vessel, but best covered, because vinegar has a sharp smell. It depends on the degree of calcification how long it takes for the encrustations to separate from the disc. You may have to wait a few hours. At the end, the disc only needs to be rinsed off with clean water. Then everything is reassembled and mounted. Vinegar essence is more acidic and acts faster, but is also much more aggressive.

Alternative cleaner for the shower head

• Citric acid - is used as well as Enkalker or vinegar.
• Baking soda is ideal for anyone who does not want to disassemble the shower head. The powder is not that aggressive and does not attack chrome. You just unscrew the shower head. Put the baking powder in a bowl and fill it with water. The powder must dissolve. Then insert the shower head in such a way that all calcified areas are covered with liquid. Again, you have to wait until the deposits have dissolved. At the end, clean the shower head under running water and screw it on again.
• Denture Cleaner - works like baking soda. Again, the shower head does not need to be disassembled.
• Soda - is not suitable, although this is often stated by mistake.

Clean the pipeline filter

Mostly not only the shower head calcified, but also the small pipe filter, which is inserted between shower head and hose. It is a small wire attachment that is placed on the pipe before the shower head is screwed on. Deposits on this part reduce the water pressure. This filter can usually be easily removed. It is simply rinsed off and reinstalled. If the filter is heavily encrusted, it must also be treated with the cleaner.

Conclusion

Lime deposits are caused by water residues. They can be avoided as far as possible if the shower is wiped dry after each use. Since this rarely happens in practice, it should be decalcified regularly, approximately every three months. It is best if the showerhead can be removed and disassembled. Put them in a suitable detergent. Decalcifier, vinegar essence, vinegar and citric acid are ideal for all plastic parts. For chrome baking soda is recommended, it does not attack the material. It is important to rinse all parts with clear water after treatment. The more regularly the cleaning is carried out, the shorter the soaking times and the less aggressive the means must be used.