How to Clean a Showerhead Using Basic Pantry Ingredients

Keep your showerhead flowing freely by removing mineral deposits like limescale.

Caitlin is the associate editorial director at Better Homes & Gardens. She is a writer and editor with more than a decade of experience with digital media, including SEO, photo and video production, print content, and custom sales content.

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If your showerhead is spraying every which way or not providing consistent water pressure, it's probably time for deep cleaning. Showerheads often spray unevenly because their tiny holes have been plugged with mineral deposits. For water to flow freely, you need to remove these deposits.

Understanding how to clean a showerhead is also good for your family's health. Wet environments like the one inside a showerhead are breeding grounds for bacteria. In fact, a recent study by the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences found that residential showerheads often contain abundant amounts of Mycobacterium (a genus of bacteria known to cause lung disease) growing in the slimy film that lives inside your shower nozzle.

Fortunately, you can descale your showerhead using a handful of household items. To learn how to clean a showerhead, follow one of our two expert-recommended methods. Both clean your showerhead overnight while you sleep, and one doesn't even require any tools!

ADAM ALBRIGHT

Before you start cleaning a showerhead, figure out just how bad the blockage is. If water is still coming out of the nozzle and most of the tiny holes appear to be clear, you probably won't need to remove the showerhead for deep cleaning. If the water flow is very restricted and the buildup seems severe, or if you tried cleaning the showerhead without removing it but are still having water pressure issues, you might need to remove the head from the shower arm.

If your showerhead has a chrome, stainless steel, or other protected metal surface, try cleaning your showerhead while it's still attached first. Tools can scratch those delicate finishes, so avoid using them if you can.

If you can't remove your showerhead or want to skip that step, here's how to clean a showerhead and remove surface mineral deposits using a little trick that requires nothing more than a rubber band, a plastic bag, and some vinegar.

First, slip a rubber band over the top of the showerhead. You might want to loop it around the shower arm once or twice so it's tight on the water pipe. Fill a plastic bag with distilled white vinegar. Attach the bag to the showerhead by slipping the top edge of the bag underneath the rubber band.

Wait one hour, then remove the bag and turn on the water to flush. Polish with a soft cloth.

If mineral deposits prove to be beyond the power of vinegar alone, you will need to remove the showerhead to do a more thorough cleaning.

To disconnect the showerhead, unscrew the nut at the shower arm. Take care not to damage the fixture's finish. Use a wrench rather than pliers. Cushion your tool with a rag while you work to avoid scratching.

Run a sharp blast of water through the showerhead by holding it upside down underneath a faucet. Your goal is to rinse loosened debris out through the opening that connects to the shower arm. If there are still mineral deposits, you can scrub the showerhead with an old toothbrush and vinegar to loosen debris.

If you're using any cleaner with strong fumes, be sure the space has proper ventilation. Everyone reacts differently to fumes, but it's best to open a window or turn on a ventilation fan whenever you're cleaning your shower.

Make sure to not use a hard-bristle brush if your showerhead has a chrome or protected metal finish. It might be susceptible to scratching and scuffing.

Use a toothpick or safety pin to poke out additional deposits. (If you have a showerhead with pliable plastic nubbins, you can likely manipulate them with your fingers to break calcium deposits loose.)

Immerse the showerhead completely in vinegar to dissolve the remaining limescale deposits. Make sure to not soak and clean your showerhead with bleach. In the CIRES showerhead study, researchers found that chlorine bleach increased the production of harmful bacteria in one of the showerheads studied. Plus, bleach can be caustic, so it's better to avoid it.

Instead, for extra cleaning power, scoop a few tablespoons of baking soda into the vinegar before soaking them. The natural abrasive will help release clogged passages. Rinse again.

First, wrap new plumbing tape around the threads of the shower arm to ensure a good seal. Reattach the showerhead to the shower arm using a wrench. Protect the fixture's finish with soft rags or towels while you're working.

To keep your water pressure steady and strong, plan to thoroughly clean your showerhead at least once a month. This will help prevent bacterial growth and calcium and lime deposits. Clean the surface of the showerhead with vinegar as part of your bathroom cleaning routine every week.

Because it’s acidic, prolonged exposure to vinegar can damage the finish of chrome, brass, or nickel showerheads. Don’t soak these finishes in vinegar for longer than recommended.

Calcium buildup on a showerhead will look like a white, crusty substance. This differs from how it looks on glass or ceramic, where it can leave spots and have a brown or off-white color.

Yes. Detach your showerhead and place it in the top rack of your dishwasher and run a regular or heavy cycle.

Gebert, Matthew J, et al. “Ecological Analyses of Mycobacteria in Showerhead Biofilms and Their Relevance to Human Health.” mBio, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 30 Oct. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6212831/.