Jacob Every day, the average person takes a shower. And in this lifetime of daily showers, it’s safe to say that most people don’t give much thought to the condition of their showerhead. Maybe they notice it starts to get slower, or maybe they just stop noticing it altogether and eventually realize that the water is turning increasingly brown as dirt, minerals, and rust are constantly building up inside the head’s grates.
Filthy Showerhead in 5 Easy Steps
1. Remove the Showerhead
Every showerhead will have a different method of removal, but it’s typically pretty easy. Some models have a plastic or metal ring that unscrews from the head, while others may require you to remove the handle or simply stick your hand behind the head and give it a pull. The important thing is to examine where your showerhead is attached and use that information to determine how it should be removed.
2. Soak It in Vinegar
For the vinegar solution to be effective, it needs to be left for at least two hours—and preferably overnight— per the instructions on this website. I’ve seen some people say that leaving it in longer won’t hurt, but I’ve also seen others who said that leaving it in for too long can weaken the metal. If you’re not comfortable trying this outside of an overnight soak, then you should probably just forget about it altogether.
3. Rinse and Rinse and Rinse
Once the vinegar has been in your showerhead for a while, it’s time to remove the gross stuff that has built up inside of your showerhead. You could go by the advice of the folks at the site I linked to above, but to be honest with you, I’m not sure that they’re right. In my personal experience, I’ve found that rinsing a dirty shower head with plain water will often help get rid of whatever was left behind.
4. Buy a New Head
Finally, if you want to replace your showerhead entirely, you can buy one for about $10-$15. Make sure that it’s a glass shower head and not made out of some other material that doesn’t have drain holes in it. The bad news is that there are often no instructions included with the head, so you’re kind of on your own to figure out how to install it correctly.
5. Clean the Shower Head
Once you’ve got the new shower head installed, it’s time to clean it. Put some warm soapy water into the shower head and let it sit there for a few minutes to get everything loosened up. Then, you can give it a rinse with hot water and dry it off.
Conclusion
If you have a dirty shower head, then you should try these simple steps to give it a good cleaning. If that doesn’t do the trick, then you can replace it with a new one. Either way, you’ll probably enjoy your daily shower much more if your shower head is clean.
