We take showers every single day. Sometimes we use it more than once a day, like twice or three times. You might not even be aware of how many times a day your showers are used, depending on the size of your household.
Let’s acknowledge that there is a subset of people who prefer to feel clean all the time. And keeping things clean is in no way undesirable. The argument being made here is that mineral deposits increase with the number of showers taken. So, how to unclog shower heads in the proper way?
Table of Contents
Why Is Shower Head Clogged?
Your shower head clogging can occur for a few different reasons. Salt buildup and other mineral deposits resulting from hard water are frequently the main causes. These are also referred to as hard water stains on your shower’s walls and floors. As these minerals accumulate, they may solidify and create a blockage in the shower head nozzles, causing them to clog over time.
Mold and mildew are another culprits behind clogged shower heads. Spores of mold and mildew thrive in moist environments and consume organic materials, soap scum, and even minerals from hard water stains. As the mold would have penetrated the entire shower pipe as well, it might be challenging to remove mold after it gets into your shower head.
Soap scum is most likely to blame for your shower head’s clog if you’ve been cleaning it with soap. In reality, soap leaves behind a substance called soap scum that can congeal and clog nozzles, faucets, and drains. Shower walls can also look matte and musty when they are covered in soap scum.
For whatever reason, it is frequently challenging to clean a clogged shower head using the conventional methods of scrubbing with soap and water. With the typical brushes, it is challenging to thoroughly clean your shower head due to the small nozzles.
What Is The Price Of A New Showerhead?
The cost of replacing a showerhead is generally no more than $300, with about $100 of that going to labor. More difficult plumbing issues can cost more, depending on the specifics of the issue. You could pay anywhere from $75 for a basic twist-on showerhead replacement to more than $4,000 if you need to replace or reroute plumbing to stop the drips that cause clogs. The latter isn’t typical, and the average cost to replace a clogged showerhead is usually around $330.
In general, expect to pay $45 to $200 per hour, though a professional plumber will conduct a consultation and provide you with a more accurate quote.
Materials & Tools
Before you clean your showerhead, you’ll need to create a powerful cleaning solution using:
- Three parts vinegar
- One part baking soda
Due to its acidic nature, vinegar works incredibly well at cutting through grime. Due to its fundamental pH balance, which neutralizes the acid from the vinegar, baking soda is also crucial for cleaning showerheads. You’ll also need:
- A plastic bag
- A large bowl for mixing
- Rubber bands
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Ways To Unclog A Showerhead On The Wall
Make Cleaning Solution
Mix your cleaning solution (one-part baking soda for every three parts vinegar) in the large mixing bowl. If you want to completely submerge your showerhead, you’ll need enough to fill a plastic bag. As an illustration, you could add 1/4 cup baking soda and 3/4 cup vinegar. As soon as you’re done, transfer the mixture into a plastic bag.
Tie The Bag To Your Showerhead
To fully immerse the showerhead in the cleaning solution, wrap the bag around it. The bag should be fastened to the pipe where the showerhead is attached using a rubber band.
Let Your Showerhead Soak In The Bag
Give your showerhead at least one hour’s worth of soak time, ideally overnight. Once the bag has soaked, take it out and turn on the shower for a few minutes until the entire solution has been washed from the nozzle.
Ways To Prevent Your Shower Head from Clogging
There isn’t much you can do to prevent a clogged shower head if your pipes are filled with hard water. Installing a water softener is one option, but doing so may require some extra cash for the appliance as well as ongoing maintenance costs. Professional installation costs apply because they must connect the device to your main water line.
To prevent soap scum and hard water stains, you can also spritz your entire shower area—including your shower head—with a mixture of half-vinegar, half-water. The buildup can be removed using this technique, which will also help to prevent clogs in the drainage holes and shower head nozzles.
What Happens If You Can’t Remove the Shower Head?
There are times when removing a shower head is impossible or risky due to safety concerns. In that case, what you can do is the following:
Locate a plastic bag that can fit over your shower head.
In the bag, combine one cup of white vinegar and one-third cup of baking soda. Vinegar bubbles as a result of baking soda’s reaction with it. Since that is the case, carry out this action on a sink.
Using a rubber band, fasten the bag to your showerhead. Make sure the bag is completely enclosing the showerhead. Since vinegar is acidic, it reacts with the sodium bicarbonate in baking soda. Carbonic acid, a powerful degreaser, is the end result.
Overnight, leave the bag hanging from the showerhead.
Once the solution has been removed from the showerhead, remove the bag and rinse it with water. Check everything is functioning properly by running the water.
Conclusion
You see, calcium and other mineral ions are present in water. These deposits eventually clog up your showerheads after frequent use. You know your shower head is clogged when you start noticing that the stream of water isn’t as strong as it used to be. Although the accumulation of minerals on your shower head isn’t always harmful, it does affect the way the water flows.
Now, clearing clogged showerheads doesn’t take a lot of effort on your part. One of the easiest clogs to clear is a clogged shower head. That being said, it might be a while before your efforts pay off. Any of the following techniques can be used to unclog showerheads.
