Quick answer
Unscrew the shower head, soak it in warm white vinegar or in water with citric acid for one or two hours, scrub the holes with an old toothbrush, clear the stubborn ones with a needle and rinse with water. If you cannot take it off, tie a bag of vinegar around it. Never mix vinegar with bleach and do not leave acid for long on black or gold finishes.
What you need
- Thick cloth to protect the finish
- Adjustable spanner or pliers (only if it will not come off by hand)
- Old toothbrush
- Needle, pin or toothpick
- Container big enough for the shower head
- Gloves
- White kitchen vinegar (Mercadona, Dia, Carrefour)
- Citric acid powder (supermarkets, droguería (drugstore) or Leroy Merlin)
- Descaling gel such as Viakal, for chrome finishes only
- New PTFE tape or a rubber washer if yours has gone hard
- Plastic bag and rubber band, to clean without removing it
- Microfibre cloth
Step by step
- 1
Check the type of shower head and its finish
Check whether it is plastic, chrome, stainless steel or a matt black, gold or copper finish. The material decides how long it can sit in acid. Also see whether it has silicone nozzles: those are cleaned by rubbing with a finger, no brush.
- 2
Unscrew the shower head
Turn off the water at the tap, wrap the thread in a cloth and turn anticlockwise. It almost always comes off by hand. If it is stubborn, use an adjustable spanner over the cloth so you do not mark the chrome, and do not force the hose.
- 3
Remove the filter or flow restrictor
At the inlet of the shower head there is a small mesh or disc that catches sand and limescale. Take it out with a thin screwdriver and clean it with the brush. If it is broken, it is the culprit behind many weak sprays.
- 4
Prepare the solution
Warm white vinegar to around 40-50 °C, without boiling. Another option is to dissolve two tablespoons of citric acid in a litre of warm water. Both work on limescale. Use only one of them, and never mix them with bleach.
- 5
Soak the shower head
Leave the shower head completely covered for an hour if it is plastic or chrome, and for 20-30 minutes at most if it has a matt black, gold or copper finish, which acid attacks. After that time, the white limescale comes away easily.
- 6
Scrub the holes
With the old toothbrush, scrub the face of the shower head in circles. For holes that are still blocked, pass a needle through without widening the hole. On rainfall heads with a plate, go over the edge too.
- 7
Clean the inside and rinse
Run water through the back to flush out the debris. If the shower head has an internal filter, put it back. Dry with a microfibre cloth so it does not leave marks.
- 8
Clean the hose and the thread
Wipe the thread and the hose washer with a cloth soaked in vinegar. If the washer is hard or cracked, replace it. It is a washer that costs a few cents and prevents drips at the joint.
- 9
Refit it
Put two turns of PTFE tape on the thread if the shower head has no washer, screw on by hand and give it a quarter turn more with the cloth. Do not tighten with a spanner: the plastic thread splits.
- 10
Check the spray
Turn the water on for a few seconds to expel any limescale. Check that the jets come out straight and even; if one is still blocked, repeat the clean on that area. Rinse the floor in case any lumps have dropped.
Why a shower head blocks and which product to use
A shower head blocks for three reasons. The first and most common is limescale: the drops that stay in the holes evaporate and leave calcium carbonate, which builds up layer by layer. The second is soap and body oils, which form a sticky film where limescale takes hold. The third is particles from the pipework (rust, sand) that collect in the inlet filter.
The product should match the dirt. Limescale dissolves in a mild acid, such as vinegar or citric acid. Soap is flushed away with hot water and a squirt of washing-up liquid. Particles are removed with the brush. And if there is mould or black mould on a shower head that is rarely used, treat it separately, with diluted bleach and never together with any acid.
| Dirt | Product | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| White limescale in the holes | Warm white vinegar | 1 hour | The cheapest and safest on chrome and plastic |
| Very hard limescale | Citric acid (2 tablespoons per litre) | 1-2 hours | Stronger than vinegar |
| Soap film | Hot water and washing-up liquid | 15 minutes | Scrub with a brush |
| Matt black, gold or copper finish | Diluted citric acid | 20-30 minutes maximum | Long acid contact stains the finish |
| Mould or black marks | Diluted bleach (1 part to 10) | 10 minutes, then rinse | Never with vinegar or descaler |
| Particles in the filter | Brush and water | 5 minutes | Replace the filter if it is broken |
How to clean a shower head without taking it off
When the shower head is fixed, a rainfall type or wall-mounted and you do not want to take it off, you can still clean it. Fill a plastic bag with white vinegar, lift it until the face of the shower head is submerged and tie it to the arm with a rubber band. Leave it for an hour overnight on chrome and half an hour on delicate finishes. In the morning, remove the bag, scrub with a brush and run the water.
On large rainfall heads (20-30 cm), the holes are usually rubber or silicone nozzles, and they are cleaned simply by rubbing with a finger: the limescale comes off like a flaky crust. If the shower head has become stuck with limescale, apply hot vinegar to the thread, wait ten minutes and try again without forcing.
Common mistakes when cleaning a shower head
- Mixing vinegar with bleach or with descaler. Irritating fumes are released. If you use one product, rinse well before applying another and ventilate the bathroom.
- Leaving acid for hours on a black, gold or copper finish. It loses its colour. For those finishes, less time and more dilution.
- Using thick wire or a steel point. It enlarges the holes and the spray comes out crooked.
- Scraping the chrome with a green scouring pad. It leaves marks that stay for ever.
- Tightening with a spanner without protection. The plastic thread of the shower head breaks or the chrome gets scratched.
- Leaving the shower head uncleaned for months and hoping it fixes itself. The more limescale, the longer it takes.
When to call a plumber
If after cleaning the spray is still weak or veers off, the problem is no longer the shower head. It could be a hose with limescale inside, a blocked inlet filter on the mixer, a stopcock left half closed or a worn mixer cartridge. If the drip comes from the mixer and not the shower head, see how to fix a thermostatic shower valve that drips or how to replace a shower tap.
At Manitas Costa, fixing a dripping tap costs €40-70 and replacing it €45-80 labour. If what you need is to replace the shower head, the hose and the holder or to check several things in a bathroom, we do it by the hour: €35-45 for the first hour and €28-35 for the following ones, at a fixed price before we start.
More information in plumber in Valencia and Alicante and in plumber prices. If you are in the Vega Baja area, a plumber in Torrevieja arrives in 20-45 minutes.
Limescale and salt air: how often to clean a shower head on the coast
In Alicante, Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa and Elche, with very hard water, a shower head clogs in two or three months. A quick clean every six to eight weeks, with vinegar and a brush, stops the limescale hardening. In Valencia the water is somewhat less hard, and every three months is usually enough.
In second homes or holiday lets, run the hot water for a few minutes with the shower head removed before using it after weeks of being shut: water stagnating in the hose is neither pleasant nor advisable to shower in. And if you want to cut limescale in the whole bathroom, also see how to descale taps and how to clean limescale off a shower screen.
Frequently asked questions
How often should a shower head be cleaned?
In hard water areas such as Alicante, Torrevieja or Elche, every six to eight weeks. In Valencia, every three months is usually enough. If you notice a jet veering off or the pressure dropping, do not wait: the longer it goes, the harder the limescale becomes.
Does leaving it in vinegar overnight work?
On plastic or chrome shower heads, an hour is enough; overnight does not improve the result and can damage rubbers and washers. On matt black, gold or copper finishes, never more than 20-30 minutes, because the acid attacks the colour. Diluted citric acid is the safest option.
Can I use bleach to clean a shower head?
Only if there is mould or black marks, diluted and rinsed well. It is no use for limescale, which needs an acid to dissolve. And never mix bleach with vinegar, descaler or citric acid: they give off irritating gases. If you have used one of them, rinse well before applying the other.
Why is there little water even though the shower head is clean?
Check the inlet filter of the shower head, the hose (it can have limescale inside) and the filter on the mixer. Also check that the stopcocks are fully open. If the problem persists on every tap in the home, it may be the building's water pressure and not a fault in your bathroom.
When is it worth replacing the shower head instead of cleaning it?
When the body is cracked, the threads are broken or the holes have lost their shape after years of limescale. A new shower head costs little and fits in five minutes. Choose one with silicone nozzles: they are cleaned by rubbing with a finger and slow down the build-up.