How to clean a clogged showerhead

A showerhead clogs slowly. Every shower leaves a little mineral deposit inside the nozzles, and the holes gradually narrow until the spray is weak, uneven or spraying in odd directions. Some heads also trap grit from the water supply, and the ones with silicone nozzles can hold a film of soap. The fix is usually simple: remove the head, soak it in vinegar to dissolve the deposit, clear each hole, and put it back. The job takes about an hour, most of it waiting.

Check the finish before you start

Look at the finish on the head and the arm. Chrome and stainless steel finishes take a vinegar soak well. Brass, bronze and some lacquered or specialist finishes can be dulled by acid, and the damage often shows up as a patch that looks different from the rest of the head. If the head is one of those finishes, use a shorter soak, or clean it with a soft cloth and a little warm water and dish soap, and clear the nozzles by hand.

Check the maker’s care sheet if you have it. If not, a test in a hidden spot, such as the back of the head, will show you how the finish reacts.

What you need

• White vinegar
• A plastic bag large enough to cover the showerhead, or a bowl
• A cloth or a towel
• A soft brush, such as an old toothbrush
• A pin, a toothpick or a thin needle for the nozzles
• An adjustable wrench, with a cloth wrapped around the jaws
• Plumber’s thread tape, if the connection needs resealing

Removing the showerhead

Most showerheads unscrew by hand from the arm, anticlockwise. If it is stuck, wrap a cloth around the joint and turn it gently with an adjustable wrench, holding the arm still with your other hand. Do not use the wrench on bare metal, which can scratch the finish or crack a plastic head.

Hold the arm and unscrew the head slowly, watching for any rubber washer or flow restrictor that might come out with it. Keep the washer, and put it somewhere safe. If the head is a hand-held model on a hose, unhook the head from the bracket and disconnect the hose at both ends, but check the manual first, because some hoses are fitted with a special connection.

Soaking in vinegar

1. Pour enough white vinegar into the plastic bag or the bowl to cover the nozzles. For a fixed head, you can fill the bag, tie it around the head with the nozzles submerged, and secure it with a rubber band or string.
2. Leave the head to soak for one hour. For lighter deposit, thirty minutes is enough. Do not leave a head to soak overnight, and check the finish after the soak.
3. Remove the head from the vinegar and rinse it under running water.

The vinegar dissolves the mineral layer inside the nozzles. The longer the soak, the more it dissolves, but a long soak is also harder on finishes, so stick to the times above.

Clearing the nozzles

Vinegar loosens the deposit, but the holes usually still need clearing by hand.

1. Scrub the face of the head with the soft brush to remove any loose deposit from the surface.
2. Work through each nozzle with the pin or the toothpick. Push gently into the hole to break up the residue, then flush it out with running water. Do not force the pin, because it can enlarge a hole or bend the pin.
3. Hold a finger over the back of the head and check the spray. Each nozzle should produce a clean jet. Clear any that still look blocked or weak.
4. Rinse the head thoroughly. Shake it to remove water from the nozzles, and wipe the outside with a cloth.

If the head has rubber nozzles, which many modern heads do, run your thumb over the face to feel for lumps of deposit and clean the gaps between the nozzles. Rubber nozzles can be cleaned in the same way, but do not use a sharp tool on them.

Hand-held heads and their hoses

A hand-held shower is cleaned in the same way as a fixed head, but the hose adds a few steps. Hoses fill with the same mineral deposit as the head, and they can become stiff, kinked or leaky when the deposit builds up inside them.

1. Detach the hand-held head from the hose, and clean it as described above. Clear the nozzles and rinse the back of the head, where the swivel joint sits.
2. Check the swivel joint at the base of the head. It should turn freely. If it is stiff, soak it in vinegar, and work the joint gently under running water until it moves easily.
3. Clean the hose by soaking it in a bag of vinegar, or by running vinegar through it with a funnel if the hose is detachable at both ends. Leave it for thirty minutes, then flush it thoroughly with clean water. Do not soak a braided hose for long, because the vinegar can weaken the binding over time.
4. Look along the hose for kinks, cracks, bulges and soft spots. A bulge or a leak at a joint means the hose should be replaced, because it can fail under pressure. Replacement hoses are inexpensive, and they fit most standard holders.
5. Check the bracket where the head sits. Clean any deposit from the holder so the head sits securely and the hose does not rub against an edge.

A hose that is kept clean lasts years longer than one that is neglected, and a stiff, kinked hose is often the reason a hand-held shower feels weak.

Refitting the head

Before you screw the head back on, check the threads on both the head and the arm. Wipe them clean, then wrap plumber’s thread tape clockwise around the male thread, three or four times, so it seals the joint and does not unwind when you tighten the head. Refit the washer if you removed one, and tighten the head by hand until it is snug. Give it a gentle extra turn with the cloth-wrapped wrench, no more, to avoid cracking the plastic or damaging the finish.

Run the water for a minute, check the joint for leaks, and watch the spray. A joint that drips needs a little more tape or a tighter fit, not a harder twist.

When the pressure is still low

If the spray is still weak after the head is clean, look at the cause elsewhere before buying a new head. Check that the isolating valve under the bath or in the wall is fully open. Check that the flow restrictor, a small disc in the arm or the head, is not blocked, and clean it the same way as the nozzles. If the other faucets in the house also run weak, the problem may be in the supply or in a shared valve, and a plumber can check the pressure.

Low pressure in one shower only can also come from a partly blocked pipe or a valve that needs replacing. A plumber will find these faults with a pressure gauge, and cleaning cannot fix them.

Preventing blockages

• Clean the head every few months if you have hard water, and every six months if the water is soft.
• Wipe the head dry after each shower, which slows the build-up of deposit.
• Consider a water softener, or a filter head, if the water in your area is very hard and the deposits return quickly.
• Check the face of the head for grit after work on the water supply, such as a new meter or a repair, because that debris can block the nozzles.

When to replace the head

Replace the head rather than repeat the clean if the body is cracked, the joint leaks even after resealing, the finish is flaking so that metal shows through, or the nozzles stay blocked after a thorough soak and clear. A new head is inexpensive, and it is often the quickest way to get a strong, even spray back.