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How to Clean a Shower Head

When people think of cleaning their bathroom, the overhead shower head doesn’t usually come to mind. We all dedicate a lot of time to cleaning our toilets, showers and baths but sometimes we forget or neglect other essential areas that without maintenance can turn into hotbeds for teaming mould, mildew and microbes. Read our blog to find out why and how to clean a shower head:

How to Clean a Shower Head:

Why do We Need to Clean our Shower Heads?

Most of us neglect cleaning the shower head because we don’t understand or consider how it could get dirty and why it really needs to be cleaned. Perhaps because we use the shower head to clean ourselves, we find it easy to forget that the shower head doesn’t automatically clean itself too! You should clean your shower head frequently because it is the ideal place for a whole host of nasties to lurk. These nasties can compromise our health, as well as the functionality of our fixtures.

Research has shown that a third of shower heads are rife with potentially harmful bacteria’s that can make us physically ill. This is especially true for those whose immune systems are depressed or compromised, such as pregnant women and the elderly. The problem is that when our shower heads are mucky, germs can hide in the muck and conceal themselves from the chlorine designed to destroy them so we are literally showering in our own filth! The research presented by the National Academy of Science reveals that such microbes have been linked to lung disease, pneumonia and chest infections. If our shower heads can make us sick, it’s important we keep them clean!

How to Clean a Shower Head: A Quick Clean

Luckily, the threats presented by a dirty shower head are easily rectified. If your shower head looks clean, it still needs to be taken care of. Mixing a solution of warm water and vinegar, or using a specialised cleaner designed to tackle this pesky plight; you can use a brush to vigorously scrub the head. Turn the shower on so that the water will unleash any loosened bacteria and repeat this process until the water runs clean of incriminating evidence. This is good for a quick clean, but a thorough clean is always needed. After all, the worst culprits are not so easily dejected.

How to Clean a Shower Head: For a Thorough Clean

Some shower heads will look obviously abused, covered in a film or coating of build-up. If you are able to do so, you should remove the shower head and place it in a large bowl comprised of hot water and vinegar and allow it to soak. It’s important to keep the head mobile so that anything wedged in can become dislodged. You’ll really want to get into your shower head by any means necessary; brushes, cotton buds, an old toothbrush, to ensure you can remove as much dirt as possible. You can rinse it with some scalding hot water to kill off any surviving invaders and re-attach your shower head. How to Clean a Shower Head

If it is not possible to remove the shower head, there are other ways to work around this. You can apply your solution of vinegar and water to a plastic bag and place this around the shower head so that it is fully immersed. You’ll need to secure the bag around it with rubber bands or clips so that your shower head can benefit from the full experience. You’ll want to leave the shower head to soak for as long as possible so leaving it overnight, if possible, is best. Once time has passed, turn on your shower and let the hot water flow to flush out anything that remains.

It’s useful to do this as often as you can, once every couple of months should suffice, just to ensure everything is operating smoothly.