Shower heads are notoriously hard to clean. All the little holes can easily become clogged up with limescale, soap scum and other unwanted residue, leaving you with a shower head that's not working to the best of its ability.
You'll notice the stream from your shower isn't as powerful, or it might even be flying off in all sorts of directions. And that should be your warning sign that you need to clean it, but you might be thinking you don't know how.
Luckily, I came across a clever hack on TikTok that seems to have the answer.
@creative_explained ♬ original sound - creative explained
Thanks to @creative_explained, who boasts almost seven million followers, it seems that something most of us have in our homes already can clean your shower head up nicely.
And I came across this interesting hands-free hack amongst some of his top spring cleaning tips.
He says the best way to descale your shower head is by pouring vinegar into a ziplock bag, then tying it around the shower head and leaving it to soak for an hour. Plus, he also explains that you can use the same technique on your sink faucets.
Of course, if your shower head is detachable, this task will be a lot easier, by allowing you to soak it in the bag without having to tie it round. But fortunately, while a lot of shower heads aren't detachable, you can still use this hack.
I wanted to try it immediately, but I also wanted to ask a professional before I potentially made a mistake. Luckily, my husband is a plumber and here's what he had to say about it.
When I asked him if it's a good idea, he said: "It's an effective way to descale as the vinegar is acidic. The only concern would be the smell, but if you rinse off the shower head afterwards it should be fine.
"It also has to be white vinegar, as balsamic or malt vinegar wouldn't work as effectively and might stain."
Is this TikTok hack safe?
Before trying it out though, I wanted to ask him if it's safe. To which he replied: "Yes, but just so you're not having to call out a plumber, when you remove the head from the hose, make sure you keep the rubber washer and put it back when you put it back together. It'll leak otherwise."
He advised: "Always check the manufacturer's instructions though to establish cleaning procedure and the materials used."
So, it's not a bad idea after all. And, if you want it to be particularly effective, it's recommended you repeat this process around once a month, or more frequently if your area is prone to hard water.
Leaving limescale untreated could cause you a much larger problem that could end in you buying a new shower head altogether. Of course, for more stubborn limescale problems, there's specialist limescale removers that can be bought.
One final handy tip for this vinegar trick though is to use a toothbrush to dislodge any stubborn limescale or residue afterwards to make sure you're getting the best clean. Of course, just don't then use the toothbrush for your teeth!
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