Clean your shower head with baking soda to remove accumulated residue and restore optimal water pressure. If you try to clean the shower head with soap and water, the results would be mixed. It can do a little bit of cleaning but not enough to make your shower head as good as new.
Here are Some Easy Methods to Clean Shower head With Baking Soda
A much better solution would involve you using baking soda during the cleaning process. If you don’t know how to use baking soda like this, we have a step-by-step guide that can make it easier for you.
1. Create a Cleaning Solution
There are three ingredients you should mix together for the cleaning solution;
- Baking Soda
- Vinegar
- Dishwashing Liquid
Mix together two tablespoons of baking soda in half a cup of vinegar. Then add a few drops of dishwashing liquid into the solution. About four drops should do. Make sure that you use the right proportions.
Too much baking soda can cause clumping in the solution. Improper proportions of vinegar and dishwashing soap can cause problems too. Avoid adding any water to the mixture. It would only make it less effective.
Water is not necessary at this stage of the cleaning process. Its use comes a bit later on during cleaning.
2. Detach Shower Head
Removing your shower head from the shower arm can help make it a lot easier to clean. It will allow the cleaning solution to reach every corner of the shower head.
To detach it, just unscrew it in a counterclockwise direction. Most shower heads don’t require a tool to be detached. Instead, they can be removed by hand. If your shower head doesn’t come out by hand, make sure you cover the shower arm with a rag before unscrewing. Otherwise, it might get scratched.
Alternatively, you can put the cleaning solution in a plastic bag and tie it around the shower head. This is useful if your shower head is difficult to remove. But bear in mind that this type of cleaning will not be as effective. Removing your shower head results in the most effective cleaning.
3. Dry Shower Head
Here we have a very important step. If your shower head is wet, the baking soda might clump up on it. This will be very difficult to remove. If you accidentally forget to dry the shower head, you can remove the baking soda clumps with vinegar.
But remember that it is always better to dry it beforehand. This also helps make the cleaning a lot more effective. This is a step that a lot of people forget. And that is why they might think that baking soda is not useful for cleaning shower heads.
4. Submerge Shower Head
You need to leave your shower head in the solution for a short period of time. This will help break down any dirt or residue. The cleaning solution is not strong enough to clean the shower head without soaking it first.
Also, residue from hard water is too tough to clean like this anyway. This is why you should submerge your shower head in the cleaning solution for at least half an hour. Leaving it for an hour will result in even better cleaning. Then, when you take the shower head out; all of the dirt will be ready to come off without much effort.
5. Scrub Shower Head
The baking soda soak will help loosen up all of the dirt from your shower head. But you would still need to scrub it to get it off. A soft bristled toothbrush will be perfect for this process. Just gently scrub all of the residue off and then rinse.
Use hot water for the rinse to disinfect the shower head. This will also get rid of any lingering vinegar smell. Another advantage of the rinse is that it will clean your shower head completely. Once this is done your shower head will look good as new.
BONUS TIPS – Avoid Hard Bristled Brushes and Bleach
You might think that a firm brush would work best for shower head cleaning. But you would be sorely mistaken. The solution breaks dirt down so well that a soft bristled brush would work just fine. If the bristles are too firm, they could scuff up your shower head.
Another thing to avoid is bleach. The chemicals are too harsh for the material that shower heads are made out of. Plus bleach is not a very effective liquid to use in this regard. Just stick to the cleaning solution that we have described above. It works really well and can make your shower head spotless.
Is it the faster way to clean a shower head with baking soda?
Most people need a fast way to clean a shower head. Because this will help them save time for other cleaning necessities. Yes, using baking soda to clean your shower head is the fastest solution.
In just an hour your shower head will look brand new. It’s much faster than a lot of other methods. And what’s more, is that it is really effective. You need to balance speed with efficacy after all. There’s no point in saving time if your shower head is still dirty when you’re done.
How do I remove the buildup from my shower head?
Unless you have distilled water running through your taps, there will be some buildup in your shower head. This buildup consists of the minerals and other hard materials that’s floating around in natural water.
You should soak your shower head in a solution of vinegar and baking soda to remove this buildup.
Adding some dishwashing soap can bring a pleasant fragrance to the shower head. It also makes the cleaning solution more effective. The combination of acidity from the vinegar and the alkalinity of the baking soda and dishwashing liquid is what results in optimal cleaning.
How to clean a shower head with baking powder?
Cleaning your shower head is really easy if you use baking powder. But you need to mix it into a liquid first. Otherwise, the powder will just stick to the shower head.
If you were using baking soda, you would need to mix it into an acidic liquid like vinegar or lemon juice. But with baking powder, the acid is already part of the formula. So you can mix it into any liquid and soak your shower head in it. That means that a baking powder and water solution can be great for shower head cleaning.
Can I use baking powder to clean my shower head?
Baking soda is one of the best things that you can use to clean a shower head. Other peoples might recommend bleach or other harsh chemicals.
But we feel like these types of chemicals just aren’t worth it. Why use a chemical when you can just use something natural instead after all? Baking soda breaks down the material that has built up on the shower head. The chemical process is actually quite impressive. It’s very interesting to look at because it happens at quite a fast rate.
Are baking soda and baking powder the same?
Baking soda and baking powder are pretty similar. But that does not mean that they are the same. They do have the same basic ingredient. Which is sodium bicarbonate. But baking powder also has acid. Which is a very fundamental difference.
When it comes to cleaning, you don’t need to add acid if you use baking powder. But you do need to use a larger quantity. Because baking powder is less concentrated than baking soda. They can both help you clean your shower head, though. They just function somewhat differently.
Will Coca-Cola clean a shower?
If you don’t want to use baking soda, Coca-Cola can be a pretty decent alternative. This is because it is highly acidic. Which means that it breaks down the mineral buildup on your shower head. But it also contains a lot of sugar. So you should rinse your shower head out thoroughly before you put it back.
Otherwise, the sugars might attract a lot of bacteria and fungi. Or you could try using diet coke. Since it doesn’t contain any sugar that disease-causing microbes can feed off.
What can I use if I don’t have baking powder?
You can clean your shower head pretty well even if you don’t have baking soda or baking powder. Coca-Cola can be pretty effective because of how acidic it is. A solution of vinegar and dishwashing liquid can also do the trick. Just try to use a mixture of alkaline and acidic liquids.
The residue might not break down without the right kind of pH. Lemon juice can also work pretty well. It has a lovely citrus fragrance that would be perfect for your bathroom.