How to Clean Limescale from a Showerhead

Co-authored by Alicia Sokolowski and Eric McClure

Last Updated: December 28, 2021

Limescale is a type of mineral buildup caused by calcium residue. It’s usually white and chalky, and can make your showerhead look old and dirty. The best way to remove limescale is to soak it in white vinegar, since vinegar eats away the calcium that causes limescale to build up. To do this, see if you can remove your showerhead and soak it in a bowl filled with vinegar for 12 hours. If you can’t remove your showerhead, fill a plastic bag with white vinegar and tie it around your showerhead with a rubber band to soak it. If your showerhead is still dirty after soaking it, remove it from the fixture and use a toothbrush to scrub the limescale off.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Soaking the Showerhead

1
Remove your showerhead from the fixture by twisting it off. To soak your showerhead in vinegar to clean it, start by taking it off of the fixture. Most showerheads can simply be twisted counterclockwise to unscrew them. Some showerheads have a nut holding the threading together that requires a wrench to unscrew them.^{[1]
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- Showerheads that can be lifted off of the fixture and held usually have two buttons on the side. Press both buttons at the same time and hold them down. Then, lift the showerhead out of the water supply line to remove it.
- If it isn’t difficult for you to remove the showerhead from your fixture, this is the best way to remove limescale.
2
Fill a bowl with 1-part white vinegar and 1-part water. Get a large bowl that is big enough to hold your showerhead. Fill it with white vinegar and water. The amount of vinegar and water you use is dependent upon the size of your bowl and the size of your showerhead. Add enough water and vinegar to submerge the showerhead entirely.^{[2]
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- If your showerhead is really crusty and dirty, you can simply use undiluted white vinegar instead.^{[3]
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  Alicia Sokolowski
  Green Cleaning Specialist
  Expert Interview. 15 September 2020.}
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3
Submerge your showerhead in the vinegar and water for 12 hours. Carefully drop the showerhead into the vinegar and water. Top the bowl off with vinegar as needed to completely cover the showerhead. Let your showerhead soak in the vinegar mixture for at least 12 hours.^{[4]
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- To keep things simple, do this a few hours before going to bed. That way, you can let the showerhead soak overnight as you’re sleeping.
4
Rinse your showerhead under cold water to clean it off. After the showerhead has soaked for at least 12 hours, put on a pair of rubber gloves. Lift your showerhead out of the vinegar and run it under a stream of cold water. Turn the showerhead in your hand to rinse every section and wash off the vinegar and water.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Alicia Sokolowski
Green Cleaning Specialist
Expert Interview. 15 September 2020.}
- Do this in your tub so that you don’t have to carry your wet showerhead to the bathroom to reconnect it.
Tip: Make sure that you run the opening of the showerhead under water so that you rinse out the inside of the showerhead.
5
Reconnect the showerhead and run it for 2 minutes. Once you’ve rinsed off your showerhead, reattach it to the fixture using the same method that you used to remove the showerhead. With your showerhead reconnected to the fixture, turn your shower on. Run cold water through your showerhead for at least 2 minutes before taking a shower.^{[6]
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- If you simply unscrewed the showerhead, screw it back on the opposite way. If you pressed 2 buttons and lifted the showerhead out, press the 2 buttons again and slide it back in. Use a wrench to tighten any nuts that you loosened to remove the showerhead.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using a Plastic Bag

1
Find a plastic bag that will fit over your showerhead. To perform this cleaning method, you need a plastic bag that will fit over the top of your showerhead. If you have a rain showerhead, you may need to use a garbage bag. Thinner fixtures can use a sandwich or carrier bag. Your bag cannot have any holes in it, so if you aren’t sure if your bag is airtight, partially fill it with a little water to see if it leaks.
- If it’s really difficult for you to remove the showerhead from the fixture, this is the easiest way to remove limescale from your showerhead.
2
Fill the plastic bag halfway with white vinegar. Put on a pair of rubber gloves to protect your hands from spills and get a bottle of white vinegar. Open the top of the plastic bag and spread the opening out. Carefully pour white vinegar into your bag until it is halfway full. The showerhead will displace a lot of the vinegar, so don’t worry about filling the bag to the brim.^{[7]
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Expert Source

Alicia Sokolowski
Green Cleaning Specialist
Expert Interview. 15 September 2020.}
- If you’re using a smaller bag, this can be kind of tricky. Stick a funnel inside of a smaller bag to make pouring easier if you want.
3
Slide the opening of the plastic bag over the showerhead to submerge it. Take your bag to the shower. Tilt the showerhead downwards if it’s adjustable. Hold your bag open and carefully slide the showerhead into the bag to submerge it in the vinegar. Use your nondominant hand to grip the opening of the bag against the pipe leading to your showerhead.^{[8]
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Expert Source

Alicia Sokolowski
Green Cleaning Specialist
Expert Interview. 15 September 2020.}
- Don’t worry if a little vinegar spills out of the bag. It won’t ruin anything in your shower.
4
Wrap a rubber band around the top of the bag to affix it to the showerhead. Hold the top of your plastic bag with your nondominant hand. Use your free hand to spread a rubber band out over your showerhead. Loop the rubber band 3-4 times around the showerhead to tighten it. Release the rubber band around the pipe to affix your bag to the showerhead.^{[9]
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Tip: If you’ve got a rain showerhead with a wide set of nozzles, you’ll need to use a large rubber band and tie it in place. You can also use a strong binder clip to tighten it around your showerhead.
5
Let the showerhead soak in the bag for at least 12 hours. Leave your plastic bag on the showerhead for at least 12 hours to let it erode the limescale buildup. The easiest way to let the showerhead soak is to leave the bag on overnight while you’re sleeping.^{[10]
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- Close the shower curtain to keep the floor clean in the off-chance that the bag falls off while you’re letting it soak.
6
Remove the bag and run the shower for 2 minutes. After the showerhead soaks for at least 12 hours, put your rubber gloves back on. Slide the rubber band off of your bag and carefully remove the bag from the showerhead. Turn your cold water on and run it through the showerhead for 2-3 minutes to clean out the inside of your showerhead. Cup water and pour it over the top of the fixture to rinse the rest of the vinegar off.^{[11]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Scrubbing the Showerhead

1
Remove the showerhead by twisting it out of the fixture. To scrub your showerhead by hand, twist your showerhead out of the pipe it’s connected to. If there’s a nut holding the showerhead in place, use a wrench to unscrew the nut and then twist the showerhead out. If there are 2 buttons on either side of the showerhead, press them both at the same time and pop your showerhead off.^{[12]
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- This is the best option if you already tried soaking the showerhead and still have a lot of limescale stuck on the showerhead.
2
Pour white vinegar into the opening of the showerhead. Take your showerhead to a sink or tub. Put on a pair of rubber gloves to protect your hands. Turn your showerhead in your hands up so that the pipe connection is facing up. Pour 3–4 tablespoons (44–59 mL) of white vinegar into the opening of the showerhead to get some vinegar inside of the fixture.^{[13]
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3
Scrub the inside of the opening with a toothbrush. Take a clean toothbrush and insert it into the opening of the showerhead where it connects to the pipe. Scrub the inside of the showerhead while rotating it to remove any limescale that has built up inside of the pipe connection.^{[14]
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Tip: If there is a filter in between the pipe opening and the interior of the showerhead, see if you can unscrew the neck of the showerhead to access it. If you can, remove the filter and scrub that as well.
4
Brush the head of the fixture with your toothbrush. Turn your showerhead up so that the nozzles are facing up. Pour 3–4 tablespoons (44–59 mL) of white vinegar on top of your nozzles. Use your toothbrush to aggressively scrub the limescale off your showerhead. Use firm back and forth strokes until the limescale is completely gone.^{[15]
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- If the toothbrush isn’t getting the job done, try a sponge. If the sponge isn’t working, try using steel wool. If your showerhead is metal though, you may scratch it if you use steel wool.
5
Use toothpicks to poke the nozzles on your showerhead and clear them. Once you’ve scrubbed the head of the shower, grab a box of toothpicks. Hold your showerhead still with your nondominant hand and poke each of the nozzle openings with a toothpick. Switch out your toothpick for a clean one after clearing 5-6 nozzles. Insert each toothpick 1–2 centimetres (10–20 mm) into each nozzle to clear any limescale that has been trapped inside.^{[16]
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- If you have little rubber gaskets surrounding each nozzle, be careful to not rip them with your toothpicks.
- This is a really important step if you’ve noticed your showerhead isn’t spraying water evenly.
6
Rinse the showerhead under cold water before reattaching it. Once you’ve cleaned every nozzle, turn on a stream of cold water in your sink or tub. Hold your showerhead under the water, turning it and rubbing it to rinse each section. Pour some water into the opening of the showerhead to rinse out any vinegar that has been trapped inside of the showerhead.^{[17]
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- Run your shower for 2-3 minutes after reconnecting it.

Expert Q&A
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Question

What's the best cleaning agent for a showerhead?

Alicia Sokolowski
Green Cleaning Specialist
Alicia Sokolowski is a Green Cleaning Specialist and the President and co-CEO of AspenClean, a green cleaning company in Vancouver, British Columbia. With over 17 years of experience, Alicia specializes in creating a healthier, green alternative to chemical-based cleaning products and services. AspenClean develops and manufactures its own line of 100% Natural, EcoCert® certified, and EWG verified™ cleaning products. AspenClean’s glass cleaner was voted Parent’s Green Pick 2020 by readers of the Parents’ magazine. Alicia holds a CPA designation and a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Finance from the University of Toronto.

Alicia Sokolowski

Green Cleaning Specialist

Expert Answer

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It's white vinegar, without a doubt. You could try using an all-purpose cleaner or something like that, but it's hard to beat white vinegar with the fixtures and appliances.
Question

What if I can't fit a bag over the showerhead?

Alicia Sokolowski
Green Cleaning Specialist
Alicia Sokolowski is a Green Cleaning Specialist and the President and co-CEO of AspenClean, a green cleaning company in Vancouver, British Columbia. With over 17 years of experience, Alicia specializes in creating a healthier, green alternative to chemical-based cleaning products and services. AspenClean develops and manufactures its own line of 100% Natural, EcoCert® certified, and EWG verified™ cleaning products. AspenClean’s glass cleaner was voted Parent’s Green Pick 2020 by readers of the Parents’ magazine. Alicia holds a CPA designation and a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Finance from the University of Toronto.

Alicia Sokolowski

Green Cleaning Specialist

Expert Answer

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If you can't find a bag that's big enough to soak the showerhead, you can just take a clean towel and soak it in white vinegar. Then, wrap the towel around the showerhead and just let it be. That should have basically the same result as the bag method.
Question

Can I soak my showerhead overnight? That really won't damage anything?

Alicia D'Angelo
Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist
Alicia D'Angelo is a makeup artist based in New York City. She currently works for teams with Dior Makeup, YSL Beauty and Pat McGrath Labs as well as bridal companies Once Upon A Bride and Miss Harlequinn. Her work has been featured in Today.com, New York Live, Forbes.com, VH1, MTV, Vevo, Entertainment Weekly, Refinery 29, and NYXCosmetics.com. She has a Visual Communications degree from FIDM-Los Angeles.

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Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist

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No, absolutely not. If you're worried though, feel free to only let the showerhead soak for a few hours. You won't harm anything by leaving it overnight, though.