How to clean a shower head and clear limescale

To clean a shower head, start with its maker's care instructions: wipe it, rub the nozzles with a soft cloth, and descale it only if the maker allows a descaler. Where one is allowed, Which? suggests two tablespoons of citric acid in about a litre of hot, not boiling, water for about an hour. For a fixed head, hold the solution around it in a bag.

Your shower's manual comes first, as some fittings should never meet a descaler. A filter shower head needs its own leaflet: for the Waterhush head, follow the instruction leaflet and, if in doubt, use warm soapy water and a soft cloth, never a descaler soak. Our guide to filter shower heads in the UK covers the rest.

This guide covers rubbing the nozzles, descaling where it's allowed, the bag method, how often to clean and what never to mix. We sell a filter shower head, so every rule we quote here links to its source.

How to clean a shower head: the short answer

Cleaning a shower head takes five steps: check the manual, rub the nozzles, descale only if the maker allows it, rinse, then run the water. The steps work for most handheld and fixed heads; your shower's manual and the head's leaflet come first.

1. Check the manual. Look for any rule about descalers or finishes. For a filter head, follow its leaflet: a Waterhush head gets warm soapy water and a soft cloth, never a descaler soak.
2. Rub the nozzles. Wipe the face and rub each nozzle with your thumb or a soft cloth; loose scale often comes away without a soak.
3. Descale only if allowed. If the maker allows a descaler, dissolve two tablespoons of citric acid in about a litre of hot, not boiling, water, then soak a detachable head or bag a fixed one for about an hour.
4. Rinse. Rinse the head in clean water and wipe it dry with a soft cloth.
5. Run the shower. Refit the head if you took it off, then run the water for a minute to flush out anything left inside.

If the scale is light, a rub may be all the head needs. Try step 2 on its own first, and descale only if the nozzles stay blocked and the maker allows it.

Why do shower heads get blocked with limescale?

Shower heads get blocked because hard water leaves limescale behind, and the small nozzles clog first. Hardness is dissolved calcium and magnesium, and the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) says water with a hardness of 200 mg/l or more (as calcium carbonate) will produce scale.

The DWI's bands run from soft, up to 100 mg/l, to very hard, over 300 mg/l. Its map can't show every local difference, so the DWI suggests asking your water company for an accurate figure. The harder your water, the sooner you are likely to see white crust on the nozzles.

A blocked head is more than a looks problem. The spray turns uneven, some jets go weak or sideways, and less water gets through. On an electric shower it matters more: one maker's 2009 electric-shower guide says the showerhead must be cleaned regularly with descalent. Otherwise, it says, restricted flow at the outlet leads to higher temperatures and could make the pressure relief device operate.

The practical aim of cleaning is simple: keep the nozzles open, so the head sprays evenly and the shower behind it works as its maker intended.

How to descale a shower head with vinegar or citric acid

Descaling a shower head means dissolving the limescale with a mild acid, so do it only if the head's maker allows a descaler. Which? says citric acid, distilled vinegar and white vinegar are all effective, and recommends citric acid because it is stronger than vinegar products and doesn't smell. Which? also warns that vinegar can corrode some materials, and some makers rule out descalers altogether, so the maker's care instructions decide which, if any, you use. For a filter head, follow its leaflet instead; never soak a Waterhush head.

Soaking a detachable head

1. Turn the shower off and unscrew the head from the hose by hand. If it won't turn, see how to remove a stuck shower head without damaging it.
2. Dissolve two tablespoons of citric acid powder in roughly one litre of hot, not boiling, water in a large bowl, or use white vinegar if the maker's instructions allow it.
3. Submerge the head and leave it for about an hour, or less if the maker gives a shorter time.
4. Lift it out, wipe it over with a cloth, rinse it in clean water and refit it.

Which? gives its timing for citric acid. None of the sources we used sets a soak time for vinegar, so check the head after an hour rather than leaving it overnight, and never go past a time the maker sets.

The bag method for a fixed head

A fixed shower head, or one you can't unscrew, can be descaled where it hangs, if its maker allows a descaler. Which? suggests filling a large zip-lock bag with the solution, putting it over the head, zipping it up as far as you can and tying it in place with an elastic band.

1. Pour in enough solution to cover the nozzle face once the bag is on.
2. Slip the bag over the head and fasten it around the arm or hose.
3. Leave it for about an hour, then take the bag off over the bath or tray.
4. Wipe the face with a cloth, then run the shower to flush the solution out.

Put a towel underneath in case the bag slips, and keep drips off natural stone. Which? says neither vinegar nor lemon juice should be used on natural stone surfaces, such as granite or marble.

How to clear blocked nozzles without scratching the chrome

Blocked nozzles usually clear with a gentle rub rather than a scrub. Another maker's 2011 guide for its shower fittings says to use your thumb or a soft cloth to wipe limescale from the soft nozzles and the front of the spray plate.

The same guide warns that many household cleaners contain abrasives and chemicals that should not be used on plated or plastic fittings. It says to clean those finishes with a mild washing-up detergent or soap solution, then wipe them dry with a soft cloth. The 2009 electric-shower guide gives similar advice for the whole shower: warm, soapy water, and no abrasive or aggressive chemical cleaners, which it says may affect the surface finish.

• Soft nozzles: rub each one with your thumb or a soft cloth; loose scale often comes away without a soak.
• Hard nozzles: descale first if the maker allows it, then wipe the face with a cloth. Skip pins, wire brushes and scouring pads, which can scratch or widen the holes.
• Chrome and plastic: use washing-up liquid and a soft cloth, never abrasive cream.
• After use: Which? suggests wiping the head down, because drying water droplets can eventually lead to a limescale build-up.

Some heads have a spray plate that comes off for cleaning. The 2011 fittings guide cleans those inner parts with a stiff brush and, if necessary, a plastic kettle descalent, following the descalent maker's instructions. It then flushes everything thoroughly with water before the shower is used. Only take a head apart if its leaflet shows how.

How to clean a filter shower head and hose

A filter shower head needs its own leaflet, because the head and the cartridge inside it need different care. Never soak the cartridge, and don't use a descaler on a filter head unless its leaflet says you can.

In the Waterhush Shower Kit, the cartridge sits in the handle. Follow the instruction leaflet in the box. If in doubt, clean the head with warm soapy water and a soft cloth, and rub the rubber nozzles to loosen any scale. Don't soak it in vinegar, citric acid or any other descaler: we have no data on how the cartridge media react to them.

1. Turn the shower off.
2. Wipe the head with warm soapy water and a soft cloth.
3. Rub each rubber nozzle with your thumb or the cloth to loosen scale.
4. Rinse the face with clean water and wipe the chrome dry with a soft cloth.
5. Run the shower for a minute.

Cleaning is not the same as changing the cartridge. A cartridge is replaced, not descaled. We suggest a new one every 3 months, or every 2 months for households of two or more; that is a suggestion, not a promise of how long a cartridge lasts. Our guide on how often to change a shower filter cartridge explains why.

The hose needs less: wipe it with warm, soapy water. If you take it off, check the washer is in place when you refit it. The 2011 fittings guide says to make sure the hose seals are fitted when you screw the hose back on, and not to overtighten. It also advises avoiding layouts that kink the hose sharply, which may shorten its life.

One more limit: Waterhush is not for electric showers unless your shower's manufacturer confirms in writing that a filter head can be fitted to your model.

How often does a shower head need cleaning?

No manual we read sets a fixed interval for cleaning a shower head; they say to do it regularly. A sensible routine is a wipe after use, a rub when the spray looks uneven, and a descale, where the maker allows one, when rubbing no longer clears the nozzles.

The 2011 fittings guide says the spray plate must be cleaned regularly so the showerhead doesn't become blocked. The 2009 electric-shower guide says the showerhead must be cleaned regularly with descalent. Neither gives a number of weeks, so we won't invent one.

• After each shower: wipe the face with a soft cloth.
• When a jet weakens or sprays sideways: rub the nozzles.
• When rubbing no longer works: soak or bag the head if its maker allows a descaler; a Waterhush head gets warm soapy water and a soft cloth instead.
• In a hard-water area: expect to repeat each step more often.

On an electric shower, don't wait for a badly blocked head. The 2009 electric-shower guide links a restricted outlet to higher water temperatures, so clean the head as soon as the spray changes.

Cleaning safety: what not to mix, scrub or soak

The main safety rule for cleaning a shower head is never to mix vinegar or a descaler with bleach or other cleaners. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says gases can form when bleach is mixed with acidic solutions such as vinegar.

• One product at a time. If you have used a bleach spray in the shower, rinse the area well before any acid goes near it.
• Read the label. Follow a descaler's instructions on strength, time and gloves, and open a window while you work.
• Check the manual first. Some fittings shouldn't meet a descaler at all: one maker's 2013 guide for a thermostatic mixer says not to use descalents on that product.
• No soaks for filter heads. Never soak a Waterhush head or any filter cartridge in a descaler; follow the leaflet.
• No abrasives on chrome. Scouring pads and abrasive creams can scratch plated finishes.
• Leave electric showers closed. Clean only the head and hose. The 2009 electric-shower guide says cleaning the unit's inlet filter must be done by an installer or service engineer, with the electricity and water switched off at the mains.

Vinegar has limits too. Which? says it can corrode some materials and surfaces in the home, so keep soaks short and rinse everything afterwards.

What cleaning can't fix

Cleaning clears scale that has already formed; it doesn't change your water, so the scale comes back wherever the water is hard. A water softener is the device that treats hardness, as our comparison of shower filters and water softeners explains.

A filter shower head won't prevent limescale either. Waterhush reduces free chlorine, and that is the only claim we make: it doesn't soften water or stop limescale.

Some problems need a part or a plumber rather than a clean:

• A head that keeps dripping long after the shower is off usually points to the valve. See how to find and fix a dripping shower head.
• A leak at a hose nut is often a worn, missing or twisted washer.
• A cracked face, a split hose or a broken holder needs replacing.

We can't see your shower either. If anything here conflicts with your shower's manual or the leaflet in the box, follow those.

The bottom line

To clean a shower head, follow its maker's care instructions: rub the nozzles, descale with citric acid only if the maker allows it, then rinse and run the water. For a Waterhush head, follow the leaflet and, if in doubt, use warm soapy water and a soft cloth, never a descaler soak. Next step: read the leaflet, then wipe the head after each shower.