How to clean a shower head and remove calcium buildup from faucets

Step by step

1. 1

   Check your fixture's care guide

   Look up the maker's cleaning instructions for your finish before using vinegar anywhere near the outside surface.

   Why: One major fixture maker forbids acids, bleach, ammonia, abrasives, waxes, alcohol and solvents on its finishes and says improper cleaning voids the warranty. Plated and colored finishes are thin.

2. 2

   Remove the shower head or aerator

   Unscrew the shower head from the arm, or the aerator from the faucet tip, wrapping the wrench jaws in a cloth so they don't mark the finish. If the head won't come off, fill a plastic bag with vinegar and tie it around the head so the nozzle face is submerged.

   Why: Soaking just the scaled parts dissolves the deposit without bathing the decorative finish in acid.

3. 3

   Soak in white vinegar

   Submerge the scaled parts in white vinegar for a few hours. For heavy buildup, take the head or aerator apart and soak the individual pieces, repeating if needed.

   Why: Vinegar is acetic acid, which dissolves calcium carbonate scale. Clemson Extension recommends this soak to restore flow.

4. 4

   Loosen the nozzles and rinse

   Rub rubber nozzles with your finger or a soft toothbrush to push out loosened scale, then rinse everything thoroughly with water and run water through the head once it's reinstalled.

   Why: Rinsing removes dissolved scale and acid residue that would keep working on the finish.

5. 5

   Clean the outside with mild soap and blot dry

   Wash the outside of the shower head, faucet and handles with mild soap and warm water, rinse, and dry with a soft cloth using a dabbing action.

   Why: Mild soap is safe on every finish, and drying prevents the water spots that turn into crust.

Why calcium builds up on shower heads and faucets

Hard water carries dissolved calcium and magnesium. Every time a drop evaporates on a fixture, it leaves those minerals behind as calcium carbonate scale (limescale). Clemson Extension notes scale builds fastest on fixtures that carry hot water, because warm surfaces evaporate water quickly. In a shower head, it narrows and blocks the nozzles, so the spray turns weak and uneven. On faucets, it forms a white crust around the spout, the base and the handles.

Scale is alkaline and dissolves in mild acids, which is why white vinegar and citric acid work. The catch is the finish. Most fixtures are chrome-plated brass or plastic with chrome, nickel, bronze or colored finishes, and some makers say acids damage them. That's why this page soaks removable, scaled parts and keeps the decorative surfaces to soap and water.

How often: blot fixtures dry after use to prevent spots, wash the outside with mild soap as needed, and descale when the flow drops or white crust appears. In very hard water, a water softener slows the buildup.

Vinegar on faucet finishes: where the advice conflicts

Extension services and cleaning guides routinely recommend vinegar for mineral buildup, and the American Cleaning Institute lists commercial hard-water mineral removers for chrome where the label allows them. One major fixture maker's guides, though, list acids among products that damage its finishes and void the warranty.

The safe middle ground: soak only parts you can remove (shower heads, aerators) or the nozzle face in a bag, rinse thoroughly, and check your own fixture maker's instructions before putting vinegar or a descaler on the outside of a plated, nickel, bronze or colored faucet. If the maker says no acids, stick to mild soap, prevention and gentle removal, or ask the maker what they approve.

By situation

Calcium buildup inside the faucet

Reduced flow from a faucet usually means scale in the aerator, the small screen at the tip. Unscrew it, soak it in vinegar for a few hours, brush the screen gently, rinse and reinstall. Scale deeper in the valve or cartridge is a repair job; follow the maker's instructions or call a plumber.

Calcium buildup on faucet handles and the base

Wash with mild soap and a soft cloth first. If your fixture maker allows acids on the finish, a cloth soaked in white vinegar laid over the crust for a short time softens it; then rinse thoroughly and blot dry. If the maker forbids acids, ask them which product they approve, and keep the area dry to stop more buildup.

Bathtub faucets and spouts

Same method: unscrew any aerator or diverter tip you can remove and soak it, wash the spout with mild soap, rinse and dry. Keep vinegar off any natural stone tub surround, such as marble, which acids etch.

Shower heads that can't be removed

Fill a plastic bag with white vinegar, slip it over the head so the nozzle face is submerged, and secure it with a rubber band. Leave it a few hours, remove the bag, run hot water through, and wipe the outside with soapy water.

What not to do

• Don't scrub finishes with abrasive cleansers, scouring pads or stiff brushes. They scratch and dull thin plated finishes.
• Don't use ammonia, bleach, acids, waxes, alcohol or solvents on finishes your fixture maker rules out. They can damage the finish and void the warranty.
• Don't mix vinegar or other descalers with bleach. Acid with bleach releases toxic chlorine gas. See what never to mix.
• Don't let water dry on fixtures. Each evaporated drop leaves minerals that build into scale.

Other methods that work

Commercial hard-water mineral remover

The American Cleaning Institute lists these for chrome fixtures where the product label allows.

Caution: Check both the product label and your fixture maker's guide, rinse thoroughly, and never use with bleach.

Citric acid solution

Citric acid binds calcium and dissolves scale like vinegar does, without the smell. Use a descaler product per its label.

Caution: It's still an acid, so the same finish cautions apply.

Stain still there?

The shower head still sprays unevenly after soaking

Take it apart if possible and soak the individual pieces, then push out softened scale from each nozzle and repeat the soak.

The finish looks dull or discolored after cleaning

An acid or abrasive may have reached the finish. Switch to mild soap and water, and check the fixture's warranty and care guide.

Safety

• Turn off the water supply before taking apart anything beyond the shower head or the aerator.
• Never use bleach in the same session as vinegar or a descaler.

Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.

Questions

More guides for this room

• How to clean a bathtub and get stains out of it
• How to clean glass shower doors (soap scum and hard water)
• How to remove hard water stains from any surface
• How to remove rust stains from a toilet, tub, sink or concrete
• How to clean a shower curtain and liner (and the mildew on it)
• How to clean tile grout, including mold in shower grout
• How to clean a toilet bowl and remove rings and stains