If you notice your shower’s performance isn’t the same as before, it’s a sign that it needs to be cleaned. Mineral deposits will build up in your shower head over time. As a result, the nozzle will squirt water in different directions or completely clog up. This leaves you with a shower head that has poor water pressure or low flow.
The good thing is cleaning your shower head isn’t that hard of a task. Here are ways to get your shower head performing the way it used to:
1. Rub The Nozzles
A lot of shower heads have flexible rubber nozzles. Rubbing them will help dislodge mineral buildup. You simply massage each nozzle with your finger to release the unwanted material. If that didn’t help, try scrubbing the nozzles with a toothbrush – but remember to be gentle.
2. Use Vinegar In Soaking The Shower Head
Soaking a shower head in vinegar can be done in two ways: leaving the shower head attached to the pipe or removing the shower head from the pipe and submerging it in vinegar. Here are the instructions for both:
Method #1: Leaving shower head attached to pipe.
- Fill a plastic bag with vinegar.
- Wrap the vinegar-filled plastic bag around the shower head.
- Make sure the bag is secure around the head. Use a rubber band, tape or twist tie to secure the bag.
- Leave the bag around the head for a couple of hours.
- Remove the bag then turn on the water to rinse out the vinegar. Do this for a few minutes.
Method #2: Removing the shower head from the pipe.
- Remove the shower head from the pipe.
- Fill a container with white vinegar.
- Submerge the shower head in the container.
- Allow the shower head to soak in the container for a couple of hours.
- Attach the shower head back to the pipe.
- Run water through the head for a couple of minutes to clear out the vinegar.
3. Clean The Filter Screen
You will need the instruction manual of your shower head for this. Detailed in that document are the steps you need to take to clean the filter screen. But if you don’t have your manual anymore, don’t fret as you can always download it from Waterpik’s official site. Or, you can always get in touch with the customer service department.
The filter screen of most Waterpik models are located in the area of the shower head that connects to the pipe. The shower head needs to be removed from the pipe in order to access the filter screen.
Most of the filter screens in Waterpik shower head models can be easily removed with gentle brushing. If you still find it difficult to take out, you can use tweezers or needle-nose pliers to remove the screen out of the pivot ball.
When the filter screen is removed, run the screen under water for a couple of minutes. Doing this will flush out the buildup. If you want, you can also use a toothbrush to brush out mineral deposits – but remember to do this gently.
After doing this, place the filter screen back into the pivot ball then re-install the shower head to the pipe.
Important Reminders
As you’ve noticed, the suggested cleaning material to be used was white vinegar. This is a product that you can easily find in your kitchen, and it’s the best solution possible for cleaning your shower head. Why is that the case? Cleaning products may contain harsh cleaning chemicals which can damage your shower head. As such, they are not recommended for cleaning.
Downloading Waterpik Instruction Manuals
You can find instruction manuals for all of the Waterpik shower head models on their official website. Once you get to the homepage, click on the Support link located on the top of the page. This will take you to the Product Supportpage where you can find different resources that may answer your Waterpik shower head product questions.
On the Product Support age, click on the View Manuals link. This will take you to a page featuring all the models of Waterpik shower heads. The page is divided into the main kinds of shower heads: hand held, fixed mount, rainfall and dual head. Find the specific model that you have and click on it which will open up the instruction manual.
Read the instructions specified in the manual for cleaning the filter screen.
Shower Head Maintenance
Proper shower head maintenance is important not only for prolonging its life but also vital to your health – and those you live with – as well. Noticing your shower head not giving off the same pressure as before shouldn’t always be the case – you still have to clean your shower head even if it is performing just fine.
One of the reasons you should clean your Waterpik shower head regularly is to avoid Mycobacterium avium. This is a pathogen that is linked to pulmonary disease. Taking a shower with an unclean shower head can send these germs into your lungs and that’s not good for your health at all.
So what’s the best way to keep your shower head in good shape? Cleaning it after every use. After taking a shower, wipe condensation from all the surfaces. It’s also best if you can leave your bathroom window open for at least an hour. Why should you do this? Leaving the window open lowers the humidity level in the room.
Keeping the rest of the bathroom clean helps too.
Yes, your shower head needs to be cleaned and maintained regularly. But other areas of your bathroom need to be kept clean as well. This will not only make them last long but is also a way of keeping things sanitary which greatly benefits your health.
As you can see, it’s not all that difficult to clean a Waterpik shower head. In fact, all you would need are found inside your home. White vinegar is a common kitchen staple while plastic bags and rubber bands are common items found at home as well.