Cleaning your shower head can be a tricky job that many of us tend to avoid. However, it's crucial to prevent the stubborn build-up of limescale that can accumulate around it.
Limescale forms around shower heads and taps due to minerals like calcium and magnesium found in hard water. When water evaporates, these minerals are left behind, forming tough, chalky deposits that are notoriously difficult to shift.
It clings tenaciously to surfaces, often requiring intense scrubbing to remove. And when it comes to your showerhead, you have to take it off to fully clean it.
But if you're renting and don't know how to remove your showerhead, you might not want to risk causing damage by trying to take it off. Instead, hygiene guru Mary Futher has shared her straightforward hack to make cleaning easier when you can't remove it.
The social media star, known online as "Madame Sweat", says all you need is a zip lock bag, an elastic band and some white vinegar. In a video that has garnered over 3,000 likes, she explained: "Take a Ziploc bag and fill it three-quarters full of pure vinegar. Place the shower head inside the Ziploc bag and you want to take a rubber band, cut it and use it as a string to tie around the Ziploc bag as tightly as possible.
"Let it soak for about 30 minutes. Then you want to take a toothbrush and baking soda and scrub any sort of residual lime off of the shower head. You should probably do this little exercise once a quarter."
Instagram users were left stunned by the hack as they took to the comments to thank her for the tip. One user said: " Been meaning to do this for about a year lol," as another wrote: "You’re the best."
However, someone else penned: "I agree with the cleaning method, but that’s a huge waste of vinegar. You don’t need that much."
White vinegar is particularly effective in breaking down limescale because it contains acetic acid. This acid reacts with the calcium carbonate in the limescale, dissolving the hard, chalky buildup into smaller, more manageable pieces.
The result is an easier-to-clean surface, with vinegar softening the limescale and helping remove stubborn deposits around taps and other areas affected by hard water. For those looking for a natural and efficient way to tackle limescale, white vinegar provides an easy and cost-effective solution.