How to Descale Shower Heads and Taps with Citric Acid
Soak the limescale away: a Citric Acid bath clears blocked shower-head nozzles and taps.
Takes 1 hour
Why not vinegar? Vinegar is the tip you’ll find everywhere, but we prefer Citric Acid. It’s gentler on metals like the chrome and nickel of your shower head, it leaves no sour smell lingering in your bathroom, and as a light, dry powder it has a far smaller carbon footprint than bottled vinegar. Read why we prefer Citric Acid →
What you’ll need
- 1–3 tbsp Citric Acid
- Hot water
- Bowl or plastic bag and a rubber band
- Pot Brush or old toothbrush
Method 1
- Place the shower head or tap in a bowl.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of Citric Acid into the shower head or tap, then gradually fill the bowl with hot water.
- Let it soak for at least an hour, then rinse and brush with cold water and a pot brush or an old toothbrush and allow it to dry.
Method 2
- Mix 2-3 tablespoons of Citric Acid with 500 ml of hot water in a container, stirring until fully dissolved.
- Pour the solution into plastic bags and submerge the tap or shower head. Secure the bags with rubber bands.
- Let it soak for an hour, then rinse thoroughly and scrub the nozzles with a pot brush or an old toothbrush to eliminate the loosened limescale.
- Allow to air dry.
Remove limescale and calcium deposits from the small nozzles on the shower head or taps if they are blocked.
The tiny nozzles block with mineral deposits. Soaking lets the acid reach inside each one.
The science: Citric Acid (PubChem, NIH) → · Hard water and soap scum (USGS) →
Electronic Screens:
Phones, laptops, tablets, televisions, etc., all come with a protective coating to reduce smudges. Citric Acid can break down this layer, revealing the layers meant to be protected.
Sealed Wood:
Citric Acid can degrade the wax sealant, causing the protective layer to break
down and leaving a cloudy appearance. It also makes the surface more susceptible to further damage.
Natural Stone:
Citric Acid can etch or pit stone, granite, marble, and quartz surfaces so it should never be used to clean natural stone surfaces. The enzymes in Citric Acid will break down the delicate surface layer of these materials, corroding slowly over time.
Store Citric Acid sealed tightly, in a cool, dry place, out of reach of children and pets.
Avoid breathing in Citric Acid as it can cause upper respiratory symptoms, always measure out the Citric Acid powder in a well-ventilated area. Whilst Citric Acid is found in food items in a small quantity as a preservative if large amounts of Citric Acid are ingested it could cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
Citric Acid can irritate your eyes and skin. Take care not to spill the powder and wear rubber gloves when working with this substance.
Quick questions
Is it safe on gold- or brass-finish taps?
Test first and keep the soak short. Some coated finishes can dull.
How often?
Every month or two in hard-water areas.
Try this next: Shower Curtain Cleaner →
