Easy clean shower head for VERY hard water area needed!

[TakeMeToTheMilk]

We have such hard water and are finding it hard to find a shower head which we can clean out well enough. We've been through so many already. The best being one I could twist the lid off and poke a pin through all of the holes... took ages but would work again for a few more days. Worst is the current one which gave 2 good showers and is now useless. Can't take the top off so can't clean. Poking pin through just pokes the limescale up and it then reblocks as soon as the shower is on. Limescale remover, citric acid soaks don't seem to work either.
So please help! Do I buy cheap ones and chuck out after a week? Or is there a super easy to clean out one that I've not found. I'm not paying loads for one...but any ideas are welcome!

[Millymollymama]

May I suggest you invest in a water softener? It will cure the problem forever then you can buy what you want. I think Aquilisa do one with a rotating head that cleans.

[lavendersun]

Very hard water here - I just buy one with those rubber things on the jets and rub them after every shower.

I take it off and give it a distilled white vinegar soak weekly - before I started doing this the limescale build up used to blow the pressure relief valve on the shower every now and then.

[lavendersun]

Must add that I pour vinegar into the shower head and then let it soak through all the little holes (rest it horizontally with the open end propped up on the shower tray.

[PigletJohn]

Once you've had a water softener, you will never go back to hard water.

[lavendersun]

PigletJohn - how easy are they to install in a house with ancient plumbing, gravity fed system, and how much do they cost in rough terms, installed.

We didn't do it when we moved in and are planning on moving in the next year or so, just wondering whether it is worth considering here.

[PigletJohn]

As difficult or easy as installing a washing machine in a place that has not had one before.

i.e. you need connections to the incoming cold water pipe, and a nearby drain, and (usually) an electric socket.

[lavendersun]

I just googled them - they seem to be quite big - not sure we have anywhere to put one in this house. Worth considering when remodelling something else though.

[AnnaLP]

We had a Harveys water softener installed recently - it's one of those things you can't live without once you have had one - not just because you don't have to clean the shower head but your hair, skin and clothes will all feel better for it.

Before that we had a Kinetico one (very similar and fitted by the same people as our new one) which was still going strong after 12 years when we moved. We could have taken the Kinetico one with us but the buyers wanted to keep it. Harveys and Kinetico don't need electricity just plumbing and can be fitted in the cupboard under the sink.

They don't use any electricity but I spend about £5/month on block salt (family of 4) so running costs are very low but definitely not cheap - ours was £1200 fully installed. I know there are cheaper ones but I trusted the company who fitted this and our previous one.