Cleaning a showerhead

[BackforGood]

I know, not the most exciting topinc in the world but needs must.......

We have 2 showers in our house (both made by Triton if that makes a difference). I though the time had come to try to clean the shower head, but the bit where the water comes out doesn't unscrew, and come off as I thought they did. They both turn about 1/2 a circle, which I think is supposed to increase / decrease the pressure.
How do I actually get this part clean please ?

OK, I understand, just too boring to even contemplate

I have the same thing with ly aqualisa shower. I've got as far as an experimental twiddle and that's it.

I wrap ours in kitchen towel soaked in white vinegar and pop on a sandwich bag to hold it all in place (using an elastic band). I leave it on overnight, dream of eating chips, and in the morning all the gunk and limescale comes off.

You could try buying a few packets "Scale Away". Empty them into a bucket with lots of boiling water and lifting the bucket above your head until the shower head is submerged in the liquid. It only takes a few minutes so you shouldn't have to leave it there for long, and should be pretty clean after. Any good?

one of our showerheads came with a pronged thing that was supposed to be poked into the holes - I never did & that one's gone now

I squirt ours occasionally with whatever random bathroom cleaner I've got, let it soak in, then scrub it with a washing up brush (I keep a couple just for this & other boring bathroom cleaning jobs)

Another vote for white vinegar here! You can make a sort of fizzy passer with some bicarbonate and rub it on.

Thanks manchurian - will look out for some when I get to the shops later in the week
Re white vinegar am probably going to get laughed off the boards here but I have ordinary brown vinegar in my fridge - does this work ? Or is white vinegar some specialist product? Do I buy if by the brown vinegar or in the cleaning products aisle ?

white vinegar will be with the vinegar

it's called spirit vinegar? it looks like water - doesn't smell malty like the brown stuff iirc (I bought some once to try to keep cats off worktops. didn't work!)

(at least I think that's the stuff. if not I'll be joining you with the )

I put it in a bucket of warm water+vinegar.
seems to work just fine.

Thanks Ponders

are the jets rubber pimples? If so, you rub them, and the brittle limescale flakes off as the rubber flexes.

Some of them will clean if you work the lever back and forth

otherwise, you will find that the flexible hose is screwed onto the end of the handset using a knurled chrome ring. You unscrew this away from the handset, carefully observing where the rubber washer is placed that falls out and rolls under the bath. Then you can put the handset in a jug, and you can pour vinegar down the handle where it will clean from the inside.

You may also be able to get citric acid crystals, especially from an Asian shop, that will not smell.

PigletJohn - You are right - it does unscrew from the hose. (Thanks for the tip about the washer....)
Just need to wait until I can get some white vinegar or the citric acid crystals or the scale away then.
Thanks all

Will have to try that too!
Citric acid can also be bought from home brew shops.

the white vinegar is labelled distilled vinegar. it's found near the pickled veg in my local tesco.
I would imagine that the brown stuff will descale and clean the shower head just as good if you don't fancy a trip to the shop, it's just that the distilled is cheaper and will do you for window, cleaning taps etc...
If you can't detach your shower head wrap it with vinegar soaked paper towel in a sandwich bag held with an elastic, leave overnight. The next morning it should be good as new.
i am assuming that the shower head is white or silver, i think you shouldn't use above method for "gold" fittings.

I buy descaling fluid like i use for the kettle. I boil water and pour it in the jug and then the descaling fluid and then i leave the shower head in it for an hour or so!

Yes, thanks qazxc - the shower heads are both white, and I now know I can detatch them from the hose (I had been expecting the top bit that the water comes out from to unscrew, but it doesn't, but PigletJohn has given instructions ^^ for removing the whole thing from the hose).
Thanks Lottie - we don't have any problem with hard water where I am, so descaling the kettle is something I've never had to do

OK - just to report back in.
I was a bit at the price of the white vinegar in the supermarket, so I thought I'd have a look around the local high street to see what was on the shelves. Found a spray bottle of white vinegar in Wilkinsons for 80p. Used it this afternoon and was very impressed with the difference.
Thanks for all your help folks!