Shower Head Cleaner with a Sandwich Bag

Many people have a hard time cleaning the shower head. It is up high, has a lot of crevices, and sometimes has mineral clogs. You could use lime-a-way or other shower cleaner that builds up fumes and (at least for me) causes a nice head ache. On the other hand, you could use a chemical free clean. I have two ways of doing this, a regular and a deep clean, and I have both in this post. Both are very simple and easy to do with little to no effort.

Regular Clean for Weekly Cleaning

Materials

• 1 Rubber band (large enough to fit around the end of the shower head)
• 1 Sandwich bag
• Cloth

Ingredient

• Vinegar

Directions

(If you have a shower head attached to a hose, take it off the hook and let it hang. If water comes out, let it drain before going to step 1.)

1. Fill the sandwich bag 3/4 full with vinegar.
2. Put the bag around the shower head so the holes are completely covered in the vinegar.
3. Use the rubber band to seal and hold the bag on to the shower head.
4. Let it sit for one hour.
5. Remove the bag and let the shower head drain.
6. Use the cloth to wipe the head, hose and wall attachment clean.

Deep Clean for Seasonal  or Spring Cleaning

Materials

• 1 Sandwich bag
• 1 Rubber band
• 1 cloth
• 1 toothbrush

Ingredients

• Vinegar
• Baking soda
• Water

Directions

(If you have a shower head attached to a hose, take it off the hook and let it hang. If water comes out, let it drain before going to step 1.)

1. Wet the toothbrush with water 
2. Dip the wet toothbrush in baking soda
3. Use the toothbrush to scrub the baking soda into the crevices, making sure to pay special attention to any clogs in the holes
4. Make a paste with one part water and three parts baking soda and spread it over the holes on the end of the shower head.
5. Fill the sandwich bag 3/4 full with vinegar.
6. Put the bag around the shower head so the holes are completely covered in the vinegar.
7. Use the rubber band to seal and hold the sandwich
8. Let it sit for eight hours.
9. Remove the bag and let the shower head drain.
10. Use the cloth to wipe the head, hose and wall attachment clean.

Cleaning Shower Curtains that Cleans the Clothes Washer

Shower curtains and liners get dirty and sometimes down right nasty. They have hard water build up in many homes too. The shower curtains and liners even can contain or develop allergen growth such as mold. Then to top it off due to their size, it can be cumbersome and hard to clean. Here is a easy chemical free way to clean the shower curtain and liners together. Bonus: it will clean and freshen the clothes washer a bit too.

Material

• Washer
• Softener ball (Optional)

Ingredients

• 1 cups baking soda
• 1 cups vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Essential oils (optional)

Directions

1. Take the shower curtain and liners off of the rod and remove the hooks.

2. Place them inside the washer

3. Sprinkle the baking soda into the drum of the washer. If you are using a softener ball, see step 4 a and skip step 4 b. If you are not using a softener ball, skip step 4 a.

4a. Fill the softener ball with the vinegar and essential oils and place it in the washer. Then start the normal wash cycle.

4b. Start the normal wash cycle. When the rinse cycle begins pour the vinegar and essential oils directly into the washer and resume the cycle.

5. When the washer is finished with the spin cycle, hang the shower curtain and liner back on to the rod and allow to air dry. Make sure the bottom of both are inside the bath tub while drying. 

6. Once the curtain is dry you can put the bottom outside the tub again.

This should be done on a regular basis to prevent any mold or other allergen development. However, repeat as needed.

Weekly Shower cleaner

We all know scrubbing the tub and shower can be a real pain in the rear. Especially on the lower back. I find this is doubled when you have hard water. My state in particular has a ton of calcium and lime in the water. So how do you scrub that off without breaking your back for too long or putting a few chemicals on the tile and porcelain? Baking soda and salt. Both have great scrubbing qualities that do not require a lot of muscle at all. The baking soda can also easily scrub the grout which I find is the hardest spots. This recipe I find works for me but if you do not have a shower head with a hose, I highly recommend having a regular cup ready to rinse at the end instead.

Materials

Sponge

Shower head with hose (or Cup if you do not have a hose attached to the shower head)

Bowl

Measuring cup

Tablespoon

Cloth

Ingredients

1 cup Baking soda

1 tbsp. Salt

Water as needed

First measure and mix the ingredients together in the bowl until salt is evenly distributed. Wet your sponge or cloth and dip it in the bowl on the side you intend to use for scrubbing. Rub it onto the tile and tub in circular motions. Do this until the bathing area looks and feels clean. The tub and tile should feel smooth but not slimy with the exception of the mixture being on it. Use the shower head hose to rinse off the baking soda and salt when finished. To polish wipe dry with a clean dry cloth.