30 Jul How to Clean your Shower
Your shower is a wet and humid area that needs to be kept clean for several reasons: One, because mould and germs love to thrive in wet, hot and humid conditions; Two, because a clean shower means a shower working at optimum level; Three, because a clean shower safeguards against blockages/build up of dirt.
In this article, we’ll show you how to clean the three main areas of your shower: The shower head; the shower door/curtain; and the shower drain/trap, and we’ll also tell you how often you should do this.
The Shower Head
A build up of limescale in your shower head can clog the holes in the shower head, leading to poor water flow/pressure and/or temperature; but cleaning your showerhead is relatively easy. All you will need is:
A bowl (large enough to fit the showerhead in)
White, distilled vinegar
Simply unscrew the shower head from its fitting and place in the bowl. Fill the bowl with enough vinegar to cover the shower head and leave to soak from half an hour to overnight, depending on the severity of limescale. The acid from the vinegar will eat away at the limescale, leaving you with a fresh, shiny and descaled shower head.
How Often?
Once a month.
The Shower Door
Keeping your shower door clean not only looks nice, but it also helps keep all the fixtures and fittings in working order, meaning your shower door stays effective in stopping water leakage from the shower. You will need:
A spray bottle
White vinegar
Water
A soft, non-scratch scourer
A soft, dry cloth
Simply half fill a spray bottle with white vinegar and top up with water. Shake, then spray liberally onto the glass door. Use a sponge to clean off the water marks and limescale. For tougher limescale and watermarks, you’ll need to use the rough side of a soft, non scratch scourer. Rinse off with warm water then polish with a soft, dry cloth.
How Often
At least once a week, but you can also leave the bottle in the shower and spray the shower down once you’ve had your daily shower. This will help prevent the buildup of tough limescale.
The Shower Curtain
Remove the shower curtain from it’s fittings and put on a hot wash in the washing machine (however, always check manufacturers care label). Depending on the colour/type of fabric, add a squirt of bleach or stain remover to get rid of any tough stains and mould. Air dry on the line before refitting.
How Often
Every two-three weeks.
The Shower Trap
Shower traps/wastes are fantastic at catching hair and other debris; however, if they’re not cleaned regularly, this debris can make its way down into the pipes, which are almost impossible to clean and can lead to tricky blockages.
To clean your shower trap, you’ll need:
A bucket of hot, soapy water
A spray bottle with a solution of one part vinegar to three parts water
Two cloths
Kitchen roll
A screwdriver
Remove the pull out section of the waste pipe, use a screwdriver to unscrew the screw connecting the cover/hair trap to the removable pipe (sometimes called the odour catcher). This will make it easier to get rid of all the gunk and hair that’s most likely stuck to your waste. Put the cover into the bucket of hot soapy water and leave to soak. Use a piece of kitchen towel to remove the main bits of hair/debris from the removable section of waste pipe. Once cleaned of the large debris, place in the bucket to soak. Remove the hair/debris from around the edge of the waste still in the shower tray. If you have one (it depends on what kind of trap you have), remove the water container inside the trap and place in the bucket of water to soak.
Spray the shower trap (the part still in the tray) and the edges with the vinegar solution. While that soaks in, thoroughly clean all of the other parts soaking in the bucket, ensuring there’s no hair or debris left on them. Take them from the bucket and wipe any leftover debris off with kitchen towel, then spray with the vinegar/water solution in the spray bottle and wipe off with the cloth. Ensure every part is thoroughly clean. Rinse, then dry with a clean, dry cloth. Put the waster back together again.