Why People Are Tying a Bag of Vinegar Around Their Shower Heads?

When water is pumped into house pipelines from the water treatment plant, it has already picked up legions of minerals like calcium and magnesium from soil and rocks. The result is “hard water.” Nearly 85 percent of homes in America have been diagnosed with hard water. So when a shower is turned on in a bathroom, the dense mineral particles in hard water stick to the shower head, often clogging its nozzles or accumulating in a chalky gloop. Although there are scores of disinfectant cleaners available in the market, people on social media are obsessed with a kitchen staple that can decrust a cloggy showerhead effortlessly. The solution is vinegar, plus some baking soda.

“I will recommend cleaning your shower right early,” suggested the dermatologist Dr. Scott Walter (@denverskindoc), in a TikTok video. He said the reason he suggested regularly cleaning the shower head is “biofilms.” Biofilms are “bacterial colonies” resembling impenetrable fortresses, he described in a previous video. When this bacteria comes in contact with the shower, it gets aerosolized and triggers a series of problematic conditions in the lungs and skin. The recipe for cleaning this sticky layer, he said, includes white vinegar, baking soda, and soap as ingredients. One can simply dip the showerhead inside it or fill a Ziploc bag with this solution and tie it around the showerhead so the metal disc is completely submerged inside.

DIY experts of Hometalk @hometalk also endorsed the white vinegar trick to transform their metal shower into sparkling clean. In a video, they blended some vinegar and baking soda, filling it in a plastic bag. They tied the bag around the shower head and the grime was suddenly gone.

In another TikTok which has been viewed millions of times, content creator Aliain (@_aliain) demonstrated cleaning her hand shower using lemon vinegar with baking soda and soap. She detached the shower head, filled its pipe with vinegar, and kept shaking it for a few minutes. Then she sprayed some baking soda over the nozzles and washed it with soap and water. Brown liquid poured out from the shower, washing away the grime and leaving the nozzles clean and fresh. “There is also something refreshing about this,” she told the viewers.

At first, it might sound too simple that a cheap kitchen staple like vinegar can clean the stubborn dirt clogging showers. The secret lies in its chemical composition. Vinegar is nothing but a mixture of water and acetic acid. When it comes in contact with mineral deposits, which are mostly calcium carbonate, the acid reacts and produces calcium acetate, a salt that is soluble in water. When washed with water, the compound dissolves in water and the chalky layer simply melts away. When combined with baking soda, it also produces carbon dioxide bubbles, which further helps to siphon the encrusted dirt.

However, experts warn that some types of vinegar may leave stains on the metal after cleaning it. For instance, a UK-based company Mira Showers recommended not using malt vinegar or brown vinegar. White distilled vinegar is the best, they noted. Speaking to Architectural Digest, Theresa Choh-Lee, brand leader of Grohe, a bathroom solutions company, also gave a tip. Choh-Lee said the showerhead should be cleaned while the water is turned on, so the limescale is washed away with the dripping water. If you don’t have white vinegar, the website explains that apple cider vinegar works great too.

Alternatively, Real Simple suggests unclogging the nozzles with toothpicks or cleaning them with lemon juice paste. However, they advise against using vinegar on metal surfaces coated with chrome, gold, brass, or nickel, as the acid in vinegar can damage these materials. The goal ultimately is to revive the shower's shine without causing further harm.

You can follow Dr. Scott Walter (@denverskindoc), @Hometalk, and Aliain (@_aliain) on TikTok for more lifestyle hacks!