You Should Be Cleaning Your Shower Head Often. Here's Why.

When was the last time you cleaned your shower head? It might be something you rarely think about, let alone do. But your shower head works hard. It's pumping out water for you every time you take a shower, no matter what. While the water stops running through it when you shut it off, there's still moisture in there — a perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew, according to the Shower Remedy. So, what happens if you've never cleaned your shower head? The water you use when you shower is passing through that mold and mildew before it reaches you. 

If you've noticed it's not spraying as well as it used to, it could be clogged. The reduction in water pressure is annoying, but the mold and mildew could be harmful to your health. A 2018 study found an abundance of bacteria in shower heads after collecting 656 biofilm samples from shower heads in the United States and Europe. Researchers discovered almost 200 different species of bacteria. While most of that bacteria isn't harmful, WebMD points out that it could give you a respiratory or lung infection. 

Get cleaning for better water pressure and to eliminate that bacteria, so you don't have even a tiny chance of getting a respiratory infection. Here's how. 

The good news is that cleaning your shower head is easy. According to Better Homes and Gardens, you just need a gallon-sized plastic bag, a rubber band, and distilled white vinegar. First, wrap the rubber band around the pipe just behind your shower head. Next, fill up the gallon-sized plastic bag with the distilled white vinegar. Finally, secure the bag with the rubber band so your shower head is submerged in the vinegar. Allow this to soak for about an hour.

Once the hour is up, remove the bag. Insider recommends using an old toothbrush to scrub the outside of the shower head where calcium can build up. Then turn on the hot water to rinse. The vinegar soak should get rid of all that mold and mildew inside the shower head. Finally, use a microfiber cloth to wipe down your shower head. Do this once a month to keep your shower head clean.