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Clean/Decalcify a Shower Head - PEP BB plumbing.sand.cleanshowerhead

BB plumbing and hot water - sand badge
posted 1 year ago
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This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in Plumbing.

In this Badge Bit, you will clean/decalcify a shower head.  (Note that this BB is part of a 6-part choose your own adventure list BB called the Tiny List. You must complete six Badge Bits in the Tiny List.)



Some related articles
  - How to Clean the Shower Head with Vinegar
  - How to Unclog Your Shower Head While You Sleep
  - How to Clean a Shower head with Baking Soda and Vinegar
  - Explosive Shower head Cleaner









To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:
 - clean/decalcify a shower head

To show you've completed this Badge Bit, you must provide:
   - a before picture of the shower head
   - an in progress shot of you cleaning/decalcifying the shower head
   - an after picture of the newly cleaned/decalcified shower head
   - a description of the method for how the shower head was cleaned/decalcified
   - OR a 2-minute video of you doing this
COMMENTS:
 
Erik Pehoviack
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posted 10 months ago
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Approved BB submission
Our shower head wasn’t that bad, but I thought I’d give this BB part a shot. The steps were simple.
First, a shot of our shower head before cleaning.



I soaked the shower head in white vinegar to dissolve buildup. It worked well inside the holes but not so much on the surface. This is the same bag of vinegar I used for my aerator.



Then I used a stainless steel scrub brush to remove the dissolved minerals. I didn't want to mar the plastic so easy does it.



Testing the shower head after cleaning rinsed away the debris. As you can see I could have left it soak a bit longer but it was getting late and we both needed a shower!

Staff note (Mike Haasl) :

I hereby certify this BB complete!

 
Mike Haasl
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posted 6 months ago
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Approved BB submission
I cleaned the shower head tonight!  I did the bag of vinegar and then wiggled the rubber nipples to get the chunks off.
Before.jpg
Before
Before
Vinegar-in-a-baggie.jpg
Vinegar in a baggie
Vinegar in a baggie
Done-.jpg
Done!
Done!

"Hundreds of years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in or the type of car I drove... But the world may be different because I did something so bafflingly crazy that it becomes a tourist destination"

Staff note (paul wheaton) :

I certify that this BB is complete!

 
Carolyne Castner
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posted 4 months ago
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Approved BB submission
Cleaned the shower head yesterday while cleaning the sink aerators. It didn't have a lot of buildup, but had a lot of staining.

Soaked in 9% vinegar for about three hours (while working on a couch repair)

Massaged the rubber tips with my fingers after the soak; got quite a bit of hidden build-up from inside the nozzles and managed to remove most of the staining.

IMG_0224.jpg
Shower head with staining
Shower head with staining
IMG_0225.jpg
[Thumbnail for IMG_0225.jpg]
IMG_0231.jpg
[Thumbnail for IMG_0231.jpg]
IMG_0232.jpg
[Thumbnail for IMG_0232.jpg]
IMG_0249.jpg
Clean and not stained anymore
Clean and not stained anymore

I Solemnly Swear I am NOT the crazy cat lady!
*but not for a lack of trying!

Staff note (Mike Haasl) :

I certify this BB complete!

 
Claire Alexander
Posts: 11
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posted 4 months ago
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Approved BB submission
Cleaned the shower head in our guest bath for the he 1st time in 13 years!  Put the vinegar bag over it and cleaned it overnight.  Scrubbed it with a recycled toothbrush and voila!  Good as new!
IMG_20200709_205103326.jpg
Before
Before
IMG_20200709_205516617.jpg
During
During
IMG_20200709_205534581.jpg
During in profile
During in profile
IMG_20200710_085842578.jpg
After!
After!
Staff note (Mike Haasl) :

I certify this BB complete! Along with your new air badge in plumbing

 
Nicholas Molberg
Posts: 20
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posted 2 months ago
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Old showerhead, not been messed with since I moved in. Perfect time to clean it up!
IMG_20200916_154521750.jpg
Here it is, with the spray dial taken off.
Here it is, with the spray dial taken off.
IMG_20200916_155112486.jpg
A nice bath in apple cider vinegar. Just the dregs, not wasting my good stuff
A nice bath in apple cider vinegar. Just the dregs, not wasting my good stuff
IMG_20200918_164001195.jpg
Poured out a day later, and scrubbed in the sink.
Poured out a day later, and scrubbed in the sink.
IMG_20200918_164609217.jpg
Much nicer looking than when I started.
Much nicer looking than when I started.
IMG_20200918_164625658.jpg
Nothing is obstructed anymore.
Nothing is obstructed anymore.
Staff note (Mike Barkley) :

I certify this BB is complete.

 
Kevin Harbin
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posted 2 months ago
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Approved BB submission
Quick clean of a shower head with vinegar.

Children, Rabbits, Chickens, Bees

Staff note :

Certified

 
Ashley Cottonwood
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posted 2 months ago
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I like your videos Kevin!

~ Growing Sustainable Communities ~

 
Kevin Harbin
Posts: 49
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posted 2 months ago
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Ashley Cottonwood wrote:I like your videos Kevin!


Thanks!

Children, Rabbits, Chickens, Bees

 
Rebecca Blake
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posted 2 months ago
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Approved BB submission
I soaked the shower head in vinegar by tying a bag of vinegar to it then scrubbed with a brush immediately after removing the bag.

Edit: Cleaner be ware, I hate how the water flows out of this shower head now! Hah.
Dirty-Showerhead.jpg
[Thumbnail for Dirty-Showerhead.jpg]
bag-of-vinegar.jpg
[Thumbnail for bag-of-vinegar.jpg]
Clean-Showerhead.jpg
[Thumbnail for Clean-Showerhead.jpg]

Hill Country Dream: Pending

Staff note :

Certified complete

 
Ash Jackson
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posted 2 months ago
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I used the "take the shower head off and dunk it in pure vinegar for twenty minutes" method.
IMG_20201003_180724_1.jpg
Before
Before
IMG_20201003_181005.jpg
Dunked
Dunked
IMG_20201003_192934_1.jpg
After
After

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Staff note (Mike Haasl) :

I certify this BB complete!

 
Julie Harris
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posted 4 weeks ago
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Showerhead was surprisingly ugly beforehand (oh, the things we don't notice!).  Soaked it in white vinegar with the showerhead down, in a bag in the sink.  Left it about an hour or so.  Scrubbed off the remainder with an old toothbrush.
showerhead-01.jpg
Before
Before
showerhead-02.jpg
Trying to get it attached on the shower; couldn't get it right
Trying to get it attached on the shower; couldn't get it right
showerhead-03.jpg
Took the showerhead off and soaking in the bag of vinegar in the sink
Took the showerhead off and soaking in the bag of vinegar in the sink
showerhead-04.jpg
Using old toothbrush to brush off what's left
Using old toothbrush to brush off what's left
showerhead-05.jpg
All clean!
All clean!

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing.

Staff note (Mike Barkley) :

I certify this BB is complete.

 
Leigh Tate
author & gardener
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posted 2 weeks ago
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Approved BB submission
Today, I made a start on my plumbing sand badge. I have to say that until this badge bit, I never thought to even look at our shower head, let alone clean it. I was shocked at how gross it was!

Gross before photo. YUK!

I used the vinegar and baggy method because it was so easy and simple.

I left it to soak about three hours, then scrubbed it with an old toothbrush.

Nowhere near new, but much, much better.

My other surprise was to discover that our shower head is not metal, but rather chrome-colored painted plastic! I learned this when I tried to scrub some of the ickiest spots and the paint came off. You can actually see the white plastic in places in the last photo.

That's one of the things I love about the PEP program, I'm learning interesting things and invaluable skills by doing seemingly simple tasks.

Blog: https://www.5acresandadream.com/
Books: http://kikobian.com/

Staff note (gir bot) :

Mike Haasl approved this submission.

 
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