How to De-Lime a Moen Shower Head

The acid in a lemon helps you clean away stubborn lime deposits.

If your Moen shower head is clogged or stained, it may be the result of hard water. Hard water is simply a water supply rich in mineral deposits. These mineral deposits don't hurt you, but they can wreak havoc on metal fixtures and bathroom surfaces. The North Carolina State University Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering notes that high amounts of magnesium and calcium in your water supply will leave lime scales on your Moen shower head. Fortunately, you don't have to replace a shower head clogged with lime deposits. You can de-lime your Moen products with household acid-based cleaners.

Things You'll Need

• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 quart water
• Large cooking pot
• 1 lemon
• Small bowl
• 2 washcloths
• Chlorine bleach
• Household cleanser

Instructions

1. Remove the shower head.

2. Put 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1 quart water in a large cooking pot. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Soak shower head in vinegar and water mixture for 10 to 15 minutes. Vinegar is acidic, and a mixture of hot water and vinegar helps loosen and dissolve lime stains.

3. Squeeze the juice from one lemon into a small bowl. Dampen a washcloth in water. Dip the washcloth into the lemon juice. Scrub the shower head with the washcloth if the vinegar and water mixture does not remove the stain.

4. Rinse off the lemon juice. Pat the shower head dry with a dry washcloth. Spray the shower head with chlorine bleach. Let the bleach sit for five to 10 minutes. Rinse away the bleach.

5. Scrub the shower head with a household cleaner that contains sequestering agents. Sequestering agents dissolve mineral deposits.

Tips & Warnings

• If cleaning the lime away from your shower head does not restore the item to its previous functional state, contact the manufacturer. Moen stands behinds its products and offers a limited lifetime guarantee for malfunctioning shower heads.

• If your Moen shower head has rust stains in addition to the lime deposits, clean away the rust with a cleaning solution of 10 parts water to one part oxalic acid.

• Scouring powders, while sometimes effective at cleaning away lime deposits, may scratch or otherwise damage your Moen shower head.

References

• North Carolina State University Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering: Removing Mineral Deposits From Household Surfaces
• Keene State College: Green Cleaning – Do-It-Yourself Safe Cleaning Solutions
• Moen: Lifetime Limited Warranty

Resources

• University of Nebraska: Water Nuisances
• Texas A & M University: Home Water Quality Problems – Causes and Treatments