In short
- Before reaching for the vinegar, read the instructions: Grohe and Hansgrohe advise against vinegar and acidic products on their taps, which can dull or damage the chrome.
- On a showerhead with soft nozzles, simply rubbing with a finger knocks the limescale off.
- The aerator of the mixer tap unscrews: soak its taken-apart pieces for 15 minutes in vinegar or citric acid, then rinse and refit.
- The body of the mixer tap is cleaned with soapy water and a soft cloth, never with an abrasive sponge.
- A showerhead with a weak flow isn’t always scaled: many have a flow limiter.
The shower spray goes in all directions, the pressure has dropped, and the basin tap sputters? Limescale has been at work. The good news is that showerheads and aerators can be descaled in a few minutes. The bad news is that the “soak everything in vinegar” reflex can damage a quality tap. Here’s how to do things in the right order.
Why do showerheads and mixer taps get scaled up?
Each time you use them, a little water stays in the showerhead nozzles and in the tap’s aerator. As it dries, it leaves behind the limescale it contained. The harder your local water, the faster these deposits build up, until they block some of the holes: the spray becomes uneven and the flow drops.
What do your tap’s instructions say?
This is the point most tips forget. The two big German manufacturers are very clear:
- Grohe advises against, for its taps, cleaners based on solvents or acids, limescale removers, and products containing vinegar or acetic acid: they can attack, dull or scratch the surfaces. For routine care it recommends a little soap and a damp cloth, and a product from its own range for stubborn limescale. Damage caused by unsuitable cleaning isn’t covered by its warranty.
- Hansgrohe asks you to use only products designed for taps and hand showers, and rules out those based on hydrochloric acid, concentrated caustic soda, formic acid or acetic acid (vinegar is a solution of it).
If you’re hesitating between the two brands for your next tap, here is our Grohe vs Hansgrohe comparison. Either way, keep your model’s instructions close at hand: they are the final word.
How do you descale a showerhead?
1. Soft nozzles: a quick rub with a finger
Many recent showerheads have silicone nozzles. Just run your finger over them to knock the limescale off. Do it regularly, for example once a week in the shower: it is by far the gentlest method, and it stops you from ever needing to descale.
2. A plastic showerhead: soaking
For an all-plastic showerhead, with no instruction to the contrary in the manual, soaking is still possible:
- unscrew the showerhead from the hose;
- soak it in lukewarm water with 2 to 3 tablespoons of citric acid, for 30 minutes to an hour;
- brush the nozzles with an old toothbrush, then rinse thoroughly with clean water.
Diluted vinegar works too. Avoid neat vinegar, however, and overnight soaking on a metal or chrome showerhead: they can damage the coating and the seals.
3. A fixed showerhead that doesn’t unscrew
For a wall-mounted shower head, the trick is to bring the liquid to the showerhead: fill a plastic bag with the descaling solution, slip it around the showerhead and hold it with a rubber band. Same precautions as above: check the instructions and limit the contact time on a chrome showerhead.
How do you descale the mixer tap’s aerator?
The aerator is the small end piece screwed onto the tap spout. It contains a screen that clogs easily. The advantage is that it comes apart: only its pieces soak, not the tap.
- Protect the tap spout with a cloth so you don’t scratch the chrome.
- Unscrew the aerator by hand, or with pliers over the cloth.
- Take it apart: it usually separates into three parts, a screen, a coupling nut and a sealing ring.
- Soak the pieces for about 15 minutes in vinegar, or in half a tablespoon of citric acid dissolved in 100 ml (about 1/2 cup) of hot water, until the limescale dissolves.
- Rinse with clean water and put everything back together, without forgetting the sealing ring.
And the body of the mixer tap?
For the tap itself, stay gentle: a little soap, a damp cloth, a rinse with clean water, then wipe dry. No abrasive sponge, no scouring powder, no steel wool: the micro-scratches they leave are permanent. For stubborn limescale, use the product recommended by your tap’s manufacturer.
To choose the right product for each surface, here is our guide to vinegar, baking soda, soda crystals and percarbonate.
How much does it cost?
Almost nothing if you already have what you need. Prices noted at Castorama (France) in October 2026:
- Household white vinegar 14°: about €4.50 a liter.
- Citric acid: about €9.70 for 400 g, enough for many descaling jobs.
Prices vary from store to store: check them before you buy.
How can you stop the limescale coming back?
- Rub the showerhead nozzles with your fingertips once a week.
- Wipe the tap after use: without drops drying on it, there are no white marks. It’s the same logic as the squeegee for keeping a glass shower screen free of streaks.
- If the water is very hard where you live, the problem will keep coming back everywhere: treating the water at the source, for example with a magnetic limescale reducer, may be worth it.
Frequently asked questions
My showerhead has a weak flow: is it necessarily limescale?
Not necessarily. Many recent showerheads and aerators have a flow limiter to save water (for example 5 to 9 liters per minute at Hansgrohe). If the nozzles are clean and the spray is even, the flow is probably normal.
Vinegar or citric acid?
Both are acids that dissolve limescale. Citric acid doesn’t have the smell of vinegar and is easy to measure out as a powder. On a branded tap, the question doesn’t arise: follow the instructions.
Can I soak the whole tap?
No. Only the taken-apart pieces of the aerator soak. The body of the mixer tap is cleaned with soap and a cloth, without acid.
This article is part of our guide to cleaning your bathroom and toilet naturally, with the full daily, weekly and monthly routine.
So, team finger-on-the-nozzles or team big soak? Share your method in the comments, especially if your water is as hard as they say where you live.