Question about cleaning showerhead?

[jodi]

I tried looking this up on some past posts about the magical cleaning powers of vinegar, but I could not find anything that really related. Does anyone have any ideas on how to clean out a showerhead when the holes are clogged? I have an awesome metal massaging showerhead that I found at a garage sale years ago for $2. It worked fine when we lived in the city (public water), but as soon as we moved back out to the country it clogged up. Now we are using a cheap plastic one that I hate. I would love to revive the old one and am hoping someone has an idea for how to clean it (vinegar and baking soda? straight vinegar?)
Thanks!
jodi

[34saving]

Straight vinegar. Soak it if need be.

[djaco]

I soak mine in a bucket of bleach + water (about a cup of bleach to a gallon of water) for 1/2 hour or so. Then I turn on the shower and use a toothpick to poke the clogged holes. This has always worked well for me. Hope it helps.

[flash]

Did the vinegar work? IF not, I'll send some ideas. Benefits of being married to a chemist.

[jodi]

I soaked it in straight vinegar overnight. You should have seen the gunk floating in that vinegar when I was done! So the holes in the showerhead now appear to be clear. The water is coming out fine, but the water pressure seems to be a lot less than it used to be. Now, that could simply be a problem of a faulty memory, or change in water pressure at our house...especially since the holes no longer appear to be plugged up. I don't know if there could be more residue still inside??? But anyway, it's definitely better than the showerhead we had!