Home Repair Question

[DontMindMe]

I like my apartment, but it's clear that the owner has never been interested in spending the money on basic maintenance. We had to have a handyman come and fix the gas heater** and the fact that we couldn't get hot water to come out of the bathroom sink. We assumed the sink issue was caused by a problem with the pipes because the water pressure was quite low, but actually, it was just that the faucet was so clogged with buildup and general grossness that not enough water could come out to make the hot water heater kick on. He unscrewed the end of the faucet with his hand, washed out that end piece and voila, great water pressure (double or more what it was before) and hot water.

Weeks later, this has me thinking about the bathtub and shower. The water pressure is quite low coming out of both the faucet and the shower head, which is unfortunate, because it's actually a pretty nice shower head. While hot water does come out, I can't help but think that there must be gunk and probably mineral buildup causing the low pressure, same as the sink. I did some Googling and it seems like a white vinegar soak or boil could do the trick. But I'm wondering what type of vinegar. I have some Menoyo brand vinagre de alcohol on hand, would this work? I've managed to unscrew the shower head and can submerge the whole thing, no problem. It's in pretty nasty shape. I actually just pulled some brown stuff out of two of the holes. :blink:

Any tips, tricks and/or vinegar recommendations are appreciated. Thanks!

**A word to the wise: It can be dangerous to use a gas heater that has not been properly maintained, and it's not always obvious if it's been properly maintained or not. The gasista told me it looked like no one had touched the thing since it was installed. The inside was covered in dirt, which was why we had so much trouble lighting the pilot light, and even having it stay lit sometimes. While repairing it, he pulled out a handful of what I can only describe as debris. Then he tested it to make sure there were no gas leaks using water, jabón blanco and a paintbrush. The soap will react if gas is leaking, apparently. This may be obvious to some, but it wasn't to us. I grew up with central heat and my husband didn't grow up with cold weather. We just thought our heater was old and made-in-Argentina typical crappy quality. It's still not the greatest, but it works just fine and more importantly, we know it's safe to use.

 

[RichardP]

I use a vinegar made specifically for cleaning in the US and the ingredients are; Acetic acid and water. The brand is Majestic. Maybe something similar exists in Argentina?

 

[gpop]

Vinegar has many uses. I use it to clean out the washing machine.Prolonged use of fabric softener, and a dark location will grow a kind of mold on the inside of the machine and it starts to appear in the wash as balls of tar-like, gummy black gunk. Every month I fill up the washing machine up with hot water and 1 or two bottles of vinegar, then run the cycle and manually strain out all the tar-balls that have been released from the machine.

Use it to clean vegetables and fruit. Add it to wash cycle and with white clothing. Cleans glass... there are many uses.

Coke is also better at cleaning than it is as a beverage. Cleans toilets, rust stains, etc. Since it has sugar content it should be rinsed afterwards.

 

[Hybrid Ambassador]

Using vinegar to clean window glass can have a catastrophic consequence to the unware birdies!
The other day, after cleaning the glass with vinegar and becoming so transparently clean that a birdie
did not see the glass and smacked pretty hard on the invisible surface and got knocked off. I picked her up
but took long time for her to resurrect from that incident..

 

[DontMindMe]

Well, I used that vinegar I had in the kitchen that's really made more for cooking than cleaning. I left the shower head soaking overnight and it didn't do anything. Today, I went to the chino and inspected the cleaning products to see if I could find any vinegar meant for cleaning. Nope, nothing.

Is there anything in Argentina that will clean the buildup on my shower head?? I Googled in Spanish and even the Argentine web sites say to use vinegar.

 

[nlaruccia]

I saw on Dr. Phil the the other day ketchup used to clean all the rust off pots and pans and toothpaste to clean silver jewelry.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

I like my apartment, but it's clear that the owner has never been interested in spending the money on basic maintenance. We had to have a handyman come and fix the gas heater** and the fact that we couldn't get hot water to come out of the bathroom sink. We assumed the sink issue was caused by a problem with the pipes because the water pressure was quite low, but actually, it was just that the faucet was so clogged with buildup and general grossness that not enough water could come out to make the hot water heater kick on. He unscrewed the end of the faucet with his hand, washed out that end piece and voila, great water pressure (double or more what it was before) and hot water.

Weeks later, this has me thinking about the bathtub and shower. The water pressure is quite low coming out of both the faucet and the shower head, which is unfortunate, because it's actually a pretty nice shower head. While hot water does come out, I can't help but think that there must be gunk and probably mineral buildup causing the low pressure, same as the sink. I did some Googling and it seems like a white vinegar soak or boil could do the trick. But I'm wondering what type of vinegar. I have some Menoyo brand vinagre de alcohol on hand, would this work? I've managed to unscrew the shower head and can submerge the whole thing, no problem. It's in pretty nasty shape. I actually just pulled some brown stuff out of two of the holes. :blink:

Any tips, tricks and/or vinegar recommendations are appreciated. Thanks!

**A word to the wise: It can be dangerous to use a gas heater that has not been properly maintained, and it's not always obvious if it's been properly maintained or not. The gasista told me it looked like no one had touched the thing since it was installed. The inside was covered in dirt, which was why we had so much trouble lighting the pilot light, and even having it stay lit sometimes. While repairing it, he pulled out a handful of what I can only describe as debris. Then he tested it to make sure there were no gas leaks using water, jabón blanco and a paintbrush. The soap will react if gas is leaking, apparently. This may be obvious to some, but it wasn't to us. I grew up with central heat and my husband didn't grow up with cold weather. We just thought our heater was old and made-in-Argentina typical crappy quality. It's still not the greatest, but it works just fine and more importantly, we know it's safe to use.

The soap water is just an easy way to test if there are any leaks. If there are any leaks,... you will see soap bubbles.

 

[DontMindMe]

Tomorrow I'll do a Coca Cola soak and see how that works. Gpop, if you see this and can tell me where you buy your cleaning vinegar and what exactly it's called here, I'd appreciate it.

 

[mc kenna]

Well, I used that vinegar I had in the kitchen that's really made more for cooking than cleaning. I left the shower head soaking overnight and it didn't do anything. Today, I went to the chino and inspected the cleaning products to see if I could find any vinegar meant for cleaning. Nope, nothing.

Is there anything in Argentina that will clean the buildup on my shower head?? I Googled in Spanish and even the Argentine web sites say to use vinegar.

Here's how i get rid of hard mineral deposits on my ''pava'',i use vinegar half vinegar half water and i also cut up at least 2 lemons.i bring it to a boil and then i turn the heat to med low and let it simmer for 3,4 or 5 hours depending on the thickness of the hard minerals on the bottom of the ''pava''.after 3 hours the deposits start to turn soft (you can check that with a fork or spoon)meanwhile as water and vinegar evaporates i keep adding until the deposits are really soft,i take it out and before it gets cold i scrape the sludge right out.I have ''saved'' many ''pavas'' in my day doing this(thicker i've done is 1/4 inch at the bottom),perhaps,you could use the same method taking apart as much as you can of that shower head.Lemons are vital for this task and vinegar to use is the cheapest you can find ,good luck,godspeed,make us proud,we are counting on you,god save the Queen,god bless America,and all the things we say when confronted with an unknown enemy

 

[Aleina Dee]

Try mixing vinegar with bicarb .First sprinkle on the bicarb then the vinegar. It will fizz up like Soda. Then stick the showerhead in a stainless steel pot with vinegar water and boil it up if it is a metal one. Plastic ones you just need to leave to soak.
Re "cleaning vinegar" no such animal. You will need to buy acetic acid and dilute it with water.. i dont thjnk it gives better results though,just less smelly.