What is the best way to periodically clean shower heads of Mycobacteria?
I was told to dunk it in bleach. But when I contacted Speakman Shower heads they said their showerheads wouldn't tolerate that and they pretty much make the best and heaviest shower heads around. Many of solid brass with chrome.
They recommended vinegar treatment... but I was told that won't kill the Mycobacteria that can get aerosolized by the shower head.
Any recommendations anyone?
What do you use?
I soak it in white vinegar. I really don't think that mycobacter in the shower head of a domestic shower is much to worry about. I have had bronch all of my life and have never caught anything from a shower.
Having said that I don't like using showers in hotels and I NEVER sit in jacuzzis. They are pseudomonas soup.
Vinegar will get a lot but it will not kill mycobacteria.
I don't know why you are so worried about mycobacter in your shower. If I was you I wd do more reading about where it can be found. Happy Christmas I am going to spend my day not trying to help people for at least one day.
Science Daily says white vinegar does kill mycobacterium. Also ncbi.nim.nih.gov. I hope that might prove useful. Of course you will also have to clean plug holes, television remotes, phones, door handles, window sills. In fact anywhere that you touch or breathe over because this bug lives everywhere.
sciencedaily.com/releases/2...
probably ok for Mycobacterium avium but need stronger solution for Mycobacterium absescum
These fungal family diseases are tough to kill once they gain a foothold. If you have compromised lungs or immune system, once you get them you may never get rid of them and they are likely to compromise your life span.
The issue is shower head aerosolization. You just don't get that from television remotes, phones, door handles, window sills.
The moist environment of a shower head is a perfect breeding ground for them. It enables them to set up a protective biofilm. If any piece of that biofilm makes it into the lung on a water droplet and survives, you are in one heap of trouble.
Vinegar will clean away the limescale (which my phone doesn't recognise as a word but hopefully it is a word) but it doesn't kill bacteria. Are you in the UK? If so you can use Milton sterilising fluid. You dilute it in water then soak the shower head in it. It's not harmful to the shower head or to you 🚿
Milton sterilising fluid does not appear to claim it will kill spores, fungus or mycobateria.... all of which are pretty tough to kill as opposed to ordinary bacteria.
I kind of assumed Milton sterilising fluid kills all kinds of bacteria. 😮
It may, but I don't think we can assume that it does.
Just use the recommended bleach proportion to kill the germs and if it effects your shower head somehow eventually...buy another one.
I thought about that.
My sister tried that. She got a black cloud of stuff in the bleach.
We are not sure if that is good or bad.
If it is dissolved plastic, maybe not so good.
Are you going to end up aerosolizing plastic? Lol
Maybe I need to buy a brand new one and test it. If it generates a black cloud then we know it is the plastic, not mycobacteria.
I use 9% hydrogen peroxide from local chemist to kill bacteria, white vinegar to remove limescale and also pump steam through my shower head but I don't like showers much, prefer a relaxing bath. Interesting question cesanon.
If you keep your shower head clean (white viniger and lemon juice will remove lime scale and kill alot of bacteria.) Shurly thear will be no wear for the bacteria to colanise so wont become an issue, well thats what i would think.
Brass naturally repels bugs anyway, so not a worry if a bit of the chrome plating comes off when using bleach regularly.
1 that's good to know.
2 but what about the plastic?
Bleach does not break down plastic...notice it is full strength in plastic bottles. Just spray it down let sit a few minutes then give it a good rinse. The proportion of bleach to water to kill bacteria is pretty small. With a good rinse it is not going to do anything to your brass and chrome or whatever.
Anyone got any advice
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