There is an inherent problem with the design of shower heads. Not some of them, all of them. The problem is that their very design creates the ideal circumstances for mold to thrive within them, internally, in areas that you cannot access for cleaning.<\/p>\n
A bathtub faucet or kitchen sink tap is simply just a shaped pipe that allows water to flow through them. When you turn the water off, the pipe mouths quickly dry, thanks to their relatively wide shape and local airflow.<\/p>\n
Showerheads, however, are complex workings of intricate inner channels and nozzles, designed to break the water flow into spray patterns that end users find desirable. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
These channels are all inside the showerhead and get little airflow. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The channels can never really dry out completely, and over time, that interal dampness allows bacteria and mold\u2014including the dreaded black mold–to thrive. In this shot of a showerhead that has been cut open by a saw, a lot of what you see is the detritus of the cut plastic, but you can also see the brown stuff.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
And deeper inside the head, you find this:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n