The scene repeats itself every morning in thousands of Italian bathrooms and beyond: we enter the shower asleep, the hot water wakes up definitively and everything seems perfect, until we realize that a small swimming pool is being formed at our feet. The water stagnates, the exhaust struggle and we take it with the plumber that has installed the shower tray badly. But the truth is another: we are the culprits.
The shower tray filter is the great forgotten of domestic cleaning. We ignore it for weeks, months, sometimes whole years, even if every day we entrust him with the ungrateful task of collecting hair, hair, soap residues, shampoo and conditioner, a tremendous mixture that over time will become a barrier that is difficult to circumvent from the water.
The ignored signals
The problem always begins in the same way. First the water flows a little more slowly than usual. “It will be the imagination,” we think. Then comes that light unpleasant smell that climbs from the exhaust. “We open the window and will pass,” we tell each other. Then when, during the shower, the water finally came to the ankles, perhaps we will be caught by a very light suspicion and we will do it prodigant by running for cover with aggressive chemicals that promise miracles. But now the damage is done.
It is often told, in the hydraulic sector, of interventions required by customers in despair because the water of the shower tray no longer flows; Once on the spot, just unscrew the filter to find tangles of hair similar to a wig, a problem that could be avoided with a simple weekly cleaning.
The cleaning that nobody wants to do
Let’s face it: cleaning the shower filter is not pleasant. It requires to kneel on the wet shower tray, armed with rubber gloves, and face what has accumulated in the previous weeks. But it is precisely this reluctance that creates the greatest problems.
The procedure is as simple as effective. Remove the upper grid (it is usually just lifting it or unscrewed), the internal filter is extracted and everything that has deposited has been eliminated. A five -minute operation that can avoid both flooding and expensive calls to hydraulic.
The most common mistakes
In addition to ignoring regular cleaning, there are other errors that we make almost all of us. We use excessive quantities of hair products that solidify in the exhaust, we drop Cotton swabs, the elastic hair and small caps of bottles that end up blocking the outflow. Some think that pouring hot water solves the whole problem, when in reality it would create another, because the PVC pipes could be damaged.
In short, when to clean the shower filter? It depends on the situation: the frequency of cleaning depends on how many people use the shower and the length of the hair. In a family of four, all strictly with long hair, the filter should be checked every week. For those who live alone and have short hair, it can be enough every two weeks.
The prevention that really works
In addition to what has just been said, there is some small tricks that can make the difference:
The cost of postponing
Neglecting filter maintenance can lead to truly expensive consequences, not to mention the problems related to bad smell.
The clogged pipes can cause flooding, damage to the ceiling of the neighbor below, proliferation of mold and bad persistent smells. Remember that a repair of a certain entity can cost hundreds of euros, while prevention requires only a little constancy.
The next time the shower water should flow slowly, do not wait: wear the gloves, remove the filter and dedicate those five minutes of attention. Your wallet will thank you.
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