How to clean the faucet aerator of your basin, sink or tub

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  • OVERALL DIFFICULTY INDEX: 1/10
  • IF YOU HAVE NO TOOLS, YOU PAY $5 TO GET THEM FOR THIS JOB
  • IF YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE YOU SPEND 2 MINUTES TO CARRY OUT THIS JOB
  • NO SAFETY ISSUES RELATED TO THIS TASK
BEFORE YOU START
  • You might need pliers the first time to unscrew the aerator. See below how to tighten it by hand to avoid using a tool upon the next intervention.
  • The time indicated above does not take into account the waiting time described below which is of 15 to 30 minutes.
DISCLAIMER:
Our pictorials are of informative nature and do illustrate works carried out by ourselves at our own premises for our own use and satisfaction.
Readers who envisage to carry out similar works inspired by the below method shall do this at their own risks and liability.

What are faucet aerators and what are they used for?

Faucet aerators are commonly but wrongly called faucet filters, since they actually don't filter anything, rather mix air and water, thus the name "aerator". Because of their structure made of several layers of wire meshes and a perforated water diffuser, they do look like filters and hold some debris, but it's not their purpose.
The air-water mixture leads to a smooth and controlled water jet coming out of your tap's end.
It's a "lighter" water resulting from the presence of air.
The other advantage of a faucet aerator, which you can't feel or measure with your bare hands, is the water consumption reduction since the aerator slows the water flow.
Now that you understand the importance of this small device called tap aerator, you also understand why it should remain clean and free from debris.

What are the clogged Faucet Aerator Symptoms?

Depending on the quality of your tap water, faucet aerators will little by little accumulate scale, then dirt will build-up on this scale and debris from your pipes will be trapped in it, etc. which partially cloggs the aerator.
As a result:
  • Water will no more flow smoothly
  • Uneven jet or more than one water jet are seen.
  • The jet itself turns transparent (instead of white) because water is no more mixed with air.
  • You could face splashes and water drops flying out of your basin due uneven distribution of pressure.
This tap aerator looks like being dirty enough not to work properly anymore, a picture taken with the flash turned on immediately shows the above described problem:

Faucet aerator removal and cleaning with vinegar

You cannot clean your faucet aerator without removing it from the mixer tap.
You might need pliers or a special tool, or else it will unscrew with your bare fingers.
Be careful not to damage the chrome if you use pliers. Insert a piece of paper or carton in between your pliers and the aerator,
Take out the faucet tip and start by washing it with water to remove any stuck particles.
Note: some aerators appear like if they cannot be removed, but this is not the case.
Any faucet aerator can be removed, with some models requiring a special tool like the ones shown here, and where the plastic part is to be unscrewed alone, the chrome part being an integral part of the the head. You may click on these images to visit our partners' stores and buy the tool.

Aerator keys are not standard, make sure to select the one that fits your tap model.
Use your finger to separate the aerator from the chrome ring and drop both into a small jar filled with white white vinegar:
Leave them for 15 minutes at least before brushing them with an old toothbrush and washing them thoroughly under the water until no scale or dirt or solid particles are left.
If you aerator is made of several layers of parts, you need indeed to make sure that each part is properly cleaned.
You may also replace your faucet aerator with a new one if your tap mixer is more than 10 years old. 
See further below for buying a set of new aerators.
Now refit the tap "filter" and enjoy again a white and smooth water jet with plenty of air bubbles coming out of the aerator as shown in this picture:

Water consumption reduction from tap

In case your tap is not equipped with a fine mesh aerator, or if you wish to replace the whole faucet aerator instead of cleaning it, you can chose to fit a water saving aerator that drastically reduces the water consumption. You can buy here a complete set that allows you to replace all the aerators of your house; some provide a plastic aerator tool to safely unscrew them from the faucets, without risking any damage:

See also our other tutorials in relation with taps and faucets...

...and buy more aerators and accessories from our partners' stores: