Clean Aerators on All Your Faucets

Water pressure drops without warning. The bathroom sink that used to fill a glass in three seconds now takes eight. The kitchen faucet sprays sideways. Before you call a plumber or suspect pipe problems, check the aerator—that coin-sized screen at the tip of every faucet. These mesh filters catch sediment and shape your water stream, but they also trap mineral deposits, rust particles, and calcium buildup. Most homeowners never clean them. Most should clean them twice a year. Cleaning aerators restores full water pressure, eliminates spray irregularities, and costs nothing beyond fifteen minutes per faucet. The process is identical whether you're working on a kitchen sink, bathroom vanity, or utility room tap. You'll need basic tools, white vinegar, and a system for keeping tiny parts organized. This is maintenance that pays immediate dividends—strong, even water flow from every tap in your house.

1. Map every faucet first. Walk through your home and locate every faucet aerator—kitchen, bathrooms, laundry, basement, outdoor spigots with threaded tips. Take a phone photo of each one before touching it. These photos become your reassembly reference, showing which direction threads face and how components stack. Mark the faucet location on each photo.
2. Loosen with patience, not force. Try unscrewing by hand first, turning counterclockwise when looking down at the faucet. If it won't budge, wrap the aerator housing with a rubber band or cloth, then grip with adjustable pliers. Apply steady pressure—don't wrench hard enough to scratch chrome or brass finishes. If it's stuck from years of deposits, apply penetrating oil around the threads and wait five minutes before trying again.
3. Lay parts in order. Work over a white plate or towel. Separate the aerator into individual pieces—typically an outer housing, a screen, a flow restrictor disk, and one or two rubber washers. Arrange them in order of removal, left to right. Some aerators have multiple screens stacked together. Keep everything in sequence so reassembly follows the same pattern.
4. Let vinegar do the work. Fill a shallow bowl with undiluted white vinegar and submerge all metal screens and plastic parts. Skip the rubber washers—vinegar can degrade them. Let everything soak for thirty minutes minimum, or up to two hours for heavily calcified aerators. The acetic acid dissolves calcium carbonate, lime scale, and rust without damaging metal or plastic components.
5. Inspect every screen carefully. Remove parts from vinegar and scrub each screen with an old toothbrush under running water. Pay attention to the mesh—brush from multiple angles to dislodge trapped particles. Inspect screens for tears or permanent deformation. Check rubber washers for cracks or hardening. If any component is damaged beyond cleaning, note the aerator size and buy a replacement at the hardware store before reassembling.
6. Clear the line first. Before putting the aerator back, turn on the faucet for ten seconds to flush any loosened sediment from the supply line. Let water run into the sink at full pressure. This clears debris that would otherwise immediately clog your freshly cleaned aerator. You'll often see discolored water or small particles flow out.
7. Stack and hand-tighten. Stack components in reverse order of disassembly, using your photos as reference. Make sure rubber washers sit flat in their grooves. Hand-thread the aerator back onto the faucet, turning clockwise. Tighten snugly by hand, then give it a quarter-turn with cloth-wrapped pliers if needed. Don't overtighten—you'll crack plastic housings or make the next removal impossible.
8. Verify pressure and alignment. Turn on each faucet and let it run for thirty seconds. Check that water flows straight and strong, with no sideways spray or sputtering. Inspect the aerator connection for leaks while water runs. Adjust spray pattern if the aerator has a swivel feature. If pressure is still weak after cleaning, the problem lies elsewhere in your plumbing—probably a clogged supply line or failing valve cartridge.