How often should you clean a faucet aerator?
Updated July 2026
Unscrew and clean a faucet aerator every 6 to 12 months, and lean toward every 3 to 6 months on hard water or a private well. The aerator is the small screened tip that mixes air into the stream; mineral scale, sand, and pipe grit collect on its screen and disc, which weakens the flow, splits it into a spray, or sends it shooting off at an angle. Before you blame a $200 faucet, unscrew the tip, because a two-minute clean fixes most of these complaints.
What changes the interval
| Your situation | Interval | Why |
|---|---|---|
| City water, softened | Every 12 months | Low mineral load, so the screen clogs slowly |
| Moderately hard city water | Every 6 months | Scale builds on the screen at a steady pace |
| Hard water, no softener | Every 3–4 months | Calcium deposits choke the disc quickly |
| Private well | Every 3–6 months | Sand and sediment clog aerators faster than city water |
| After plumbing work or a pipe repair | Clean right after | Disturbed lines flush grit and scale into the aerator |
| Flow suddenly weak at one faucet | Clean it now | A clogged aerator mimics low pressure at a single fixture |
The cost of skipping it
What skipping it costs: nothing catastrophic, which is why people ignore it, but a scaled aerator quietly convinces homeowners the faucet is failing. A restricted stream feels like low water pressure, splashes the counter, and pushes people to replace a perfectly good $100 to $300 faucet or call a plumber for a $100 to $200 visit that ends in a two-minute cleaning. Left long enough, hardened scale seizes the aerator into the spout so it will not unscrew without penetrating oil or a new fixture. See the cost of ignoring a dripping faucet for the related plumbing math.
How to do it (5 minutes · DIY, no tools)
- Turn the faucet off and close the drain stopper so nothing small falls in.
- Unscrew the aerator by hand (looking up at it, turn it toward you); use tape-wrapped pliers if it is stuck.
- Note the order of the parts as they come apart: screen, disc, and washer.
- Rinse out the grit, then soak the parts in white vinegar for 10–30 minutes to dissolve scale.
- Scrub the screen with an old toothbrush and poke any clogged holes clear.
- Reassemble in the same order, hand-tighten back onto the spout, and run water to check for a clean, straight stream.
Knowing the interval is the easy half. OnOtto reminds you at the right interval, and it won't let you snooze it into next year. Tasks persist until they're done, and completing aerator cleanings schedules the next one automatically.
Put this on autopilot, free for 30 daysFrequently asked questions
How do I know it is the aerator and not low water pressure?
Test one fixture against the rest. If only one faucet has weak or sideways flow while every other tap and shower runs fine, the aerator or the faucet cartridge is the culprit, not house pressure. Unscrew the aerator and run the faucet without it: if the flow surges back to normal, the aerator was clogged. If it is still weak with the aerator off, look further upstream at the cartridge or supply valves. Genuine whole-house low pressure shows up at every fixture at once.
Should I clean or just replace the aerator?
Clean first, replace if it fights back. A vinegar soak and a scrub restores most aerators for free, and it is worth doing before spending anything. Replace the aerator when the screen is torn, the threads are stripped, or scale has fused it beyond cleaning; a new one is only $2 to $10 and screws right on, just match the size and thread (male or female). Keep the old one until the new aerator is on so you can match the exact type at the store.
My aerator is stuck and will not unscrew. What now?
Scale has cemented the threads. Wrap the aerator in a cloth or tape to protect the finish, then grip it with slip-joint pliers and turn slowly; heat from a hair dryer or a soak in warm vinegar around the base helps break the mineral bond. If it still will not budge, do not force it hard enough to crack the spout: a replacement aerator is a couple of dollars, but a snapped faucet is a $100 to $300 fixture. Patience and vinegar win most of these.