How to clean decades of heavy buildup on bathroom hardware

1. 1
   Hiring a house cleaner to deep clean the home

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2. 2
   Using Viakal spray

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3. 3
   Soaking the shower head in CLR or vinegar using a bag secured with a rubber band overnight

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4. 4
   Buying a replacement shower head instead of cleaning it

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5. 5
   Soaking the shower head in water with citric acid

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6. 6
   Diluting bleach in water, letting it soak for 10 minutes, and scrubbing with a brush

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7. 7
   Making a paste with hydrogen peroxide and baking soda and scrubbing with a toothbrush

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8. 8
   Regrouting

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9. 9
   Using multi-purpose surface cream cleaner (Jif)

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10. 10
    vinegar soak with bicarbonate soda

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11. 11
    powdered comet and damp magic erasers

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12. 12
    barkeeper's friend with dawn

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13. 13
    soft scrub with bleach

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14. 14
    Lysol spray with hydrogen peroxide

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15. 15
    diluted bleach solution soak

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16. 16
    Drano applied with a sponge

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17. 17
    Using baking soda and vinegar

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18. 18
    Using store-bought green drop-in drain sticks

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19. 19
    Dropping septic enzymes down the sink overnight

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20. 20
    Applying citric acid overnight

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21. 21
    Dismantling and manually cleaning the U-bend / P-trap pipework

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22. 22
    Using a pressure washer hose

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23. 23
    Using a plunger

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24. 24
    Rubbing alcohol

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25. 25
    Rust remover

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26. 26
    Barkeeper's Friend powder with an old toothbrush

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27. 27
    Using rubbing alcohol to dissolve hard-to-remove sticky gunk

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28. 28
    Using a magic eraser with soft scrub and bleach

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29. 29
    Using toilet bowl cleanser for very bad sinks

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30. 30
    wrapping paper towels soaked in white vinegar around the taps and leaving them for an hour

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31. 31
    cleaning more frequently

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32. 32
    Scrubbing with soap and an old toothbrush dipped in bleach

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33. 33
    Soaking toilet paper in bleach and leaving it pressed against the mold for 4 to 8 hours

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34. 34
    Wrapping vinegar-soaked rags or paper towels around the area

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35. 35
    Spraying white wine vinegar, leaving it to soak, and wiping

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36. 36
    trying baking soda paste

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37. 37
    using Bar Keepers Friend

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38. 38
    applying CLR

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39. 39
    spraying and scrubbing repeatedly

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40. 40
    using Oxiclean with hot water and a sponge

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41. 41
    making a thin paste of Oxiclean and letting it sit overnight

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42. 42
    applying 40 volume or stronger cream developer with an activator packet

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43. 43
    trying a scale remover

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In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.