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My kitchen faucet spray pattern has gone a little haywire. It's not mineral deposit/build-up... I soak in vinegar solution a few times a year to prevent this. I think it happened when I used a scrubber pad on it, maybe a bit too hard? Not sure... anyhoo, is there a generally accepted approach to clean the nozzles and correct the spray pattern?

kitchen faucet spraying multiple directions

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  • More description of the problem and pictures from different angles would help - it's hard for me to figure out what you mean by "gone a little haywire" here. Also, what brand and model faucet do you have?
    – Armand
    Mar 14, 2022 at 18:24
  • You may need something like CLR™ (Calcium-Lime-Rust) to remove all the various deposits that have built up over time. I doubt you caused damage with a scrubber unless you bent/broke one of the little plastic nozzles.
    – FreeMan
    Mar 14, 2022 at 19:46
  • If I remember right it's a Moen (half-red/half-blue disk logo on it). I actually have pretty soft water...but it's possible that in brushing/scrubbing the silicon sprayer thing I dislodged something and it clogged up a few of the holes. I'll try some CLR...very unlikely it will help in this particular situation, but can't hurt, either.
    – AA040371
    Mar 14, 2022 at 22:30
  • @FreeMan, "...unless you bent/broke one of the little plastic nozzles." That's actually what I think happened...just hard to see for sure with old eyes :--/
    – AA040371
    Mar 14, 2022 at 22:32
  • Does it really matter if the spray doesn't come out exactly in the original pattern? Seems like a lot of worry about nothing...
    – FreeMan
    Mar 15, 2022 at 12:14

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I still suspect deposits or debris--not all of it may be calcium, so vinegar won't necessarily help. I'd pull it apart and backflush it.

Then, if you're convinced that the plastic nozzles are damaged, I'd find a piece of wire or a drill bit of just the hole size and gently ream each nozzle out, using a little force to straighten it as you do. They're soft plastic and should tolerate mild reshaping.

If that doesn't do it, look at ordering just that part from a plumbing supplier or the manufacturer.

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  • Yes, we have a fair amount of particulates in our city water that is not at all soluble in acid. The diffusers must be removed and physically cleaned.
    – blacksmith37
    Mar 14, 2022 at 21:48
  • @isherwood: "I'd pull it apart and backflush it." If I can, I'll do that... I was under impression that the handle/sprayer head was a sealed unit, i.e non-serviceable.
    – AA040371
    Mar 14, 2022 at 22:35
  • You'd have to look up the exact model you have, @mblatz01 to find instructions for it to figure that part out. Or, just replace the sprayer handle. While this answer may well take care of your issue (and has my vote), I wouldn't count on the cheap plastic sprayer disk to last forever or be that fixable. You may get it taken care of once, but probably not twice.
    – FreeMan
    Mar 15, 2022 at 12:14
  • It looks like a part or two of the spray head will come out with the appropriate (faucet aerator) key/wrench. They are little circular plastic doohickies I will have to order off of Amazon. I expect it to be straightforward at that point...whether or not it will actually fix, or help fix, the errant spray problem remains to be seen.
    – AA040371
    Mar 15, 2022 at 17:14

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