How to Clean the Kitchen Faucet Cartridges in 9 Simple Steps

Have you detected a leaking kitchen faucet, or have the handles stopped turning properly? The underlying reason for this might be a buildup of sediment and hard water deposits in the faucet cartridge. While you might opt for a moen 1224 cartridge replacement, you can also consider cleaning the kitchen faucet cartridge.

Things You Need 

If you don’t want to call the plumber, you can do the cleaning yourself in the following easy steps:

You will need a couple of tools for this job: an open-ended wrench; probably, an Allen wrench, a bucket of clean water, a screwdriver, a towel, a plastic bowl, and an extra pair of hands. 

Cleaning the Kitchen Faucet Cartridges in 9 Simple Steps

1. First things first, make sure to turn off the water supply valves located under the sink. To close the valves, turn them clockwise. Subsequently, turn on both the cold and hot water taps to drain all excess water from the faucet.
2. Afterward, turn the taps back to the off-position. At this point, it might be a good idea to block the water drain, which will prevent any small parts from falling into it. That said, you might want to place a towel behind the faucet to avoid any leaking water. 
3. The next step involves the removal of the faucet handles. Faucet handles can differ according to their models, but a screw typically attaches these. If there is a decorative button or cap on the handle, remove that off first to get to the screws.
4. If there is another trim, remove that to reach the kitchen faucet cartridge. Now, loosen that cartridge assembly with the wrench and remove it. It doesn’t matter what kind of kitchen faucet cartridge you have; the cleaning process is the same for all models. 
5. Now, it would be a good time to use that extra pair of hands. Put the plastic bowl (upside down) over the faucet hole to direct the water sprat towards the drain. Meanwhile, ask your helper to turn on the hot water supply valve under the sink while you hold the bowl.
6. Rinse the cartridges by placing them one after the other in the bucket of clean water. Let the hot water run for a few seconds so that any debris will flush out of the faucet or water line. Once this is done, turn off the hot water supply and repeat the same process for the cold water. 
7. Twist the stem to open and close the cartridges. We recommend placing the handle on temporarily to move the cartridges. Now, reinsert the cartridges and reassemble the handles. While reinserting and reassembling the cartridges, try not to over-tighten the cartridge assembly.
8. You might want to stop when you feel friction; otherwise, you could damage the kitchen faucet. If you detect that the kitchen faucet handles are working in reverse, you might have placed the cartridges on the wrong sides. If this happens, all you have to do is take them back put and switch them. 
9. Lastly, reopen the water supply valves and turn on the taps.