Great point about corrosion—ever checked if the showerhead's rubber nozzles are clogged with mineral deposits? Had that happen once, caused water to spray sideways. A quick soak in vinegar sorted it out for me...maybe worth a try?
Good tip about the vinegar soak, but have you checked if the showerhead itself is screwed on tightly enough? When I moved into my first place, I had a similar issue—water spraying everywhere except straight down. Thought it was clogged nozzles too, but after soaking it in vinegar (which did help a bit), it still wasn't perfect. Turned out the showerhead just wasn't tightened properly onto the pipe. A quick twist with a wrench (wrapped in a towel to avoid scratching) sorted it right out. Have you tried tightening yours yet? Might save you some hassle if mineral buildup isn't the main culprit...
The vinegar trick and tightening the showerhead are both solid suggestions, but sometimes it's actually the washer or rubber gasket inside that's causing the chaos. Had a similar scenario with mine—vinegar soak and wrench-tightening didn't quite do the trick. Thought I was losing it until I took the head off completely and saw that little rubber washer was cracked and warped. Swapped it out for a new one (they're super cheap at any hardware store), popped everything back together, and suddenly my shower remembered how gravity works. Might be worth checking yours if tightening doesn't sort things out... you never know, sometimes it's the simplest, smallest part causing the biggest headache.
Did you notice if the washer looked obviously damaged before you replaced it? I've always been skeptical about swapping parts without clear signs they're faulty... feels like throwing money away sometimes. But if it's really that cheap, maybe I'll give it a shot. Did you just eyeball the size or take the old one to match at the store? I'm not exactly handy, so details help.
"Did you notice if the washer looked obviously damaged before you replaced it?"
Honestly, mine didn't look obviously messed up either. I was skeptical too, felt like I was just tossing cash at a guess... but it was cheap enough that curiosity won out. Took the old washer with me to the store—figured eyeballing it would just lead to another trip back (been there, done that). Surprisingly, it worked. Shower's behaving now, at least until the next DIY disaster hits...
