What is a shower filter, and what exactly does it filter out? Before spending time and money installing a shower filter, it’s important to understand what it does and doesn’t do and how it differs from a home filtration system.
Shower filters remove harmful chemicals like chlorine from your water, which can help protect your hair and skin from irritation and damage. If you’ve swum in a pool, you know how bad your hair and skin feel afterwards. Chemicals like chlorine strip the precious natural oils that your hair and skin rely on for daily health. If you suffer from very dry or itchy skin, acne, or eczema or are susceptible to skin infections, your skin can benefit from a shower filter.
In addition, if you have dry or brittle hair, split ends, or frequently colour your hair or use straightening treatments like keratin, you may want to consider installing a shower filter so that your hair isn’t exposed to chlorine every time you bathe. Even if you aren’t washing your hair, the chlorine is still in the air, ultimately landing on your hair.
In addition to chlorine, shower filters can help remove contaminants like lead, bacteria, fluoride, some scale, and sulfur odour. People whose houses rely on well water can benefit from shower filters as well water often has an unpleasant sulfur smell.
Shower filters come in many different models. One option is installing a showerhead with a built-in filter. Other filters require you to install a small chamber onto your current shower head, which some people find bulky or unattractive.
Some of the main advantages of shower filters are that they’re quite affordable, making them a budget-friendly choice, compact and convenient in size, and easily installed on a wide range of shower heads.
One of the disadvantages of shower filters is that they have a relatively short lifespan. The filters will need to be replaced frequently – usually every six months to a year – which can add to costs. You might not even be aware that the filter needs to be removed and replaced until you’ve got the same old dry skin or hair problems popping up again.
While shower filters are great for filtering chlorine, they don’t filter everything, which means it is an inherently limited system. A shower filter only helps in the shower. This might be good for your hair and skin, but it isn’t a comprehensive filtration solution to improving your water woes.
A shower filter also will not help if you have hard water. Hard water is water that has high mineral content, especially calcium and magnesium. You can tell if you have hard water, spots on your glasses and silverware after washing the dishes, if your hands feel slightly slimy or filmy while washing, or if your house has low water pressure due to mineral deposits building up in the pipes.
If you are experiencing these problems, you may also need a water softener or a whole-house water filtration system.
The good news is that you don’t have to choose between a shower filter and a home water filtration system. You will undoubtedly benefit from both, especially if your hair and skin need extra care and protection.
The best way to know what you need to improve the water in your home is to bring in a sample for a water test and consultation to see what’s in your water. If you already have a shower filter, a water test will show what it’s filtering out and what it’s not. We’ll then know what sort of water filtration system you need.
Watermaker offers a wide range of innovative solutions and products, including water softeners, reverse osmosis systems, UV water sterilization systems, iron removal and filtration systems, and whole-home systems that will give you water that feels fresh and tastes clean. Your water quality and usage will determine the Watermaker model that’s right for your family. Contact us with any questions you may have.
