Do you ever notice that after a shower, you feel a little dried out? Do you also notice that your skin is itchy, and your hair is tough and brittle? Have you ever had an odd odor come from your shower head and thought that no odor would definitely be better? A common and easy fix is a shower head filter, but are they worth the investment, both long and short term?

Many homeowners ask themselves that question almost daily. With rising concerns about chlorine and the presence of hard water minerals in city water, as well as a closer examination of overall water quality in recent years, it’s natural to seek a simple solution. Shower filters promise to deliver cleaner water for your daily routine, but how effective are they?

What are Shower Filters?

A shower filter is a small filtration system that attaches directly to your shower head or shower arm. Inside the filter are special media, most often activated carbon, KDF (copper-zinc), or vitamin C. Regardless of which media is used, their purpose remains the same: to reduce contaminants from water as it flows through.

These filters can be self-installed onto any shower and feature a limited lifetime based on the media type and overall size.

What Do Shower Filters Remove?

Shower filters typically only reduce the level of chlorine that can be found in your home’s water. Chlorine is added to most municipal water sources as a common disinfectant that kills germs that can cause illnesses such as norovirus. In some cases, these filters can reduce a trace amount of sediment from your water, but not anything near that of a larger system, such as a water softener. These filters can still help improve dry skin and hair from showering, but the benefits stop there.

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Shower Filter: Pros and Cons

Pros:

As mentioned above, these bolt-on systems can help reduce:

• Chlorine levels in water
• Small amounts of sediment

And can help you personally by:

• Preventing dry skin after your shower
• Limiting damage done to hair by chlorine

However, these filters have limits.

Cons:

Shower filters are designed to be small, short-term solutions. The filters themselves often need to be replaced every three to six months, depending on how often you use them. You’ll spend anywhere from $35 to $50 per replacement, which adds up over time. These filters are also not designed to address hard water, meaning appliance damage and issues with dry skin and hair can still occur. Hard water is most often caused by minerals found in water, such as magnesium and calcium, which the media in a shower filter will not remove. Lastly, these filters only work where installed, that being your shower. If you have a persistent chlorine issue with your water, it will still exist in all other water throughout your home.

Alternate Shower Filtration Solutions: The Long-Term Approach

If you are looking for a longer-term solution to issues caused by shower water, look no further than a Premier Series® water softener from Kinetico, or even better, a whole-home water filtration system. Here’s a quick breakdown of the two:

Whole-Home Filtration System:

As the name suggests, this bundle of systems significantly improves the water quality in all areas of your home. Filters like our Dechlorinator can directly target chlorine in your water, while a Premier Series water softener can target hard water and reduce the presence of minerals in your water, such as iron, calcium, and more.

Water Softener:

Another alternative to use for your water is a water softener. These systems, such as our Premier Series® softeners, are designed to soften hard water by reducing minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Hard water not only can cause issues like dry skin and hair, but also causes mineral build-up in and around your appliances, as well as staining on fixtures. Softer water helps to alleviate these issues, increasing the lifespan of your appliances, and also helps you avoid dry skin and hair after showering.

Long Term Solutions, Long Term Benefits

While a shower head filter is a good first step and makes sense for basic renting situations, investing in a whole home water system or water softener is the better choice for a more comprehensive solution. Not only will you have a long-term solution for your shower water issues, but you’ll experience many other benefits all around your home. Improve your water today by scheduling a free water test with your local Kinetico dealer and learn more about how the long-term solution is the better play.

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