You may not drink your shower water, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be concerned with its cleanliness. Shower filters are one option to help remove common impurities found in water. Entire home filtering systems can filter the water as it enters the home, but if you live in an apartment, a showerhead filter for your bathroom is your best DIY option.
“Showerhead filters are great at sanitizing and protecting your skin from commonly used disinfectant chemicals, such as chlorine, found in the municipal water supply,” says Thomas Dougherty, vice president of operations of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. “Showerhead filters help capture and sift out pollutants with their many layers, producing a stream of pure, clean water that is safe for your household to bathe in.”
— How does a shower filter work?
— Shower filter styles.
— How to filter shower water in your apartment.
— The benefits of a shower filter.
— How to pick the best shower filter.
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How Does a Shower Filter Work?
Similar to filters used for drinking water, tap water enters the shower water filter and passes through multiple layers of materials that absorb chlorine, heavy metals, bacteria and other contaminants before coming out of the showerhead.
While activated carbon is the most effective at removing chlorine, sediment, volatile organic compounds and odors in the water, high temperatures may affect its ability to absorb chlorine and other impurities. Kinetic degradation fluxion, or KDF, filters use copper and zinc to produce a chemical reaction that alters the contaminants in the water so that they are no longer harmful.
These filters can also reduce limescale and mold that build up in showers. Another type of shower filter is the vitamin C filter which neutralizes chlorine and releases vitamin C into your shower water.
Shower Filter Styles
“By far the easiest and most cost-effective way to pre-filtering water in your shower is with a retrofit water filter on the shower hose,” says James De Meo, master plumber and HVAC engineer at home improvement advice resource This Fixed House.
De Meo explains that there are two popular options for filtering your shower water: an inline water filter canister and a showerhead filter. Inline filters attach at the connection between the shower inlet hose and the showerhead. The showerhead filter is a replacement showerhead that contains filtration material within the handle.
“Although a more bulky option, the inline water filters generally provide superior water filtration, as they contain between 12 and 20 layers of filtration material,” De Meo says. “The filtration material will vary from fairly coarse to ultra-fine particles, creating a high level of water filtration. Whereas the in-built shower head filters typically only have one or two filter materials, providing less surface area to filter the water.”
Depending on your filtration goals, you’ll want the style you choose to have a KDF, vitamin C or carbon filtration system. Some filtration methods, like KDF, are often used as a pre-treatment and combined with other filtration systems.
How to Filter Shower Water in Your Apartment
The easiest way to filter shower water in your apartment is to invest in a filtration system. Installing a shower water filter is an easy DIY project, and most renters can do the job themselves. Here are the basic steps to install a shower filter:
Step 1: Check what type of showerhead you have.
Bill Bruininga, owner of Billy’s Plumbing in the Los Angeles metro area, says to check what type of showerhead you have to determine whether or not you’ll need to replace the shower arm. “If the showerhead is screwed on with half-inch female to male threads, you’re in great shape,” Bruininga says. “However, if the head arm has a ball compression system, you will need to replace the shower arm.”
Step 2: Find a high-quality showerhead filter.
You’ll want to find a high-quality showerhead filter with filters that can be easily swapped out. “Remember, filters don’t last forever, so find one with easily changeable filters,” Bruininga advises. “With the filter system being so small, expect to change it every three to six months depending on the quality of your water. Most filters advertise based on best-case scenario water.”
Step 3: Remove your showerhead.
“Using a pipe wrench, gently loosen and remove the existing showerhead or hose so that you can add the inline filter to the waterline,” De Meo says. “Wrap Teflon tape around both threads on the water filter unit to create a watertight seal.”
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Step 4: Install the new shower filter.
Install the new filter. If it’s an inline filter, De Meo says to screw the filter onto the shower arm and then attach the showerhead connection on top of the inline filter unit. Make sure all arrows are pointing toward you when installing the shower filter, Bruininga points out.
Step 5: Test the filter.
Test the water flow, says De Meo, and if you notice any leaks, tighten the connections or adjust the Teflon tape as necessary. Run the shower for a few minutes to flush the new filter unit of any dust particles. Run until the water is clear. Change the filter every 3 to 6 months.
The Benefits of a Shower Filter
Shower filters do more than just remove metals and other contaminants in your water. Here are some of the advantages of installing a shower filter in your apartment:
— Increased longevity of plumbing fixtures. De Meo explains that over time, chlorine and other minerals can build up in your pipes and fixtures, leading to corrosion and damage. Shower filtration systems don’t remove every single contaminant, but they can remove minerals associated with hard water. Found in a majority of U.S. households, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, hard water contains high levels of calcium and magnesium. While it’s not a health risk, hard water can lead to mineral buildup on plumbing fixtures.
— Reduced environmental impact. De Meo says that filtering out chlorine and other chemicals can reduce the impact that these substances have on the environment.
— Better air quality. “Chlorine can also vaporize and be released into the air when you shower,” De Meo explains. “A water filter can help reduce this effect, leading to better indoor air quality.”
— Durability. According to Dougherty, filters can last through hundreds of washes with an average filter capacity of around 10,000 gallons.
— Healthier skin. Chlorine is added to tap water as a disinfectant, but it can cause dryness, itching and skin irritation, De Meo says. Some shower filters can remove chlorine leaving you with smoother, healthier skin.
— Softer hair. Chlorine can also strip your hair of natural oils, leading to dry hair and breakage.
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How to Pick the Best Shower Filter
One of the biggest mistakes Dougherty sees shoppers make when purchasing a showerhead filter is not looking for the most advanced and updated technology. “Older filters were created to remove the chemicals and minerals known to be present in water at that specific time,” he says. “However, new research continues to uncover additional chemicals and minerals found in water that older filtration models weren’t able to target.”
When picking out a showerhead filter, Dougherty says the best selection will have a good flow rate of at least two gallons per minute and a proven ability to remove over 200 contaminants. “Shoppers often make the mistake of not looking into these claims because they don’t want to take the extra time to research, but in order to verify that a product can deliver what it promises, they should look for third-party testing,” Dougherty adds.
Dougherty advises shoppers to look elsewhere if third-party lab results aren’t published. “Many on the market have been properly vetted and can prove their claims through unbiased testing, so it’s best to rely on those options,” he says.
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