What’s Really in Your Shower Water? And Why Filtering It Matters

We think a lot about the water we drink. We buy filtered water, check ingredient labels, invest in quality skincare and carefully choose the products we put on our hair.

But what about the water we stand under every single day?

Your shower water comes into contact with your skin and hair for several minutes at a time — often in warm or hot water — yet it’s one of the most overlooked parts of a healthy home.

And depending on where you live, there may be more coming through your shower than you realize.

Why Is There Chlorine in Tap Water?

If you’re on municipal or city water, chlorine or chloramine may be used by your water provider to disinfect the water supply.

That serves an important purpose. Disinfectants help control potentially harmful microorganisms as water travels through the municipal system and eventually reaches your home.

But the same water that needs to travel safely through miles of infrastructure is also the water you’re bathing in every day.

That’s where shower filtration comes in.

A shower filter doesn’t replace municipal water treatment. Instead, it provides another point of filtration right before the water reaches you.

Chlorine vs. Chloramine: What’s the Difference?

Although the names sound similar, chlorine and chloramine are not exactly the same.

Chlorine has traditionally been one of the most common disinfectants used in municipal water treatment.

Chloramine is created by combining chlorine with ammonia. Some municipalities choose chloramine because it remains stable in the water distribution system for longer periods of time.

That distinction matters when choosing a filter.

Different filtration media interact with contaminants differently, which is one reason a simple one-media shower filter may not address the same range of water concerns as a multi-media system.

Your Water Can Contain More Than a Disinfectant

Water quality varies dramatically from one location to another.

Depending on the source of your water, municipal treatment process, surrounding environment, distribution system and household plumbing, there may also be concerns involving things like:

• Sediment

• Iron and manganese

• Certain heavy metals

• Volatile organic compounds

• Fluoride

• Arsenic

• Hydrogen sulfide

• Other naturally occurring or introduced contaminants

Not every home will have the same contaminants — and not every filter is designed to address every contaminant.

That’s why understanding both your water and the filtration media inside your filter matters.

Why Filtration Media Matters

A shower filter is only as capable as the filtration media inside it.

Different media are selected for different jobs.

For example, KDF media, specialty ion-exchange media and catalytic carbon each function differently within a filtration system. Combining multiple types of media allows a system to address a broader range of water-quality concerns than relying on a single filtration material alone.

This is the philosophy behind Santé’s Ultimate Dual Shower Filter for City Water.

Rather than using one cartridge containing one filtration material, the Ultimate Dual uses two separate cartridges with a combination of filtration media selected to address the types of contaminants commonly found in municipal water.

The first cartridge contains dense KDF 55 media.

The second contains a blend of KDF 85, SIR-900 and catalytic carbon.

Each media plays a different role, creating a multi-stage approach to shower-water filtration.

But What About Hard Water?

This is one of the most important distinctions to understand.

Water filtration and water softening are not the same thing.

Hard water refers primarily to elevated levels of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Those minerals are responsible for familiar signs like scale on faucets, spots on shower doors and mineral buildup.

A traditional shower filter is not the same as a whole-home water softener.

If hardness itself is your primary concern, you may need a softening or conditioning system.

If your concern is chlorine, chloramine, sediment or other contaminants in the water, filtration is a different process designed for a different purpose.

Understanding that difference makes it much easier to choose the right solution for your home.

How Do You Know What’s in Your Water?

Start with your local water-quality report.

Municipal water providers publish Consumer Confidence Reports that provide information about the source and quality of local drinking water.

For more specific information about the water coming out of your own faucet or shower, independent water testing can provide an even more complete picture.

Private well owners should be especially proactive about testing because private wells are not treated and monitored in the same way as municipal water systems.

Once you know what you’re dealing with, choosing filtration becomes much less confusing.

Start With Your Water

You can invest in expensive shampoos, treatments and skincare products, but the water you rinse them away with deserves attention too.

Clean-water choices aren't only about what you drink.

They’re also about the water you cook with, wash with, bathe in and use throughout your home every day.

Before adding another product to your routine, start by understanding your water.

Want help choosing the right filtration system for your home? Contact Santé for Health and let us know whether you’re on city or well water, where you're located and what concerns you have about your water. We’re happy to help point you in the right direction.