Everyone enjoys a good shower. In fact, ninety percent of women and eighty-eight percent of men say that they shower every day.
When you shower, the pores on your biggest organ – your skin – open up and absorb the warm, soothing droplets as you bathe.
Have you ever thought about what might be in that water? Is it safe to let that water enter your body without being filtered first?
Fortunately, a shower water filter is easy to install and many models are very affordable for the average homeowner or renter. If you haven’t considered buying one in the past, after reading this post, you likely will want one moving forward.
Read on to learn all about shower water filters and the reasons you and your family need one in your home.
How a Shower Water Filter Works
Shower water filters filter water – it doesn’t get simpler than that. These filters are attached to your existing showerhead or are a built-in part of a new showerhead. Inside, they have one or more different filters; as your water runs through them, it comes out the other side much cleaner.
Common media for shower water filters may include a KDF (Kinetic Degradation Fluxion) filter or a GAC (Granular Active Carbon) filter. These filters work alone or together to make your water cleaner and safer. If you have a water filter on your sink for your drinking water, it works using these same materials and in the same way.
Types of Shower Water Filters
When it comes to buying a shower water filter, you have two choices.
You can buy a shower head that has the filter built into the showerhead itself. These are convenient and affordable and are easy to install. They look like a normal showerhead.
If you like the showerhead you currently have, you can buy a standalone filter. These are also easy to install. All you must do to install a shower filter of this type is remove your existing showerhead, screw the filter on, and then re-attach your showerhead to it.
Installation in both cases will only take a few minutes and this is a very inexpensive investment that is well worth the small effort it takes. Read on to learn why your home needs a shower water filter for you and your family’s health and happiness.
Why You Need a Shower Water Filter
A shower water filter will change your life in many positive ways. The health benefits of using this simple device in your home are numerous.
1.Chlorine
The main reason that people use shower water filters is to filter out chlorine. Chlorine is added to our drinking water to help disinfect it and it is successful in its role. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that the amount is small and it is, therefore, safe for drinking.
However, when we shower, water cascades over our bodies and enters into all of our pores. This is a different type of consumption, and its safety is questionable.
The chlorination of water results in byproducts called trihalomethanes (THMs). We are exposed to them every time we shower.
2. Chloroform
One trihalomethane byproducts that is created when water is chlorinated is chloroform. You may be familiar with chloroform because it was used as an anesthetic long ago and it frequently appears in films and other tales.
Chloroform, unfortunately, is linked to cancer. The US Department of Health and Human Services considers chloroform to be “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” – and you’re pouring it all over your body. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also issued warnings about chloroform.
Installing a shower water filter will help to keep chloroform out of your system and you will be much safer.
3. Bacteria
Another thing to worry about if you don’t use a shower water filter is the presence of bacteria in your showerhead. Because the inside of your showerhead is both moist and dark, it is a perfect environment for bacteria to thrive.
Every time you have the water running, that bacteria is pouring out. Bacteria can make you sick and you won’t even know why.
4. Toxic Chemicals
Although our water is filtered by our local municipal water utility, some chemicals still manage to make it through. There are a large number of toxins in our water such as fluoride, Teflon, polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), and even heavy metals like arsenic, lead, and mercury.
The more times we filter our water before it goes in or on our bodies, the better. A shower water filter is just one more line of defense to help keep us safe.
5. Better Skin
Installation of a water filter shower head can also help to improve the quality of your skin. Chlorine is added to water to help kill bad bacteria, but unfortunately, it kills the good bacteria also. Furthermore, it kills Vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acids, too.
The death of these beneficial molecules in our water can lead to dry and wrinkly skin. Although a shower filter won’t put them back in, it will reduce the amount of chlorine that your body is exposed to, thereby encouraging skin improvement overall.
6. Hydrated Hair
As you might imagine, anything that can damage your skin can also damage your hair. The fact that a shower water filter filters out chlorine is not only good news for your body, but for your hair as well. You will see an improvement in your hair in a very short time after installing a filter in your shower.
7. Breathe Easier
Research has shown that children experience a higher risk of childhood asthma if they have spent a lot of time around chlorinated swimming pools. This is likely because chlorine releases a chemical called trichloramine. If this is present in a pool setting, it is also present in your home if you are not using a shower water filter.
These chemicals can also have a negative effect on people with existing asthma as well.
Furthermore, a chemical called dichlorophenol is also added to our tap water, and some studies suggest that this chemical may cause food allergies, but more research is needed.
A shower water filter will help to filter these things out of your shower water, though – so installing one is well worth it for the peace of mind alone.
Install a Shower Water Filter
Clearly, there are many strong and persuasive reasons why you should have a shower water filter in your shower. What are you waiting for? These filters are easy to finally and use and there is no reason why you should not have one.
If you’re interested in shopping for one of these filters online, please check out our offerings on our site. We look forward to serving you and we love knowing that you and your family are safe.
