8 Best Shower Water Filters, WIRED Tested and Reviewed

We solicited autarkic laboratory information from the makers, wherever it existed. We besides utilized integer and chemic tests designed for pools and aquariums and avoided painfully unreliable location trial strips. The upshot is that you astir apt shouldn’t expect these ablution filters to soften the mineral hardness of your h2o oregon region astir substances.

So what bash these showerhead filters really do, successful a mode we tin measure? They filter chlorine and chlorine compounds, mostly done chemic reactions. Pretty overmuch each American metropolis adds debased concentrations of chlorine oregon chlorine compounds to drinking h2o to termination perchance harmful bacteria. This is each good and bully erstwhile the water’s inactive successful the pipes. But chlorine’s not precisely large for your hairsbreadth oregon your skin, and fewer radical similar to portion it. Some are besides particularly delicate to the sensation oregon smell, oregon prone to tegument reactions.

That’s wherever location filters travel in. The astir salient ablution filters trust successful portion connected a zinc-copper substance called KDF-55, known to beryllium rather effectual astatine neutralizing axenic oregon “free” chlorine. Other communal substances utilized to dainty chlorine and chlorine compounds see calcium sulfite and activated carbon. The astir effectual filters usage these successful immoderate combination.

The marketplace for filtered showerheads remains young and mostly unregulated, and show claims are lone seldom backed up publically by autarkic data. We made tons of requests, but fewer ablution filter companies manus implicit their laboratory results. (Thank you, Aquasana, for being an exception.)

Some makers told america that autarkic labs and certifying bodies person been backed up, and that information is forthcoming. Many offered lawsuit restitution surveys instead. This each means that immoderate skepticism is warranted.

After all, a filter indispensable beryllium comparatively tiny to acceptable into a showerhead. And yet it’s being asked to filter gallons of h2o each minute, pushed retired astatine some precocious somesthesia and precocious pressure. A showerhead filter poses a daunting engineering challenge, arsenic compared to countertop h2o filters that dainty lone a tiny magnitude of h2o astatine a time—or a bulky reverse-osmosis instrumentality that tin plug into your under-sink plumbing.

We’ve seen small grounds that the astir communal types of showerhead filters person overmuch effect connected the softness oregon hardness of water, oregon connected calcium buildup. In fact, some aboriginal world studies contiguous grounds that they don’t. The ablution filters we tested besides had precise small effect connected the sum full of dissolved solids successful our water, according to measurements with a TDS meter—i.e., the filters aren’t removing a ample magnitude of materials oregon minerals from the water.

I wasn't capable to trial claims by immoderate companies that these filters region dense metals similar pb and arsenic, which thankfully aren’t successful my pipes. But if you judge you person unsafe pb oregon arsenic successful your water, you astir apt shouldn’t effort to hole the occupation with a mail-order showerhead. Talk to a h2o attraction nonrecreational oregon your nationalist wellness authority.

If you unrecorded successful a large US city, chlorine is apt not what your metropolis uses to dainty the h2o successful its pipes. New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Phoenix usage chlorine, sure. But Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, and astir large cities successful Texas don’t.

More than fractional of American large cities usage a substance called chloramine, a much unchangeable and enduring chemic that’s harder to filter and test. To test, I got retired my useful digital h2o colorimeter and a somewhat nasty chemic indicator, and past tested the quality of each ablution filter to dainty chlorine compounds successful the water.

First I tested the full chlorine successful the h2o without immoderate filtering, past I tested the h2o filtered by the showerhead. I did each trial aggregate times to relationship for imprecision oregon fluctuations successful municipal chlorine levels. In astir cases, I did this implicit aggregate days. (One showerhead’s filter broke from its ain value connected the 2nd time of testing. I felt comfy not recommending this showerhead, contempt lone 1 time of middling trial results.) As we update this guide, we’ll proceed to trial the astir effectual showerhead filters to spot however their efficacy changes implicit time—and adhd immoderate caller ablution filters we’re capable to recommend.