Examine Our High 7 Bathe Filter Programs
Honorable Point out Bathe Filters
{Photograph}: Matthew Korfhage
Filterbaby Diamond Sequence Bathe Filter for $113: This inline filter was in a position to cut back whole chlorine ranges to undetectable quantities, one in all few filters in the marketplace ready to take action—and the truth that it is an inline filter means you can preserve your current showerhead and simply slot this filter in between the pipe and your showerhead. That mentioned, it is a cumbersome filter, which implies your showerhead might be about 4 inches decrease than it was, and the screw-in system is a bit awkward: It is one of many solely showerheads I truly wanted a wrench to put in correctly. The substitute filters are designed to make use of minimal plastic, however they’re are additionally dearer than most, at $42 each three months.
ShowerClear Filtered Bathe Head, pictured as put in at a WIRED reviewer’s residence.{Photograph}: Matthew Korfhage
ShowerClear Bathe Head for $139: OK, you bought me. This is not a filter. The ShowerClear is as an alternative designed to unravel an issue you in all probability hadn’t thought of however now could preserve you up at evening: Doubtlessly infectious micro organism referred to as mycobacteria, liable to inflicting respiratory lung infections, get pleasure from rising inside showerheads and are proof against chlorine-treated water. They develop in colonies, a bit like fungus. Therefore, the title. What’s worse, if you cannot open up your showerhead, you’ll be able to’t see them and you do not know they’re there. Offers you the willies. Anyway, this ShowerClear has a hinge and a latch. This implies you’ll be able to open it up, look inside, and clear its inside fully, with cleaning soap or vinegar or disinfectants. This can be a very uncommon high quality even amongst filtered showerheads. I might be happier if the ShowerClear’s water movement fanned out a bit higher, or if the latch had been much less of a defining design function. However what’s all that for a bit peace of thoughts? (That mentioned, if you’d like a filter to take away chlorine, you may additionally want an inline filter just like the Weddell Duo.)
{Photograph}: Matthew Korfhage
Croix Filtered Showerhead for $129 and Croix Handheld Showerhead for $129: Bathe filter firm Croix was based by chemical engineer Spencer Robertson, an outdated hand at water filtration. The fastened showerhead is good-looking, and the hand held bathe has a wider array of spray settings than most—together with a enjoyable, ultra-broad spray setting that is like a savagely highly effective misting system. This mentioned, the KDF-55 and calcium sulfite filter did not filter even near the vast majority of whole chlorine ranges from my chloramine-treated water system. Primarily based on outcomes I’ve reviewed from Croix’s inside testing, I might extra doubtless advocate this system for chlorine-treated techniques just like the one in New York Metropolis. WIRED was in a position to evaluation inside testing displaying that Croix’s filters had been profitable at filtering most free chlorine from water, in accordance with NSF requirements. Substitute cartridges and filters are moderately priced and beneficial as soon as each 4 months, an extended interval than most manufacturers in the marketplace.
{Photograph}: Matthew Korfhage
Aquasana Inline Filter for $150: Aquasana’s funnily bulbous two-layer filter eliminated the vast majority of whole chlorine in my chloramine-treated system, and it was additionally one of many solely bathe filter firms to supply impartial testing information backing up its claims for chlorine-based techniques. Thus far, so good. So why’s it not up close to the highest of our listing? A flimsy bathe wand with poor spray pressure and radius, a slight however unlucky tendency towards leakiness on the bathe connection, and unforgiving geometry which means it would not hyperlink up nicely with all showerheads as an inline filter. Nonetheless, it really works and it is lab-attested at no cost chlorine elimination, and I fortunately advocate it.
{Photograph}: Matthew Korfhage
Jolie Filtered Showerhead for $165: The Jolie bathe head pioneered the influencer-centric, testimonial-driven advertising and marketing mannequin that has made bathe filters so dominant within the public dialog. Its design, which seems to be a bit like a large Monopoly taking part in piece and is available in chrome, gold, black, or crimson, is eminently likable. The system provides even water spray and a mushy, stippled faceplate that feels luxuriant within the strangest of how. However Jolie did not reply to requests for impartial testing once we requested in 2024, and our personal testing put it someplace in the midst of the pack by way of eradicating whole chlorine from a chloramine-treated system.
Not Beneficial
{Photograph}: Matthew Korfhage
Sproos! Filtered Hand Bathe for $148 ($99 with subscription): Sproos is a unusual, kicky, kooky bathe model aimed squarely at younger “renters and DIYers”—providing a rainbow of daring colours for handheld filtered showerheads. However filter testing was center of the pack. Additionally, the valve on Sproos’ heavy, side-mounted filter broke beneath its personal weight after two days once we examined in 2024, inflicting an alarming bang and a little bit of a multitude.
Kohler Cinq for $150: Kohler is a venerable Wisconsin model with quite a few water therapy choices for showers and taps. The Cinq filtered showerhead is admirably basic in type, and its five-layer filter regarded equally promising, promoting particularly KDF-55 and activated carbon. Residence testing didn’t present nice outcomes with my chloramine-treated water, nevertheless, and for the value I felt entitled to excessive expectations. Requests for impartial lab testing information in 2024 didn’t get outcomes.
Act + Acre Showerhead Filter (Out of Inventory): Magnificence firm Act + Acre’s filtered showerhead didn’t carry out in addition to others in my residence testing of whole chlorine. We additionally didn’t fall in love with the showerhead itself, which seems to be a bit like a gooseneck desk lamp and droops awkwardly from the bathe pipe. The showerhead was listed as out of inventory once we checked in a number of instances throughout 2025.
Often Requested Questions
How We Examined and What We Examined
{Photograph}: Matthew Korfhage
The marketplace for filtered showerheads stays younger and largely unregulated, and efficiency claims are solely hardly ever backed up publicly by impartial information. We made plenty of requests, however few bathe filter firms hand over their lab outcomes. Thanks Rorra, Aquasana, Weddell, Croix, and Curo for being exceptions.)
Some makers instructed us that impartial labs and certifying our bodies have been backed up, and that information is forthcoming. Many provided buyer satisfaction surveys or anecdotal research as an alternative. This all implies that some skepticism is warranted.
And so I additionally obtained out take a look at kits at residence. First I take a look at the full chlorine ranges within the water with none filtering, a measure that features both chloramine or free chlorine that is interacted with no matter’s in your pipes. Then I take a look at the water filtered by the showerhead. I carry out every take a look at a number of instances to account for imprecision or fluctuations in testing and in municipal chlorine ranges. Typically, I do that over a number of days upon preliminary testing to account for any inconsistencies in my very own water provide.
For testing, I averted painfully unreliable residence take a look at strips, and as an alternative obtained out considerably nasty chemical indicators and used digital and chemical exams designed for swimming pools and aquariums.
We additionally examined whole dissolved solids utilizing a TDS meter, and individually examined filters’ results on pH in an effort to gauge results but additionally to confirm the reliability of chemical take a look at outcomes.
The effectiveness of filters goes down over time, after all, relying on how a lot contamination is filtered out of the water—which is why filters all the time have to be modified. As we replace this information, we proceed to check the best showerhead filters to see how their efficacy modifications over time—and add any new bathe filters we’re in a position to advocate.
What Bathe Filters Most likely Don’t Do
The perfect bathe filters I examined will enhance your water high quality. However bathe filters can solely achieve this a lot. The upshot is that you just in all probability shouldn’t anticipate these bathe filters to melt the mineral hardness of your water or take away most substances. Arduous water is extra usually solved by particular water softeners, reverse osmosis filters, and whole-house water filtration techniques.
In any case, a filter have to be comparatively small to suit right into a showerhead. And but it’s being requested to filter gallons of water every minute, pushed out at each excessive temperature and excessive strain. A showerhead filter poses a frightening engineering problem, as in comparison with countertop water filters that deal with solely a small quantity of water at a time—or a cumbersome reverse-osmosis system that may plug into your under-sink plumbing.
So what do these showerhead filters truly do, in a method we will measure? They filter chlorine and chlorine compounds, largely by means of chemical reactions. Just about each American metropolis provides low concentrations of chlorine or chlorine compounds to consuming water to kill doubtlessly dangerous micro organism. That is all nicely and good when the water’s nonetheless within the pipes. However chlorine’s not precisely nice in your hair or your pores and skin, and few individuals prefer to drink it. Some are additionally particularly delicate to the style or scent, or liable to pores and skin reactions.
Essentially the most distinguished residence bathe filters rely partly on a zinc-copper combination referred to as KDF-55, recognized to be fairly efficient at neutralizing “free” chlorine in chlorine-treated techniques. Different widespread substances used to deal with chlorine and chlorine compounds embrace calcium sulfite and activated or catalytic carbon. The simplest filters use these in some mixture. The principle factor I used to be in a position to take a look at and confirm was bathe filters’ capacity to take away the full chlorine content material of water popping out of your bathe.
We’ve seen little proof that the commonest forms of showerhead filters have a lot impact on the softness or hardness of water, or on calcium buildup. In reality, some early educational research current proof that they don’t. The bathe filters we examined additionally had little or no impact on the sum whole of dissolved solids in our water, in keeping with measurements with a TDS meter—i.e., the filters aren’t eradicating a considerable amount of supplies or minerals from the water.
I wasn’t in a position to take a look at claims by some firms that these filters take away heavy metals like lead and arsenic, which fortunately aren’t in my pipes. We solely discovered one firm, Weddell, whose filter was licensed to take away lead. Thus far, so good! Nonetheless, when you imagine you’ve harmful lead or arsenic in your water, you in all probability shouldn’t attempt to repair the issue with a mail-order showerhead. Discuss to a water therapy skilled or your public well being authority.
If you happen to stay in a significant US metropolis, chlorine is probably going not what your metropolis makes use of to deal with the water in its pipes. New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Phoenix use chlorine, certain. However Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, and most large cities in Texas don’t.
Greater than half of American large cities use a substance referred to as chloramine, a extra steady and enduring chemical that’s tougher to filter and take a look at. That is additionally what was in my water provide. To check, I obtained out my helpful digital water colorimeter and a considerably nasty chemical indicator, after which examined the flexibility of every bathe filter to deal with any of quite a few chlorine compounds within the water.
Curious whether or not your metropolis makes use of chlorine or chloramine as a disinfectant in your pipes? Examine right here for an accounting of the 50 greatest municipal water techniques in the USA.
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