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What Kind of Filtering System Can You Put on Shower Heads for Too-Soft Water?

Most people find it necessary to soften their water. Water from wells and water from cities often contain a high amount of dissolved minerals. These minerals can cake onto appliances that use water, make it harder to get soap to lather and generally taint the water. Sometimes, water doesn't have enough minerals, which creates a situation in which soap is harder to rinse off, among other issues. If you have a water softener, consider adjusting the settings to correct this problem.
  1. Why

    • Stopping soft water at the shower head can be a cost-effective option, if the only concern is water in showers. Of course, to change the softness of the water for the house, different methods are necessary. Attaching a filter to a shower head is cheaper than installing a house-wide water-filtering system.

    Installation

    • Measure the mineral content of the water to verify that it is too soft and determine by how much it will need to be hardened. Buy a filter that will fit in between the shower head and the pipe coming out of the wall. Be sure to attach one that is the right size. Be careful, as it is possible a plastic filter will be less durable than a metal fixture. Choose a size that suits the capacity you will need, depending on how often the shower is used.

    Mechanism

    • The filter will reintroduce a small amount of a calcium-heavy mixture back into the water. This will adjust the pH and the "texture" of the water. It should feel different when taking a shower.

    Tips and warnings

    • The quality of shower head filters varies widely. Use one that is adequately robust to tolerate rough use and also one that can be easily re-filled and adjusted to get the right amount of hardening effect.