Shower Filters and Chlorine: What Australian Households Should Know

Chlorine is added to Australian town water to keep it safe. In your shower, that same chlorine becomes steam you breathe and water your skin absorbs. Here’s what the evidence says and what a shower filter can realistically do.

See our full Shower Filters Guide or browse our shower filter range.

Chlorine in Australian Shower Water

Australian water utilities add chlorine or chloramines to town water at concentrations set by the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines — safe for drinking, but not necessarily ideal for daily skin and hair exposure. Hot showers increase chlorine volatilisation, meaning more chlorine becomes airborne in the steam.

People with asthma, sensitive airways, or chemical sensitivities sometimes report that showering in heavily chlorinated water aggravates symptoms. This is a plausible mechanism — inhaling chlorinated steam is different from drinking chlorinated water — but the evidence is not conclusive for the general population.

What a Shower Filter Actually Does

A shower filter with KDF (Kinetic Degradation Fluxion) media or Vitamin C media reduces chlorine and chloramine levels in the water before it reaches your skin and the steam. This is the primary and well-supported function.

The most consistently reported benefits are: reduced skin dryness, less hair damage (particularly for colour-treated hair), and elimination of the chlorine smell from shower steam. These are genuine and practical benefits.

Claims about shower filters “curing respiratory disease” or providing dramatic health transformations are not supported by clinical evidence. Be sceptical of any product making these claims.

Our Shower Filter Options

Browse our shower filter range — including inline filters that fit any existing shower head, and our 7-setting filtered shower head. For whole-house chlorine removal, see our Whole House Water Filters Guide.

Frequently Asked Questions