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Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Natural Remedies / How to Inexpensively Filter Bathwater (and why you need to!)

How to Inexpensively Filter Bathwater (and why you need to!)

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Chlorine Exposure via Bath and Shower
  • Chlorine Decimates Gut AND Skin Probiotics
  • Chlorine Removal Options
  • Filtered Bathwater (budget options)

filtered bathwater

If your wellness routine regularly involves bathing to detoxify via the skin, it is very important to use filtered bathwater!

In fact, if you don’t use filtered water for this purpose, I would suggest that the health benefits of the bath itself are greatly reduced.

You might even be doing more harm than good in some cases.

The reason filtered bathwater is so important is because significant chlorine exposure can occur using municipal tap water while bathing or even a quick shower.

It is surprising that many people who are careful to drink only filtered water think nothing of soaking or showering in city water.

Chlorine Exposure via Bath and Shower

This is problematic because outgassed chlorine absorption from tap water via inhalation and the skin is actually worse than ingesting it.

Did you know that taking a seven-minute shower in treated city water exposes a person to MORE chlorine than by drinking a gallon of tap water? (1)

Bathing in the same water would no doubt produce similar or worse results because exposure is longer. Pool water would also be worse due to the higher levels of chlorine.

The absorption of chlorine into the bloodstream happens in two ways:

  • Chlorine enters the lungs is in the form of chloroform, a carcinogen, and chlorite, a byproduct of chlorine dioxide. These forms of chlorine hit your bloodstream instantly before they have a chance to be removed by your organs of detoxification.
  • The tap water disinfection by-products go directly into the bloodstream through your skin.

Skin absorption of chlorine and its by-products increases in direct proportion with the temperature of the water. This is due to the opening of the pores of the skin in hot water…ironically, exactly what you want when you are in the bath for release of toxins!

Chlorine Decimates Gut AND Skin Probiotics

According to Dr. Zoltan P. Rona, M.D., chlorinated water exposure destroys most strains of friendly intestinal flora, known as probiotics (2).

Destruction of these beneficial microbes in the gut is bad enough once the chlorine gets loose in the bloodstream from inhalation or absorption.

But, the chlorine also destroys the probiotics on the skin as well. This can contribute to the propensity for rashes like eczema and other skin ailments. It can also exacerbate skin problems that are already present.

How can this be?

Remember that chlorine is a broad-spectrum disinfectant. This means that it kills microbes indiscriminately…whether they are pathogenic OR beneficial.

Chlorine Removal Options

Once you realize the danger of bathing in chlorinated tap water, the question is, how to remove it?

The best method is to invest in a quality whole house water system. This means you will get safe, clean, filtered water from every tap in the house.

The next best approach is to filter at the source. A kitchen water filter is most important, of course, where water is used for cooking and drinking.

The next most important is the bathroom tub and shower.

filtered bathwater options

Filtered Bathwater (budget options)

Options for filtering water for the bath and shower are quite inexpensive as it turns out. Here are your options.

  1. Bath Dechlorinator: This nifty gadget just needs to be swished around for 5 to 8 minutes before you get in the bath to remove the chlorine! Take it with you when you travel. Handy to take to the birthing center or hospital if you are planning a water birth as well. One ball lasts for at least 200 baths.
  2. Shower Dechlorinator: There are multiple options for filtering shower water. I prefer this shower filter because it combines eco-consciousness with testing and certification by the Water Quality Association (lasts for 30,000 gallons).

In summary, water filters aren’t just for drinking and cooking purposes. It is also very important to filter water that comes into contact with your skin because chlorine can get into the bloodstream quite effectively during bathing and showering.

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Category: Natural Remedies
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: the bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

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Reader Interactions

Comments (11)

  1. nah

    Dec 7, 2021 at 4:20 pm

    no way that tub ball is going to do anything.

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope MGA

      Dec 7, 2021 at 4:49 pm

      I use the shower filter to fill up the tub … I do think it is more effective for sure.

  2. Kathleen Hill

    Jan 23, 2020 at 2:49 pm

    I’ve tried the ball and it really is horrible. We have really hard city water and live in a rental so installing anything isn’t an option. My skin would get so itchy from the chlorine that was still in the water. We tried filling the tub with the filtered shower head which worked better for filtering but by the time the tub was full enough for a bath the water was lukewarm. I was really pregnant at the time and my epsom salt baths were the happiest times of my day. Who wants a lukewarm or cold bath for 20 minutes?!
    Then we tried vitamin c powder and that worked so much better! I wasn’t having to descale my kids bath toys all the time and by skin stopped itching. In full disclosure, I can’t afford to test my water beyond measuring the ph with aquarium test strips. I have no proof beyond personal experience.
    One day I plan on owning my own home and I’ll be so happy to be allowed to bathe in truly clean water.

    Reply
  3. Maureen

    Dec 31, 2019 at 3:26 pm

    This filter has very bad reviews

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope MGA

      Dec 31, 2019 at 3:43 pm

      If they are on Amazon, I wouldn’t believe them. So many astroturfed reviews on that site.

  4. Nancy

    Dec 20, 2019 at 10:22 am

    When you say swish the ball around for 5-8 minutes, do you mean you literally need to move it through the water for that long?

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope MGA

      Dec 20, 2019 at 10:49 am

      Yes. Another option that is easier for some people is to use the shower filter and simply fill the bath with the showerhead.

  5. A

    Dec 18, 2019 at 9:52 am

    I would add that vitamin c dechlorination tablets, such as Vitabath brand, can also be used to safely remove chlorine and chloramines from the bath water, hot tubs, etc. Easier and cheaper than using the bath balls that need their filters replaced.

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope MGA

      Dec 18, 2019 at 10:47 am

      Do you have research that you’ve come across to support their efficacy? I don’t trust leaving the toxins in the water.

  6. ecbound

    Dec 17, 2019 at 11:05 pm

    What kind of shower filter did you recommend? The link didn’t work for me.

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope MGA

      Dec 18, 2019 at 9:32 am

      Mmmmm, I checked the links and they are all working fine. Here is the shower filter that is best according to my reviews. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/go/eco-shower-filter/

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