The water factors
- Chloramine: WASD's disinfectant. Some people notice its smell in hot steam and dislike how their skin or hair feels.
- Hardness: can leave soap residue on skin and hair; WASD reduces it at the plant, and your tap reading shows what remains.
- Temperature and time: hot, long showers dry skin regardless of the water.
WASD keeps the chloramine residual there on purpose: it protects water quality across miles of pipe. Its 2025 report lists a 2.5 ppm average, under the 4 ppm limit. Whether you notice it in the shower is personal, and that is exactly why a test plus your own experience is a better guide than a general claim.
What the test shows
Jorge measures disinfectant residual and hardness at the shower or nearest tap. If both are modest, he will say a whole-home system is unlikely to change much, and suggest you start with your shower habits and a dermatologist if symptoms persist.
He can also check any shower filter or softener you already have. Expired cartridges and empty brine tanks are a common reason people think the water has changed.
Options
| Finding | Option |
|---|---|
| Chloramine smell bothers you | Whole-home chloramine filtration |
| Noticeable hardness | Ion-exchange softener |
| Both | Combined system sized for your bathrooms |
Shower-head filters are an option for one bathroom. If you go that route, check whether the cartridge is certified for chloramine, not just chlorine, and how often it must be replaced.
Hair, color and laundry
People with color-treated hair sometimes notice it fades faster, and towels can feel stiff when hardness is high. These are preferences rather than health issues, but they often matter to a household as much as skin feel.
A note on medical questions
Eczema, rashes and persistent itching should be evaluated by a dermatologist. Filtered or softened water is not a medical treatment, and we do not claim it is.
If a dermatologist recommends changes to your bathing routine, a water test can still be useful as background information, but follow your doctor's advice first.
Does softened water feel slippery? Many people notice soap rinses differently with softened water. That feel is normal.
Book
Call, text or WhatsApp Jorge at (305) 793-5974. Meanwhile: shorter, cooler showers, a fragrance-free moisturizer right after, and a clean shower head can all help.
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist