Water factors
- Chloramine: the disinfectant WASD keeps in the water. Some people dislike its smell in hot steam and how their skin feels afterward.
- Hardness: can leave soap residue; WASD reduces it at the Orr plant.
- Temperature and time: often the biggest factors.
WASD keeps chloramine in the water on purpose, to protect quality across miles of pipe, and West Miami's measured residual of 1.5 to 2.2 ppm is well under the 4.0 maximum. Whether you notice it in the shower is personal, which is why your own experience plus a test is a better guide than any general claim.
What testing shows
Jorge measures total chlorine and hardness at a shower or nearby tap. If both are modest, he will tell you a whole-home system may not change much, and suggest shower habits and a dermatologist first.
He can also check a shower filter or softener you already own. Expired cartridges and empty brine tanks often make people think the water changed when the equipment just needs service.
If both readings are notable and the household agrees the shower feels better elsewhere, such as at a gym or a relative's home with treated water, that experience is a reasonable guide to whether whole-home treatment will be worth it for you.
Options
| Finding | Option |
|---|---|
| Chloramine smell bothers you | Whole-home filtration |
| Notable hardness | Softener |
| One bathroom only | A chloramine-certified shower filter |
A whole-home carbon system reduces chloramine before water reaches every shower and the washer. A softener changes how soap rinses off. Neither changes water temperature or shower length, which matter just as much. If you choose a shower-head filter, confirm its cartridge is certified for chloramine, not only chlorine.
Hair and laundry
Some people notice color-treated hair fades faster or towels feel stiff. These are comfort preferences, not health issues.
Hardness affects how soap and detergent rinse; chloramine can react with dyes and some fabrics. If these bother you more than skin feel, mention it during the test.
Medical questions
Eczema, rashes or persistent itching need a dermatologist. Filtered or softened water is not a treatment, and we do not claim it is.
If a dermatologist recommends changes to your bathing routine, a water test can still be useful background, but follow your doctor's advice first.
Book
Call, text or WhatsApp Jorge at (305) 793-5974. Meanwhile try shorter, cooler showers and a fragrance-free moisturizer right after drying off.
Cleaning the shower head aerator also helps, since mineral residue and debris collect there over time.
https://westmiamifl.govoffice3.com/vertical/Sites/%7B43D8A331-4B65-45FE-843C-E0F6FE3CD0E8%7D/uploads/2025_WATER_QUALITY_REPORT_FOR_THE_CITY_OF_WEST_MIAMI.pdf
https://www.miamidade.gov/resources/water/documents/2025-water-quality-report.pdf
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist