What AquaBliss shower filters reduce: Chlorine, chloramine, lead, mercury, copper, chromium, and VOCs.
What they don't reduce: Dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium. If mineral buildup is your primary concern, a whole-house softening system is the right tool, not a shower filter.
Aquabliss shower filters reduce chlorine, chloramine, lead, mercury, copper, chromium, VOCs, and other contaminants in your shower water. By cutting back on harsh chemicals, they help improve the condition of your skin and hair: softer skin, less dandruff, and a better experience for those with eczema-prone or dry skin.
But filters only work when they’re in good shape. If you’ve noticed the benefits starting to wear off, with hair feeling duller or skin feeling rougher after showering, the filter probably needs attention. This guide explains what each part of your filter actually does, how often to replace or clean each one, and how to do it across our four bestselling models.
The Two Parts of Your Filter (And Why They’re Important)
Your Aquabliss shower filter has two distinct components. They do different jobs, wear out at different rates, and both need regular attention.
Sediment guards sit at each end of the cartridge and catch the physical stuff: rust particles, silt, pipe debris, and loose mineral deposits. They’re the first line of defense, designed to take the hit so the cartridge inside doesn’t clog up prematurely. The clearest sign they need attention is a drop in water pressure.
The cartridge handles the chemistry. Inside, media like calcium sulfite, redox compounds, and activated carbon work to reduce chlorine, heavy metals, and other dissolved contaminants. This is where water that feels rough on skin and hair gets filtered into something noticeably softer and cleaner.
They don’t compete, they work in sequence. Keeping both in good condition is what keeps your filter performing well.
How Often Should You Replace Each Part?
Sediment Guards
Sediment guards are washable and reusable. To clean them, unscrew the caps on each end of the filter cartridge, take out the guards, and rinse them under running water, rubbing them together to release any trapped sediment. Let them dry, then put them back.
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Standard conditions: Rinse every 4-8 weeks; replace every few months
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High sediment areas (older buildings, well water, post-maintenance pipe work): Rinse every 2 weeks; replace more frequently as needed
If you’ve cleaned the guards and water pressure still hasn’t improved, replace them. Leaving saturated guards in place means dirty water reaches your cartridge media, which degrades it faster.
Cartridge
The cartridge has a finite capacity based on how much water passes through it and how heavy the contaminant load is. Chlorine levels in your area also affect how quickly it gets used up. As a general rule:
- Standard usage (1-2 people, average water quality): Replace every 3-6 months
- Higher usage or elevated chlorine/chloramine: Consider replacing closer to the 3-month mark
- Signs your cartridge needs replacing:
- A chemical smell returns to your shower water
- Hair or skin that had improved starts feeling dull or dry again
- Skin feels rougher after showering
An overloaded cartridge can eventually start releasing what it has already captured back into the water. That’s the opposite of what you want, so don’t let it go too long past schedule.
A Note on High Sediment Areas
If you live in an area with genuinely high sediment levels, the guards can become saturated within a few weeks; it’s not because the cartridge is failing but because there’s more physical debris coming through the pipes. Rust from older buildings, pipe scale loosened by pressure changes, and mineral particles all get caught at the guard level before they ever reach the filtration media. Reduced water pressure in a high sediment area is almost always a guard issue first.
When people notice their hair getting dull or their scalp feeling dry, they often assume their water is to blame, but the cause usually comes down to one of two things: dissolved minerals in the water or chemical disinfectants like chlorine and chloramine. These are separate issues, and shower filters only address one of them.
Shower filters are not designed to reduce dissolved minerals like calcium or magnesium. The calcium and magnesium that coat the hair shaft and cause that dulling, weighed-down feeling pass through a shower filter unchanged. If that's your primary issue, a whole-house water softener or ion exchange system is the appropriate solution, not a shower filter.
What shower filters do address is chlorine and chloramine, which are added to municipal water supplies as disinfectants. Chlorine strips the natural oils that protect skin and hair, which can leave both feeling drier and more brittle over time. The Journal of Dermatological Science has reported that chlorinated water increases transepidermal water loss on the scalp, which contributes to the itchiness and flaking many people notice after showering. This is where the cartridge earns its keep.
A note for New York City residents: NYC water is often assumed to be heavily mineral-laden, but the more relevant issue is disinfectant. NYC primarily uses chloramine, a chlorine-based disinfectant, in its distribution system, with chlorine residual levels typically ranging from 0.5 to 1.3 mg/L. Olympian Water Testing. If your hair or skin has been feeling off, chlorine and chloramine exposure from showering is a more likely factor than mineral content, and the cartridge is what addresses that.
How to Change the Filter Cartridge
SF100 and SF220 Models
Changing the cartridge in the SF100 Daily Revitalize Shower Filter and SF220 Daily Essential Shower Filter follows the same steps for both:
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Remove the showerhead or shower mount from the filter by twisting counterclockwise.
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Remove the filter from the shower arm by turning counterclockwise.
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Open the filter and take out the old cartridge.
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Place the new cartridge in the filter with the mesh side facing toward the water source.
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Close the filter and screw it back onto the shower arm.
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Run water through the filter for about a minute to flush out any carbon dust.
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Reattach the showerhead.
SF400 and SF500 Models
Follow the same steps above for the SF400 Daily Revitalize+ Shower Filter and SF500 Daily Essential+ Shower Filter. These are more heavy-duty models and also include sediment guards, so in addition to the cartridge, you’ll need to keep an eye on those too (see above for how often to clean and replace them).
What to Expect When You Change the Cartridge
A few things can happen during a cartridge change that might look alarming but are nothing to worry about:
Debris inside the casing. Buildup inside the filter casing is common. Give the inside a thorough rinse before installing the new cartridge.
Dislodged seals or washers. Seals and washers prevent leaks. If they shift during the swap, they can cause drips. Before reassembling, check that all washers are sitting flat. If you notice leaking after, plumber’s tape usually fixes it.
Discolored water. When you first run water through a new cartridge, it may look slightly off-color. This is carbon dust from inside the cartridge and clears within about a minute.
Discoloration inside the filter. The interior of your filter may look faded or discolored over time. This is a normal result of regular use and the plating process, not a sign the filter is failing.
Quick Reference: Replacement Schedule
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Sediment pads (SF400/SF500 only): Rinse every 4-8 weeks (every 2 weeks in high-sediment areas); replace every few months or when pressure doesn’t improve after cleaning
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Cartridge (all models): Replace every 3-6 months, depending on water quality and household usage
Keep up with the guards and replace the cartridge on schedule. If your hair or skin improved after installing the filter and then slipped back, that’s your clearest sign that something needs refreshing. Start with the guards. If things don’t bounce back within a week or two, it’s cartridge time.
