Our hard water filter guides all sit on this page. We cover hard water in Australian homes. We also cover the shower filters that treat it.
Lena Hartman writes these guides. She co-founded POWERBOX™ and she lives with hard water at home. We check every hardness figure against the water supplier’s own report.
Each guide answers one question. This page shows you which guide you need. Pick a group below, or start with the three questions we get most.
Which hard water filter guide do you need?
Start with your own water and test it if you’re not sure. Then read what hard water does to skin, hair and fittings. Last, compare the filter options against each other. The three links below take you to the right group.
Is my water hard? Go to understanding hard water. Those guides define hardness and show you the home tests.
What is it doing to my skin and hair? Go to hard water problems and effects. Skin, hair, eczema and shower glass all sit in that group.
Do I need a filter? Go to shower filter guides first. Then read shower filter comparisons for the other options.
Hard water problems and effects
Hard water shows up on your skin, your hair and your shower glass. These guides describe each effect. They also say what helps and what doesn’t.
Read this group if something changed after you moved house. It’s also the group to read if your shampoo stopped working.
- Hard water skin damage
- Hard water and hair
- Do shower filters help eczema?
- Will hard water cause hair loss?
- Hard water marks on shower glass
A shower filter isn’t a medical treatment. See a dermatologist about any diagnosed skin condition.
Understanding hard water
Start in this group if you’re new to the subject. These guides define hard water and compare it with soft water. They also show you how to test your own supply.
It’s the right group for anyone who has just heard the term. The Australia guide gives you city figures and a postcode route.
- What is hard water?
- Hard water vs soft water difference
- How to test water hardness
- Does Australia have hard water?
Hard water by location
Hardness changes a lot across Australia. Perth’s northern suburbs have some of the hardest water in the country. Melbourne and Sydney are soft by comparison.
Read this group if you want the numbers for your own city. Each guide uses the water supplier’s published data and names the year.
- Hard water areas in Perth
- Hard water in Adelaide
- Does Melbourne have hard water?
- Hard water in Sydney
Shower filter guides
These guides cover how a shower filter works and how to look after one. They deal with fitting, cartridge life and cleaning.
Read them before you buy, then again after you fit yours. This is the practical group, not the theory group.
- Are shower filters worth it?
- How to install a shower filter
- How long do shower filters last?
- How to clean a shower head
Shower filter comparisons
A shower filter isn’t the only way to deal with hard water. These guides put it next to a water softener and a whole-house system. They also compare filter types.
Read this group if you’re weighing up options and budgets. Start here before you spend anything.
Our shower filter
Our shower head filter for hard water goes between your shower arm and your showerhead. It reduces chlorine, heavy metals and sediment. It also reduces calcium and magnesium. You don’t need tools to fit it.
Lena Hartman co-founded POWERBOX™ Hard Water Filters Australia. She moved to Perth from Stuttgart, Germany in 2018. The northern suburbs had very hard water. She’s been testing shower filters for Australian conditions ever since.