Avoid One Common Mistake Everyone Makes With Their Bath Filter

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Home filters, like bathroom tub filters, help remove contaminants like chlorine, chloramine, iron oxides, and other pollutants before they reach your bathwater, giving you a cleaner, safer soak. Most hanging bath filters come with multiple parts, including a bath ball housing and a cartridge containing the filter. After assembling it and hanging it from your bath spout, you might assume you're good to go, but there's one common mistake people make: not taking the filter apart to let it dry when it's not in use.

Leaving your tub faucet add-on assembled when not in use can lead to mold buildup. The manufacturer of the Crystal Quest Bath Ball Water Filter, for example, confirms that trapped moisture inside the housing creates the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and mold. Since mold thrives in damp conditions, it's best to take apart each detachable piece of your bath filter and let it dry on a towel or in another dry area to reduce the risk of this bathroom item becoming a mold breeding ground.

Think of your bath filter like a rubber ducky — once water gets inside and can't dry out, it has the potential to become a moldy mess. For bath filters that can be taken apart, allow them to dry between uses or whenever they'll be sitting unused for an extended period of time.

If your bath filter gives off a foul smell, has small black, slimy, or fuzzy specks, or has white, orange, or brown discoloration, it's likely that mold has made its way inside. In this case, you'll want to clean the mold. Grab a pair of gloves and wipe it away using mild dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, or another disinfectant like alcohol. 

Soaking the components in boiling water or a vinegar-water solution are other cleaning methods recommended by manufacturers. However, always refer to the manufacturer's instructions for specific cleaning guidelines. If the filter cartridge has mold that can't be removed, don't try to salvage it — simply replace it. 

Be sure to replace the bath filter cartridge as needed, typically every two months to a year, depending on the manufacturer's recommendations. Some suppliers suggest replacing your bath filter cartridge every two to three months, while the Crystal Quest Bath Ball Filter should be changed every 12 to 18 months, or as needed based on your water hardness.