You can store the ShowerStick for several months, provided you follow these guidelines to keep the resin in good condition:

✅ Storage Conditions

• Temperature:
  
  • Avoid high heat (above 120°F / 49°C)
  • Avoid freezing (below 32°F / 0°C)
    Extreme temperatures can damage the resin beads.
• Seal the openings:
  Keep all three openings sealed so air cannot get inside. Exposure to air dries out the resin which damages it.

✅ Maintenance During Storage

• Periodic shaking:
  Every couple months, gently shake the ShowerStick to keep the resin from compacting.
• Check moisture level:
  The resin needs to stay moist, so the ShowerStick should be kept full of water.

✅ Storage Duration

• Generally safe for several months when stored properly.

For a full list of the countries, we ship to and the associated shipping costs, please visit our Shipping Policies page.

1. Select PayPal at Checkout
   When you reach the payment screen, choose PayPal as your payment method — even if you’re paying with a credit card.

2. Proceed to the Next Screen
   After selecting PayPal, you’ll be redirected to a new screen. Click “Pay with Debit or Credit Card” to enter your card details directly — no PayPal account is required.

Also, please make sure to:

• ✅ Verify that the security code (CVV) entered from your credit card is correct

• ✅ Confirm that the Billing Address matches the one on file with your payment method

• ✅ Check the box that says, “I have read and agree to the website terms and conditions”

Still having issues?

• Try placing your order using a different browser

• Or contact your credit card provider to find out why the transaction didn’t go through

The frequency at which you need to regenerate your ShowerStick is largely determined by the hardness of your water and your water pressure.

1. Water Hardness:
   
   • The average water hardness in the U.S. is about 10 grains per gallon.
   • However, if you live in California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, or other areas with extremely hard water (14+ grains), your water is likely much harder. This means you’ll need to regenerate the ShowerStick more often. For a more detailed breakdown of regeneration times based on water hardness, refer to the chart on our ShowerStick page.
   • Many countries outside the U.S. (like Canada and the UK) also usually have very hard or extremely hard water, so the same applies there.
2. Water Pressure:
   
   • Your water pressure also affects how often regeneration is needed. So the higher your water pressure, the more often you’ll need to regenerate.
   • If you’d like to reduce your water pressure to conserve your soft water temporarily while you’re shaving or shampooing for example, you can install a Flow Control Valve (available in our store) which installs between your shower head and hose.
   • Be sure to keep the green flow restrictor inserted in the female end of the mount that comes with the ShowerStick. It will limit the flow to 1.8 gpm.
3. How to Determine Your Water Hardness:
   
   • Your local water district should provide an online annual Water Quality Report, but your water could be harder than what’s reported. To get an accurate measure, try a Hardness Test Kit made by Hach, which is available online.
4. How Water Hardness Affects Regeneration:
   
   • For example, if your water hardness is 14 grains, you’ll get about 41 minutes of soft water before needing regeneration. For 10 grains, you’ll get about 60 minutes. Please see the chart on our ShowerStick page.
5. Why You Need to Regenerate More Often:
   
   • The ShowerStick is a compact unit designed for individual showers, which limits the amount of resin it can hold. While a whole-house softener can last for weeks between regenerations, the ShowerStick’s smaller size requires more frequent regenerations to keep your water soft.
6. Tips for Efficient Regeneration and Conserving Soft Water:
   
   • Use Table Salt: Always use plain or iodized table salt (e.g., Morton’s or any store brand). Avoid coarse salts (like sea salt, kosher salt, or water softener salt), as they don’t dissolve well (and water softener salt contains sediment which only a whole house softener is able to remove.
   • Salt Dissolution: If there’s some undissolved salt at the bottom of your regeneration bottle, it’s normal. Just add a little more water, shake, and pour. Warm or hot water will dissolve salt faster—but don’t use boiling water.
   • Use the Right Amount: For regeneration, use one cup of table salt in one liter of water. This concentration is necessary for optimal ion exchange of the resin.
   • Use a Flow Control Valve: Add our Flow Control Valve to conserve soft water by temporarily lowering water pressure while shaving or lathering. It installs between the shower head and hose.
   • Regenerate When Needed: You can regenerate at any time, depending on how soft you want the water. Some users with extremely hard water (e.g., 20-30 grains) might regenerate when the hardness reaches 6 grains, while others with sensitive skin (e.g., eczema) might prefer regenerating when hardness is around 1-2 grains. But most people regenerate by 3 grains, since soft water is 0-3 grains.
   • Regeneration Reminder Tip: If you’re showering and the water starts to feel like it’s not as soft anymore, after showering, lay the shower head/hose on the floor as a reminder to regenerate before your next shower.
7. How to Tell When to Regenerate:
   
   • Test Strips: If the test strip turns yellow, the water is soft. If it starts to show the orange color, it’s time to regenerate.
   • Feel and Lather: Over time, you’ll also notice when the water feels less “slippery” or when soap/shampoo doesn’t lather as well. These are signs that regeneration is needed.

Yes! The ShowerStick uses the same ion exchange technology and resin beads as a traditional salt-based water softener. This means it effectively provides the same high-quality soft water for your shower as any whole-house softener would, but in a compact, easy-to-install form.

We receive this question often, especially from customers frustrated by spending money on shower filters that don’t deliver the expected results. The reason many filters cannot soften water lies in the technology used.

To soften water, you need a large volume of resin (used in ion exchange), which cannot fit inside a small shower filter. Even if resin were included in a filter, it would only soften the water temporarily — for a few minutes — before it loses its effectiveness, as the resin cannot be regenerated.

Many companies use keywords like “soft water” or “soft skin” to mislead customers into thinking their filter softens water. However, filtering and softening are different. Filters remove contaminants like chlorine, but softeners remove hard water minerals like calcium and magnesium.

To check whether a filter softens water, ask the company:
“If I use a hardness test, will it show that your filter removes hard water minerals?”
If they say “yes”, but the filter doesn’t work as expected, it’s likely that you’ve been misled — and you may face high return shipping costs, especially if the company’s return policy is restrictive.

It’s important to do your research before purchasing and be cautious of companies that exaggerate or misrepresent their products.

What can actually soften water?
To soften water in the shower, you can install either:

• A whole-house water softener

• A portable shower water softener, like the ShowerStick (which uses resin and regenerates with salt for effective softening)

We pride ourselves on providing honest, accurate information and are always happy to answer your questions thoroughly. If you’re unsure about whether a shower filter softens water, we’ll gladly explain that only a softener can do so.

For more details, use any hardness test kit, and you’ll see that a regular filter will not affect water hardness. Only a salt-regenerated water softener, such as the ShowerStick, can truly soften water in your shower.

While the initial cost of the ShowerStick may be higher than a typical shower filter, it’s important to consider the long-term savings.

Here’s why:

1. Longer lifespan: The lifespan of the ShowerStick is about 10 years, whereas shower filters need to be replaced every 6-12 months, depending on the type and size of the filter. If you multiply the yearly cost of a shower filter by 10, you’ll see that the ShowerStick is far more cost-effective in the long run.
2. More effective: The ShowerStick does much more than a basic filter. It softens water, removing hard water minerals like calcium and magnesium, which are known to cause dry skin, hair, and scalp issues.
3. Added value: The ShowerStick comes with a handheld shower head and hose, a shower arm mount (cradle to hold head/hose), hanger, and test strips — all included in the price.

If you’re going to be away, here’s how long you can leave your ShowerStick installed and unused—and what to do to protect it:

✅ How Long Can It Stay Installed Without Use?

• Up to a few months (2–3 months) is generally fine, even if no water is run through it.
• This works because the only way air can get in is through the small holes in the showerhead, which slows evaporation.
• The resin inside should stay wet for a while if the unit was full of water before you left.

🔄 Recommended Best Practice While Away

• Ideal: Have someone run water through the ShowerStick for 1 minute every 1–2 months.
  This keeps the resin hydrated and flushes out stagnant water.
• At minimum: Make sure the unit is completely full of water before you leave and that all three openings are sealed:
  
  • The two ends (with hoses or plugs)
  • The regeneration cap

⚠️ What If It Sits Too Long Without Use?

If the unit is left idle too long (especially 4+ months in a dry or hot climate), the resin could:

• Begin to dry out, which leads to resin bead cracking.

To recover:

1. Shake the resin to loosen it.
2. Regenerate with saltwater solution.
3. Flush with water for 2+ minutes.
4. Test hardness — if the output is soft, your resin is still good.

🧠 Tip:

If you know you’ll be away for a longer time (4+ months) and no one can flush the system:

• Consider uninstalling the ShowerStick, filling it with water, sealing all three openings, and storing it in a temperature-safe location.

Unfortunately, neither the ShowerStick softener nor the KDF chlorine filter removes fluoride. Here’s why:

1. Water softeners (including the ShowerStick) are designed to target positively charged minerals like calcium and magnesium, which cause hardness in water. Fluoride, however, is a negatively charged ion and cannot be removed by softeners.

2. Shower filters, regardless of type, primarily reduce chlorine and are not effective at removing fluoride.

Why can’t fluoride be removed in the shower?

• Fluoride removal requires a very slow flow rate (around 0.5 GPM), which is much lower than typical shower flow rates (which range from 1.8–2.5 GPM).

• It also requires a large volume of specialized filtration media, far more than can fit in a standard shower unit.

Is fluoride exposure during a shower a concern?

• Fluoride doesn’t vaporize like some other chemicals, so there’s little risk of inhaling it while showering.

• Skin absorption of fluoride is minimal, as it has low permeability in neutral pH water (which is standard in municipal water supplies). According to the EU Department of Public Health, you’re unlikely to absorb significant amounts of fluoride through your skin.

For most people, exposure to fluoride during a shower is not a concern, especially if you’re not drinking the shower water. If you have specific sensitivities or allergies to fluoride, however, you may want to explore alternative filtration methods.

Many people notice that soft water feels more “slippery” or “slick” compared to hard water — especially when rinsing off soap. Here’s why:

1. Salt regeneration effect:
   Water softeners like the ShowerStick use resin beads regenerated with salt water. Salted water has a naturally silkier, more slippery feel, similar to ocean water on your skin.

2. No hard minerals left behind:
   With calcium and magnesium removed, soap no longer reacts to form the sticky film or “soap scum” common in hard water. Instead, it rinses away completely, leaving behind skin that feels hydrated and smooth — not coated.

According to the USGS Water Science School:
“You might think you cannot rinse off all the soap on your skin, but actually you are cleaner than if you used hard water! You are feeling hydrated skin, not skin with a soapy residue.”
Source

Bathtub Test Proof:
Try bathing with soap in hard water vs. soft water:

• In hard water, you’ll see a bathtub ring (caused by soap scum and minerals).

• In soft water, you won’t — because the soap rinses cleanly.
  Learn more from Culligan Water.

Tips for bathing in soft water:

• Use about 50% less soap and shampoo — they lather much more easily.

• Consider switching to gentler, more natural products, since harsh sulfates and other additives (used to help soaps lather in hard water) are no longer needed.

• Try clear, dye-free, and perfume-free soaps or shampoos for best results.

If you’re unable to pour salt water into the regeneration port, please check the following:

• Flow Control Valve:
  If you’ve installed a flow control valve, make sure it is not set to the “off” position. This can block water (and salt solution) from flowing through the system.

If the valve is open and you’re still experiencing issues, please contact us directly so we can help troubleshoot further.

No — we don’t sell in retail stores. The ShowerStick is only available wholesale direct to you through our website, which helps us keep costs lower and provide more personalized support.

We’re sorry, but we do not currently offer expedited shipping for domestic orders. All orders are shipped using our standard shipping method, and we typically ship the next business day after your order is placed.

When water service is restored after being shut off for maintenance or repairs, it often returns with a high-pressure surge. This can dislodge various contaminants from your plumbing system, which may clog fixtures — including your ShowerStick.

To protect your ShowerStick and other shower components:

1. Before turning the water back on:

   • Open all other faucets in your home except the one connected to your ShowerStick.

   • Let the water run until it flows clear.

   • Alternatively, you can temporarily remove the ShowerStick and KDF filter (if installed) before the water is shut off.

2. If you forget to do this:
   You should:

   • Backwash the resin inside the ShowerStick

   • Flush the media inside the KDF filter (if installed) by running water through it in the reverse direction

   • Clean the shower head, hose, and mount to remove any trapped debris

👉 Backwashing instructions can be found at the bottom of this page.

The ShowerStick adds a very small amount of sodium to the water as part of the softening process.

To put it in perspective:

• An 8 oz. glass of softened water contains about 12.5 mg of sodium (roughly 200 mg per gallon).

• For comparison:

  • 1 Alka-Seltzer tablet contains 445 mg of sodium

  • 1 can of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup contains approximately 2,225 mg of sodium

However, keep in mind that the water from the ShowerStick is not for drinking — it’s used for showering. When you shower, only trace amounts of sodium may be absorbed through your skin, and it’s negligible from a health perspective.

If your water contains chlorine, we recommend purchasing the KDF filter along with the ShowerStick. While the ShowerStick softens water by removing hard minerals, the KDF filter reduces chlorine, which is beneficial for you, but it also helps to protect the resin inside the ShowerStick, since chlorine can degrade the resin, reducing its effectiveness and lifespan.

To find out if your water contains chlorine:
Search online for your local Water Quality Report or Consumer Confidence Report (e.g., “Los Angeles Water Quality Report”). These reports typically list whether chlorine is used as a disinfectant in your water supply.

If the shower head doesn’t seem to fit properly in the mount, it’s likely attached to the wrong end of the hose.
Please try attaching the shower head to the other end of the hose — this should allow it to sit correctly in the mount.