Limescale spots on your shower screen, dry skin after showering or a kettle full of scale. You quickly end up with two solutions: a water softener or a shower filter. They sound similar, but they do very different things. Besjaar puts them side by side honestly, so you know what you really need.
The short answer
A water softener removes limescale from all the water in your home. A shower filter only works in your shower and does not make your water softer. For most people in the Netherlands, neither is truly necessary, because almost all Dutch water companies already soften the water centrally. Bothered by limescale in the shower? Start with the cheap steps further down this article.
What does a water softener do?
An installer connects a water softener to your main water pipe. Most softeners use ion exchange: a resin swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium. All the water in your home becomes softer, including in your boiler, dishwasher and washing machine.
That comes at a price. According to Werkspot, a softener including installation costs between €1,000 and €2,500 in 2026, plus €100 to €220 a year for salt and maintenance. KWR, the research institute of the Dutch drinking water sector, also names other drawbacks:
- Salt. The resin has to be flushed with salt regularly. For a family of four, that quickly adds up to 70 kilos of salt a year, which ends up in the sewer.
- Sodium. For every 40 milligrams of calcium, 46 milligrams of sodium enters your water. Keep that in mind if you need to limit your salt intake.
- Maintenance. Without proper maintenance, bacteria can grow in the unit and water quality declines.
- Magnetic softeners. These work without salt, but according to KWR it has not been scientifically proven how and when they work.
What does a shower filter do?
A shower filter is a cartridge in or in front of your shower head. Water flows through it in a fraction of a second. That is too short to remove dissolved limescale from the water. In an independent test by Water Filter Guru, not a single shower filter lowered water hardness.
What a shower filter can do: hold back particles, such as loose limescale and rust particles from pipes, and break down free chlorine. Chlorine is normally not present in Dutch tap water, but it is in much of the tap water in Belgium, France and Spain. How the different filter layers work is explained in how does a shower filter work?
Water softener and shower filter compared
| Water softener | Shower filter | |
|---|---|---|
| Works on | All the water in your home | Only your shower |
| Makes water softer | Yes | No |
| Chlorine | Not what it is designed for | Yes, depending on the filter type |
| Cost | €1,000 to €2,500, plus €100 to €220 a year | Tens of euros, plus replacement filters |
| Installation | By an installer, on the main pipe | Yourself, without tools |
| Maintenance | Topping up salt and having the unit serviced | Replacing the filter every few months |
How hard is your water, actually?
Almost all Dutch drinking water companies have built softening plants over the past decades. As a result, Dutch tap water is soft on average, around 8 °dH. It is not allowed to become completely soft: the law sets a minimum, because water that is too soft attacks pipes. In Groningen, Zeeland and Limburg the water is somewhat harder on average. Check your own situation in water hardness by province.
What do you really need?
- Your water is soft and nothing bothers you. Then you need neither.
- You mainly see limescale in the bathroom. Squeegee your shower screen and descale your shower head now and then. That costs next to nothing. See a shower screen without limescale spots and descaling a shower head: vinegar or citric acid?
- You have hard water and limescale everywhere. Think of a boiler, kettle and washing machine full of scale. Then a water softener is the only real solution. Do weigh up the costs and drawbacks above carefully.
- Your skin is dry or you have eczema. A water softener is not a treatment either. In a large British study, a softener gave children with eczema no extra improvement. Showering lukewarm and short often helps more, see hard water and dry skin.
- You live or travel where there is chlorine in the water. Then a shower filter with the right filter layer does make a noticeable difference. Read is there chlorine in Dutch tap water?
Where does a Besjaar shower head with filter fit in?
The Besjaar Shower Head with Filter is not a water softener. Its 8-stage filter holds back particles and contains calcium sulfite, among other things, which breaks down free chlorine. The head also has silicone nozzles you can rub limescale off with your thumb, 10 settings and a pause button. You will find all filters and replacement filters in the Besjaar shower filters.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a water softener in the Netherlands?
Usually not. Almost all drinking water companies already soften the water centrally, and Dutch tap water is soft on average. A softener may only be worth it with really hard water and limescale problems throughout the house.
Does a shower filter make your water softer?
No. A shower filter does not remove dissolved limescale from the water; the water spends too little time in the filter. It can hold back particles and break down free chlorine.
Is softened water safe to drink?
Yes, if the softener is properly maintained. An ion-exchange softener does add sodium to your water. If you follow a low-salt diet, check with your doctor.
Besjaar makes shower heads and filters for Dutch bathrooms, from Assen. Better water, every day.
Sources
- KWR – Hofman-Caris (2021), Het drinkwater is al zacht. Moet het nog zachter? (Dutch, pdf)
- Werkspot – Wat kost een waterontharder in 2026? (Dutch)
- Water Filter Guru – Do shower filters work?
- Thomas et al. (2011) – A randomised controlled trial of ion-exchange water softeners for the treatment of eczema in children