That pool smell when you run the bath? Your kid is soaking in it every night. Here's what chlorine in bath water does to their skin, and the one-minute fix.
Chlorine keeps tap water safe to drink, but in the bath it leaves kids' skin dry, tight and itchy, and kids with eczema or sensitive skin feel it most. US tap water can legally carry up to 4 mg/L of chlorine. The Tubo Bath Filter removes up to 99% of it as the tub fills.
Why is there chlorine in my water?
Cities add chlorine, or a cousin called chloramine, to kill germs on the way to your home. It's why you can drink from the tap. That part is good.
The catch: a disinfectant is built to react with what it touches. A glass of water is a few seconds of contact. A bath is your kid's whole body sitting in warm treated water, every night.
Safe to drink and gentle on skin aren't the same thing. That gap is what this guide is about.
How much chlorine is in bath water?
In the US, the EPA caps chlorine and chloramine at 4 mg/L (4 parts per million) as a yearly average. The level changes by city, season and how far you live from the treatment plant.
For context, the CDC recommends a home pool hold at least 1 ppm of chlorine. So your kid's bath can carry more disinfectant than the minimum for a swimming pool.
| Water | Chlorine level | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| US tap water (max) | Up to 4 mg/L yearly average | EPA limit |
| Home swimming pool | At least 1 ppm | CDC recommendation |
| Home hot tub | At least 3 ppm | CDC recommendation |
| Your tap | Listed in your yearly report | Your water utility |
Want your real number? Search your city's name plus "water quality report". Every US community water system publishes one each year, and it lists the disinfectant and its average level. We pulled the numbers for big cities in Chlorine in Tap Water: How America's Biggest Cities Compare.
What does chlorine do to kids' skin?
Here's what happens in a warm chlorinated bath, and why little kids feel it more than you do:
What you see: skin that feels tight after the bath, an itch that starts the moment they're dry, eczema patches that look angrier at bedtime. Then the scratching at 2 a.m. If itching is your main worry, we cover every cause in Why Is My Kid's Skin Itchy After a Bath?
What the research says
Hard water and eczema
Hard water is linked to more eczema in babies. A UK study of 1,303 three-month-olds found higher eczema risk in hard-water homes. In a lab study, hard water left more soap residue on skin and weakened the skin barrier, most of all in people with eczema.
Why chlorine matters
Chlorine is a disinfectant your kid sits in every bath, and it's a drying agent. Kids with eczema or sensitive skin tend to feel it most.
The twist
Dermatologists sometimes use measured bleach baths for infected eczema. That's a treatment, done on purpose. The problem is the drying dose your kid gets by accident, every single night.
So the real answer: chlorine is a drying agent your kid sits in every day. Parents tell us their kid's skin looks calmer once the bath is filtered. If bath time sets off your kid's skin, filtering the water is the fix.
Signs the bath is bothering your kid
Match what you see after bath time:
| What you're seeing | Likely cause | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| Tight, itchy skin once they're dry | Skin oils washed away, water escaping | Filtered water |
| Eczema patches redder after baths | Weak skin barrier, drying water, soap | Filtered water + a gentle soap like Primal Soap |
| Bath water smells like a pool | Chlorine in your water | Bath filter on the spout |
| White film on the tub or faucet | Hard water minerals | Bath filter + a gentle soap that rinses clean (see our hard water guide) |
| Dry, tangly hair | Chlorine and/or hard water | Filtered bath + shower |
“Easy to install, we love it, works so well for eczema prone skin too”
Is chlorine worse for kids with eczema?
Yes. Eczema skin already has a weak barrier, so anything that dries it hits harder. Drying water makes the itch worse and flares more frequent.
Think red patches inside the elbows and behind the knees, a little angrier after every bath. Harsh soap can add to it too.
We break that down in Can Bath Water Make Eczema Worse? and give you a step-by-step routine in The Bath Routine for a Baby With Eczema. If you live in a hard-water area, read Hard Water and Eczema in Kids too.
Chlorine or chloramine: which is in your water?
More than 1 in 5 Americans get water treated with chloramine, which is chlorine bonded to ammonia. It lasts longer in the pipes. It also ignores the old home tricks.
Chlorine
Fades if water sits out for days. Boiling drives it off. Smells like a pool. A good filter takes it out fast.
Chloramine
Doesn't go away by sitting or boiling. Less smell. Only filters built for chloramine break it down.
Your water report names the disinfectant. For what removes each one, see Chlorine vs Chloramine.
2 ways to reduce chlorine in your kid's bath
From least to most effective:
Chlorine slowly fades from standing water, but the CDC says that takes a few days. It does nothing for chloramine. Not a real option for a bath.
The only option that takes chlorine out. Every bath is filtered without you thinking about it. The Tubo Bath Filter uses our clinically tested Neutralyx™ Blend to remove up to 99% of chlorine and heavy metals, plus chloramine. It clips onto 99% of tub spouts in seconds, no tools. More in Will a Bath Filter Fit My Tub? Warm water and long soaks mean skin takes in more of what's in the water. Filter it out and bath time can be as long and relaxing as your kid wants.
Wondering whether bath filters do what they say? We answer that media by media, in Do Bath Filters Actually Work?
Find the guide for your water
In a big US city?
See real chlorine levels from big-city utilities' own reports: Chlorine in Tap Water by City.
In the UK?
The biggest hard-water and eczema studies come from the UK. Here's what they mean for you: UK Hard Water and Kids' Eczema.
In Australia?
What's in your state's water and how it affects skin: Is Australian Tap Water Bad for Kids' Skin?
Give your kid a bath that leaves skin soft, not tight. 50,000+ families already filter with Tubo, rated 4.7★ from 580+ reviews. Get the Tubo Bath Filter →
Frequently asked questions
Can chlorine in bath water cause eczema?
Eczema starts mostly with genes and a weak skin barrier. Chlorine dries that skin out, which makes itch and flares worse, so a filtered bath is gentler on eczema-prone skin.
Is the Tubo Bath Filter safe for babies?
Yes. It's BPA-free and safe from newborn up. It removes up to 99% of chlorine and up to 99.9% of bacteria and viruses, so even a first bath is gentler on new skin.
How much chlorine is in tap water?
In the US, utilities must keep chlorine or chloramine at or below 4 mg/L on a yearly average. The real level depends on your city. Your utility's yearly water quality report lists it.
Does boiling or letting water sit remove chlorine?
For chlorine, yes, slowly. The CDC says standing water takes a few days. Neither works on chloramine, and neither is practical for a full bath.
Do bath filters remove chlorine?
Good ones do. Look for one that handles chloramine too and fits your spout. The Tubo Bath Filter's Neutralyx™ Blend is clinically tested and removes up to 99% of chlorine as the tub fills.
How do I know if my water has chloramine?
Check your city's yearly water quality report or call your water utility. It's listed under disinfectant. Chloramine water usually smells less like a pool.
- US EPA — National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (disinfectants: chlorine and chloramines, MRDL 4.0 mg/L). epa.gov
- US EPA — Chloramines in Drinking Water. epa.gov
- CDC — About Water Disinfection with Chlorine and Chloramine. cdc.gov
- CDC — Home Pool and Hot Tub Water Treatment and Testing. cdc.gov
- Perkin MR et al. — Association between domestic water hardness, chlorine, and atopic dermatitis risk in early life. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2016. openaccess.sgul.ac.uk
- Danby SG et al. — The Effect of Water Hardness on Surfactant Deposition after Washing and Subsequent Skin Irritation in Atopic Dermatitis Patients and Healthy Control Subjects. J Invest Dermatol, 2018. eprints.whiterose.ac.uk
- Stamatas GN et al. — Infant skin microstructure assessed in vivo differs from adult skin. Pediatr Dermatol, 2010 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- American Academy of Dermatology — Eczema: Tips to help your child feel better. aad.org
- American Academy of Dermatology — Bleach baths for eczema. aad.org