Anonymity in IRC – IRC Bouncer

I use IRC a lot. But I think it isn't safe because all users can see your ip address any time. I tried to connect with free proxies but I couldn't because i kept taking messages that my ip had trojans or something. I read several articles about anonymity in IRC and I tried several commands in XChat to hide my ip but nothing worked. So I read that I can use bouncer to stay anonymous in IRC. I tried ZNC that is free but didn't work. Can you explain to me how can I use a bouncer? Also, do you know any free bouncers that I can use?
