Chlorine keeps public water safe on its journey to your tap — but most people don’t want to drink or shower in it. Here’s what chlorine and chloramine are, why utilities add them, and how to get them out of your water at home.
Why your water is disinfected
Nearly every U.S. public water system adds a disinfectant to kill bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens and to keep the water safe all the way through the distribution pipes. The two most common are chlorine and chloramine (chlorine combined with ammonia, which lasts longer in the pipes). The EPA regulates these disinfectants and sets a maximum residual level for each (EPA). Disinfection is one of the great public-health achievements of the last century — the goal here isn’t to remove protection in the pipes, it’s to polish the water at the point you actually drink it.
The trade-off: taste, smell, and byproducts
Chlorine is what gives tap water that “swimming pool” taste and odor. Beyond taste, when chlorine reacts with natural organic matter in water it forms disinfection byproducts such as trihalomethanes (THMs), which the EPA regulates because long-term exposure is a health concern (EPA). Chloramine is gentler on taste but is particularly important to remove for two groups: aquarium owners (it’s toxic to fish) and anyone on home dialysis. It can also be harsher on skin for some people.
How to remove chlorine and chloramine at home
- Activated carbon is the workhorse for chlorine. A quality carbon filter reduces chlorine, taste, and odor effectively — this is what most pitcher, faucet, under-sink, and refrigerator filters rely on.
- Catalytic carbon is the upgrade for chloramine, which ordinary carbon removes slowly. If your utility uses chloramine (check your annual water quality report), look for catalytic carbon.
- Reverse osmosis systems include carbon stages, so they address chlorine and chloramine at the drinking tap while also removing dissolved contaminants. See our reverse osmosis systems.
- Whole-house carbon removes chlorine at the point of entry, so every shower and tap — not just drinking water — is chlorine-free. See whole-home filtration.
Boiling drives off some chlorine but not chloramine, and it’s impractical for daily use — a carbon filter is the simple, permanent answer.
Which should you choose?
If your only concern is the taste and smell at the kitchen sink, a good under-sink carbon or RO system solves it. If chlorine bothers your skin in the shower or you want it gone everywhere, a whole-house carbon system is the move. Not sure which your utility uses or what else is in your water? Start with a free water analysis or take our 60-second Find Your System quiz.
Sources
- U.S. EPA — Chloramines in Drinking Water: epa.gov/dwreginfo/chloramines-drinking-water
- U.S. EPA — Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rules: epa.gov/dwreginfo
- CDC — Water Disinfection with Chlorine and Chloramine: cdc.gov/healthywater