How to Remove Chlorine Taste and Odor From Tap Water
Chlorine is the easiest water problem to fix and the one most people actually notice. Almost any carbon filter handles it. The details that matter are whether your utility uses chlorine or chloramine, which changes the carbon you need, and which format fits how you use water.
Environmental Health Research
What is the best way to remove chlorine taste and odor from tap water?
An activated carbon filter certified to NSF/ANSI 42 for chlorine reduction, in whatever format suits you: pitcher, faucet-mount, under-sink carbon block, or whole-house tank. If your utility disinfects with chloramine rather than chlorine, choose catalytic carbon or a filter with a specific NSF/ANSI 42 chloramine claim, because standard carbon removes chloramine slowly and poorly.
- ✓EPA maximum residual disinfectant level: 4.0 mg/L for both chlorine and chloramine; taste and smell are usually noticeable from about 0.5 to 1 mg/L.
- ✓Certification to look for: NSF/ANSI 42 (aesthetic effects) with chlorine and, if needed, chloramine reduction claims.
- ✓Roughly one in five Americans on public water receives chloramine, which does not off-gas or filter out as easily as chlorine.
- ✓Letting water sit uncovered in the fridge overnight removes most free chlorine but not chloramine.
Frequently asked questions
Do Brita filters remove chlorine?▾
Yes. Every mainstream carbon pitcher, including Brita, PUR, and ZeroWater, is certified to NSF/ANSI 42 for chlorine taste and odor reduction. This is the core job activated carbon was designed for, and it does it well as long as the cartridge is changed on schedule.
Does my utility use chlorine or chloramine?▾
Check the disinfectant listed in your Consumer Confidence Report or on your utility website; many large systems, including much of California, Texas, Florida, and the Washington DC area, use chloramine. If your water smells like chlorine but a basic filter barely helps, chloramine is the likely reason.
What is catalytic carbon?▾
Activated carbon whose surface has been modified to speed up the chemical breakdown of chloramine into chloride and nitrogen. It removes free chlorine as well as standard carbon does and chloramine several times more effectively, at a modest price premium. Look for catalytic carbon or an NSF/ANSI 42 chloramine claim.
Do shower filters remove chlorine?▾
Partly. Most use KDF (copper-zinc) media or vitamin C, which reduce free chlorine reasonably well at shower temperatures and flow rates. They are less effective against chloramine, and the claimed health benefits are mostly anecdotal, but many people find them worthwhile for dry skin, hair, and bathroom odor.
Chlorine vs chloramine: know which one you have
Utilities add a disinfectant so that water stays safe from the treatment plant to your tap, and the EPA caps the residual at 4.0 mg/L for both chlorine and chloramine (EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations). The disinfectant itself is not a health concern at those levels; the reasons people filter it are taste, smell, dry skin, and the disinfection byproducts (trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids) that form when chlorine reacts with organic matter, which carbon also reduces. See how much disinfectant and byproducts your utility reports on our chlorine contaminant page.
Free chlorine is volatile: it off-gasses from an open pitcher overnight, boils off in minutes, and is destroyed by a small amount of ordinary activated carbon. Chloramine is chlorine bonded to ammonia. It is more stable, which is why utilities like it, but that same stability means it does not evaporate, is not removed by boiling in any practical time, and requires a long contact time or catalytic carbon to break down. A standard pitcher rated for chlorine may remove only a fraction of chloramine, and it will exhaust much faster. If your utility uses chloramine, buy for chloramine.
GAC vs carbon block vs catalytic carbon
Granular activated carbon (GAC) is loose carbon granules in a cartridge or tank. It has high flow and low pressure drop, which makes it the medium of choice for whole-house tanks and refrigerator filters, but water can channel around the granules, so per-gallon contact is less consistent. Carbon block is powdered carbon compressed into a solid cylinder. Water is forced through the whole block, giving longer contact time, finer particle filtration (often down to 0.5 to 5 microns), and better reduction of lead, cysts, and volatile organics when certified; it is the standard for under-sink and faucet filters. Catalytic carbon is either GAC or block that has been surface-treated to accelerate chloramine breakdown; it costs more and is worth it only where chloramine is in use. All three remove free chlorine effectively, and all three should carry NSF/ANSI 42 certification for the aesthetic claims, with NSF/ANSI 53 added if you also want health-effect contaminants like lead covered.
| Format | Free chlorine | Chloramine | Cost per year | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon pitcher | Excellent | Partial unless rated | $40-100 | Drinking water only; renters |
| Faucet-mount carbon block | Excellent | Partial to good (check claim) | $40-80 | Drinking and cooking without plumbing |
| Under-sink carbon block | Excellent | Good with catalytic carbon | $50-120 | Families; full flow at kitchen tap |
| Whole-house GAC or catalytic tank | Excellent | Good with catalytic carbon | $100-300 (media every 3-6 yrs) | Showers, laundry, every tap |
| Shower filter (KDF / vitamin C) | Good | Weak | $30-60 | Skin and hair; bathroom odor |
| Reverse osmosis | Excellent (via carbon stages) | Good (via carbon stages) | $60-120 | When you also need lead, arsenic, PFAS removed |
Picking a format
If the complaint is only the taste of drinking water, a pitcher is enough and there is no reason to spend more. If you cook with tap water or fill bottles constantly, a faucet-mount or under-sink carbon block removes the refilling chore and is still under $100 a year. If the smell bothers you in the shower, or you want softer-feeling skin and hair, you are choosing between a $40 shower filter and a whole-house carbon tank; the tank costs more up front but treats every fixture and protects rubber gaskets and appliances from chlorine wear. Reverse osmosis is overkill for chlorine alone, but its carbon pre-filters remove it as a side effect, so if your city report also shows lead, arsenic, or PFAS, RO solves everything in one unit. Whatever you choose, chlorine removal is one of the first capabilities a carbon filter loses as it loads up, so a return of chlorine taste is your signal that the cartridge is spent.
Recommended filters for chlorine and chloramine
Waterdrop chlorine, taste and odor filters
Waterdrop's taste-and-odor collection covers under-sink carbon blocks, faucet filters, and whole-house units with NSF/ANSI 42 chlorine claims. Check for a chloramine claim if your utility uses it.
Shop Waterdrop taste and odor filters →Waterdrop 10UA under-sink direct-connect (~$40)
NSF/ANSI 42 certified carbon block that connects to your existing cold line in a few minutes, no separate tap needed. Full flow, and the cheapest way to get chlorine-free water for cooking as well as drinking.
View on Amazon →Brita Large 10-cup Elite pitcher (~$40)
The no-install answer for drinking-water taste. The Elite cartridge is NSF/ANSI 42 certified for chlorine and NSF/ANSI 53 certified for lead, and lasts about six months.
View on Amazon →Disclosure: we may earn a commission from purchases made through the links above, at no extra cost to you. Picks are based on NSF/ANSI certification, not commission rate.
Find out if your water has chlorine byproducts
A certified mail-in lab test shows exactly what's in your water — chlorine byproducts plus dozens of other contaminants — with EPA-grade accuracy. Know your real levels before spending on a filter.
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