The short version
Chlorine is added to tap water on purpose, to kill germs, and at normal levels it’s considered safe to drink. It’s mostly a taste-and-smell problem, and it’s the easiest contaminant to remove: any activated carbon filter handles it. The two things worth understanding are its byproducts, which are the real health question, and chloramine, a related disinfectant that needs a catalytic carbon filter to remove.
Skip to the filters we recommend ›Why is there chlorine in your water?
Unlike most things on this site, chlorine is in your water because someone put it there deliberately. Utilities add it to disinfect the supply, and it is one of the most important public-health measures ever adopted: chlorination all but ended waterborne epidemics of cholera, typhoid, and dysentery in the developed world. A small “residual” of chlorine stays in the pipes all the way to your tap specifically to keep the water safe on its journey to you.
So the chlorine smell you notice is a sign the disinfection is working. The reason people filter it isn’t usually danger, it’s the taste and odor, that faint swimming-pool note that makes tap water less pleasant to drink and can affect coffee, tea, and cooking. The good news is that removing it is trivially easy and cheap.
The real health question: byproducts, not the chlorine itself
At the levels used in drinking water, chlorine itself is regarded as safe by the EPA and the World Health Organization, and the protection it provides against disease vastly outweighs its risks. The more nuanced concern is what chlorine turns into. When it reacts with natural organic matter in water, it forms disinfection byproducts (DBPs), chiefly trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs).
These are worth taking seriously in moderation. The EPA notes that people who drink water with elevated DBP levels over many years may face problems with the liver, kidneys, or nervous system and a possibly increased cancer risk, while also stating there is no conclusive proof linking DBPs to those outcomes. It’s a genuine “reduce where you reasonably can” situation, not a cause for alarm. A carbon filter that removes chlorine also removes much of the byproduct load, which is a large part of why filtering is worthwhile.
The honest read: don’t fear the chlorine that’s keeping your water safe. Filter it for better taste and to cut down on byproducts, both of which a cheap carbon filter does at the same time.
Chlorine vs chloramine, and why it changes your filter
Many US utilities have switched from chlorine to chloramine, a longer-lasting disinfectant made by combining chlorine with ammonia. It’s used because it stays stable in the pipes longer and forms fewer regulated byproducts. It’s considered safe to drink at treatment levels, but it matters to you for one practical reason: chloramine is much harder to filter out than chlorine.
An ordinary carbon filter that easily strips chlorine may barely touch chloramine. Removing chloramine takes catalytic carbon (a specially treated carbon), a longer contact time, or reverse osmosis. So before you buy, find out which disinfectant your utility uses, it’s listed in your annual water-quality report, and if it’s chloramine, make sure your filter is specifically rated for it.
Two special cases must remove chloramine: home kidney-dialysis equipment and aquariums. Chloramine is harmless to drink but toxic to fish, and it must be removed from dialysis water. If either applies to you, a chloramine-rated filter isn’t optional.
Where the rules stand
Chlorine is one of the better-regulated things in your water. The EPA sets a maximum residual disinfectant level of 4 milligrams per liter for chlorine (and the same for chloramine), a level chosen to keep water safely disinfected without excess. It also caps the main byproducts: 80 parts per billion for total trihalomethanes and 60 parts per billion for the five regulated haloacetic acids. Utilities test for these routinely and report them in the annual report they’re required to send you.
How to tell what’s in your water
Chlorine is the rare contaminant you can often detect yourself, but confirming the details is easy:
- You can usually smell or taste it, that pool-water note, especially in a fresh glass or a hot shower.
- Check your utility’s annual report for the chlorine level, the byproduct levels, and crucially, whether they use chlorine or chloramine.
- Use a cheap test strip or pool-style test kit if you want to measure the chlorine level in your own tap directly.
Which filters remove chlorine (and chloramine)
Chlorine is the easiest contaminant to filter, so almost anything with carbon works. The look-for here is the certification: NSF/ANSI 42 is the chlorine, taste, and odor standard. Note that chloramine is a separate NSF/ANSI 42 claim, so a chlorine listing does not guarantee chloramine removal.
| Method | Chlorine | Chloramine | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Activated carbon (any) | Excellent | Limited | NSF/ANSI 42 |
| Catalytic carbon | Excellent | Yes | The chloramine answer |
| Reverse osmosis | Excellent | Yes | Overkill for chlorine alone |
| Let water sit / boil | Works | No | Chlorine off-gasses; chloramine doesn’t |
| Standard pitcher / fridge | Good | Check listing | Fine for chlorine |
You don’t need reverse osmosis for chlorine. A simple carbon pitcher or faucet filter removes it for a few dollars. Spend up only if you’re on chloramine (get catalytic carbon) or want to tackle other contaminants at the same time.
Filters we recommend for chlorine
Because chlorine is so easy to remove, the right choice depends mostly on whether you also have chloramine or want to filter more than taste. Here’s where we’d start.
When you buy through the links below we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects our rankings, see our affiliate disclosure.
Brita Elite Pitcher
SpringWell CF1
AquaTru Carafe
For pure taste on a budget, a carbon pitcher like the Brita Elite is all you need. If your utility uses chloramine, or you want filtered water at every tap and shower, the catalytic-carbon SpringWell CF1 is the whole-house pick. And if you’d rather solve chlorine along with PFAS, lead, and more in one go, a reverse-osmosis system like the AquaTru Carafe covers it all. See our PFAS guide if forever chemicals are also a concern.
Frequently asked questions about chlorine
Is chlorine in drinking water bad for you?
At the levels US utilities use, chlorine is considered safe by the EPA and WHO, and it prevents deadly waterborne disease. The more nuanced concern is its byproducts (THMs and HAAs) over long-term exposure, and for many people the taste. A carbon filter improves the taste and reduces byproducts at the same time, so filtering is worthwhile even though the chlorine itself isn’t a crisis.
Does boiling or letting water sit remove chlorine?
Yes for chlorine, which evaporates. Letting water stand uncovered for a day, or boiling it for a few minutes, will off-gas most of the chlorine. But this does not work for chloramine, which is stable and won’t evaporate. A carbon filter is faster, more reliable, and works on both if it’s catalytic.
What’s the difference between chlorine and chloramine?
Chloramine is chlorine combined with ammonia. Utilities use it because it lasts longer in the pipes and forms fewer regulated byproducts. The practical difference for you is that chloramine is much harder to filter: it needs catalytic carbon, a long carbon contact time, or reverse osmosis. Check your utility’s report to see which one you have.
Do Brita or refrigerator filters remove chlorine?
Yes, easily, chlorine, taste, and odor is exactly what carbon pitcher and fridge filters are built for, and it’s their core NSF/ANSI 42 claim. Chloramine is another matter: only filters specifically rated for chloramine reliably remove it, so check the listing if that’s what your utility uses.
Do I need reverse osmosis to remove chlorine?
No. Any activated carbon filter removes chlorine cheaply, so reverse osmosis is overkill if chlorine is your only concern. That said, a carbon pre-filter is important on any RO system, because chlorine damages RO membranes, and RO is worth it if you also want to remove dissolved contaminants like fluoride or PFAS.