Contaminant · Water
Chlorine and Chloramine
Aesthetic concern (taste and odor), not a health-based MCL. 14 of the water filters we score hold an accredited NSF, WQA, or IAPMO certification to reduce Chlorine and Chloramine, and 11 more market it with no accredited certification we could verify. A claim is not a certification.
What it is
If your water smells faintly like a swimming pool, this is usually why. Utilities add chlorine or chloramine on purpose, to disinfect drinking water and keep it safe all the way through the distribution system. What is left over by the time it reaches you - the residual - is what you taste and smell at the tap.
Why it matters
Good news here: at the typical residual levels utilities maintain, chlorine in tap water is primarily a taste, odor, and aesthetic issue. Reducing it is about making your water more pleasant to drink, not a health emergency, which is exactly why it sits under the aesthetic standard rather than a health-based one.
What removes it
What to look for is a filter certified to NSF/ANSI 42 for chlorine taste and odor. The reassuring part: most pitcher and faucet filters already cover this, so it is one of the easier things to fix.
Reference: EPA disinfectant residual guidance; NSF/ANSI 42.
Scored filters certified for Chlorine and Chloramine
- 8.4Brita Elite Pitcher (10-Cup)
A pour-through pitcher whose Elite filter is certified to reduce lead, mercury, cadmium and more, with a long 120-gallon cartridge.
- 7.5AquaTru Classic Countertop RO
A no-plumbing countertop 4-stage RO purifier certified to NSF standards for lead, PFAS, fluoride and arsenic with an efficient drain ratio.
- 7.5Culligan US-EZ-4 Under-Sink
An under-sink filter genuinely IAPMO certified to NSF/ANSI 42, 53 and 401 for lead, cysts, VOCs, mercury and PFOA/PFOS.
- 7.2Aquasana AQ-5200 Under-Sink
Certified for lead and PFAS, cheap per gallon, marketing matches the certified scope.
- 7.0Brita Faucet Mount (FF-100)
A tool-free faucet-mount system whose FR-200 filter is WQA Gold Seal certified to NSF/ANSI 42, 53 and 401 for chlorine, lead, asbestos, benzene, VOCs and microplastics.
- 6.8Frizzlife SK99 Under-Sink Filter
A direct-connect 3-stage under-sink filter with a 0.5 micron carbon block, IAPMO certified to NSF/ANSI 42 and 53 for chlorine, lead, VOCs and particulate. Its broader claims (chloramine, PFAS, fluoride) are marketed but not certified.
- 6.6Waterdrop G3P800 Tankless RO
A tankless 800 GPD reverse-osmosis system IAPMO-certified to NSF/ANSI 42, 53, 58 and 372 for a broad contaminant list including lead, PFAS, arsenic, nitrate and fluoride.
- 6.4PUR Plus Faucet Mount (PFM400H)
A faucet-mount system whose RF-9999 cartridge is genuinely NSF certified for lead, chlorine, mercury and microplastic reduction.
- 5.9PUR Plus Pitcher (7-Cup)
An affordable pitcher certified to reduce lead, mercury, microplastics and chlorine, though its 40-gallon filter needs frequent swaps.
- 5.7Waterdrop 10UA Under-Sink
An inexpensive high-capacity inline under-sink filter, IAPMO certified to NSF/ANSI 42 and 372, but its PFAS and lead claims are not certified.
- 5.6Brita Standard Pitcher
An everyday ion-exchange pitcher certified for chlorine, copper, cadmium and mercury - but notably NOT certified for lead.
- 4.9ZeroWater 5-Stage Pitcher (7-Cup)
A five-stage ion-exchange pitcher certified for lead, chromium-6 and PFOA/PFOS - but a short 15-gallon filter makes it costly to run.
- 4.1Epic Smart Shield Under-Sink
A slim inline under-sink filter genuinely certified by IAPMO to NSF/ANSI 42, 53 and 401 for lead, VOCs and more - though its PFAS reduction is tested to standards, not in the certified scope.
- 2.5Clearly Filtered Pitcher
Certified only to NSF/ANSI 42 and 372, its 365+ contaminant claims come from non-accredited lab testing, not health-effects certification.
Marketed for Chlorine and Chloramine, but not certified
These scored filters market Chlorine and Chloramine reduction but we found no accredited NSF, WQA, or IAPMO certification for it - "tested to" is not "certified to." Absence of certification is not proof a product fails to reduce it, only that we found no independent verification.
- 6.1iSpring RCC7 5-Stage RO
A 5-stage 75 GPD under-sink RO. The base RCC7 is NSF-certified for TDS reduction only - the lead, fluoride and arsenic claims belong to other iSpring SKUs, not this model.
- 4.9Express Water RO5DX 5-Stage RO
A 5-stage under-sink RO whose contaminant figures come from third-party lab testing (QFT Laboratory) to NSF/ANSI methods; we found no accredited NSF, WQA or IAPMO certification listing for this model.
- 4.3Home Master TMAFC-ERP Artesian RO
A 7-stage RO with permeate pump, a 1:1 waste ratio and alkaline remineralization - but the complete system holds no third-party performance certification.
- 4.0APEC ROES-50 Essence RO
An affordable 50 GPD under-sink RO system, WQA-certified to NSF/ANSI 58 for TDS - but it markets lead and arsenic removal it is not separately certified for.
- 3.7SpringWell CF1 Whole House
A 4-stage catalytic-carbon whole-house filter rated for a million gallons that uses NSF-certified media but is not certified as a complete system.
- 3.4Aquasana Rhino EQ-1000 Whole House
A 1,000,000-gallon carbon and KDF whole-house system. Aquasana's own data sheet calls the chlorine reduction 'tested to' NSF/ANSI 42, not certified; the only accredited certification it holds is a WQA structural one (NSF/ANSI 61), which covers no contaminant reduction.
- 3.2Big Berkey Gravity System
Genuinely cheap per gallon, but 'tested to' lab claims with no NSF/ANSI certification to verify them. In our view, the widest claim-vs-proof gap in the set.
- 3.2Epic Pure Pitcher
A 150-gallon solid-block carbon pitcher lab-tested to NSF/ANSI standards for fluoride, lead and PFAS - tested to standards, but not third-party certified.
- 2.7LifeStraw Home Pitcher
A membrane-and-carbon pitcher marketed against bacteria, microplastics, lead and PFAS, but its claims rest on 'tested to' lab data rather than active third-party certification.
- 1.7Clearly Filtered 3-Stage Under-Sink
A three-stage under-sink system the brand says targets 232+ contaminants, but its performance is lab-tested to NSF protocols rather than third-party certified.
- 1.5Great Value Water Filter Pitcher (HS528N)
A budget store-brand pitcher whose Walmart listing says 'Certified to NSF/ANSI 42&53' but names no certifier, number, or registry - an unverifiable claim that earns no certified credit here. No standalone filter price is published, so cost per gallon also can't be computed.
FAQ
- Is chlorine in tap water dangerous?
- At the residual levels utilities maintain, it is regulated as an aesthetic concern, not a health one. Filtering it mainly improves taste and odor - so this is more about enjoying your water than protecting yourself from it.
Related
- Is your water filter NSF certified? The verified list
- How to check a filter's certification yourself
- Lead in drinking water
- PFAS (PFOA / PFOS) in drinking water
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in drinking water
- Nitrate in drinking water
- Arsenic in drinking water
- Hard Water (Hardness) in drinking water
- Fluoride in drinking water
- Chromium-6 (Hexavalent Chromium) in drinking water
- Mercury in drinking water
- Microplastics in drinking water
- Cysts (Cryptosporidium and Giardia) in drinking water
- Pharmaceuticals and Emerging Compounds in drinking water
- Asbestos in drinking water
- Copper in drinking water