Does Water Filter Remove Chlorine? The Story of Your Tap Water and Chlorine.

Chlorine is added to most municipal water supplies as a way of killing harmful bacteria. 

However, it also has the effect of making your tap water smell and taste bad.

This blog post will answer the question: does water filter remove chlorine? 

In short, yes, a good water filter can remove chlorine from your tap water.

We’ll go into detail about what chlorine is, how it’s harmful to your health, and if a water filter can help remove it. 

We’ll also look at some of the different types of filters available for removing chlorine from drinking water.

So let’s get started.

What is Chlorine?

Chlorine is a chemical that is used to clean drinking water for over 100 years.

It is a chemical that is often added to municipal water supplies to disinfect it. 

It has many uses, including purifying drinking water, preventing infectious diseases from spreading and controlling algae growth in fresh-water aquariums.

Chlorine does this by killing any bacteria and other organisms in the water, including both harmful pathogens and those beneficial to human health.

Chlorination prevents harmful bacteria from growing by breaking down the cell walls of microorganisms such as viruses or protozoa that can make people sick.

Chlorine is typically only used in municipal water systems, which supply drinking water to homes and businesses. 

Also read: Does Water Filter Remove Parasites?

Is Drinking Chlorinated Water Harmful?

Yes, drinking chlorinated water is harmful to you and your health.

When ingested over an extended period of time (chronic exposure), research suggests there may be links between chlorine consumption and various health problems.

Though chlorine will kill bacteria like e-coli, it also produces things that are bad for you. 

Chlorine usually makes something called chloroform and trihalomethanes.

They can make you sick in the short term, and they might be linked to cancer in the long term.

Take chloroform, for example.

According to CDC reports, when exposed to large amounts of chloroform, it will affect the central nervous system (brain), liver, and kidneys by either breathing or drinking.

The other byproduct of chlorine, the Trihalomethanes (THMs), are also harmful to your body.

This chemical can form in the drinking water when chlorine reacts with organic materials like leaves, animal skin, or organic matter usually found in a water treatment plant.

Drinking water with high levels of THMs can cause problems such as cancer and fertility issues.

The bottom line is it’s better to avoid drinking chlorinated water. 

The water can hurt your health, which is why you should do whatever you can to remove chlorine from your drinking water.

Also read: Does Water Filter Remove Bacteria?

Can You Filter Chlorine Out of Drinking Water?

Can you filter chlorine out of drinking water? Technically, yes. 

However, the process isn’t as simple as installing a kitchen faucet filtration system or buying bottled water from the store.

For chlorine to be removed from your tap water, it needs to go through an extensive filtering process that removes chlorine and other harmful chemicals like trihalomethanes (THMs).

That is why you will need the right water filter system if you want to filter chlorine out of drinking water.

It may not seem like much but just think about how often we drink our tap water on any given day – sometimes up to five glasses! 

That adds up fast (and exponentially) with all these little chemicals that aren’t doing us any favors.

So you have to make sure when choosing between water filters, you pick the right one to filter chlorine.

I’ve also learned that chlorine isn’t the only thing you need to be concerned with. 

Fluoride, disinfection byproducts (DBP), and lead are all things that water filters will help remove from your drinking water. 

Still, it’s important to note they can’t filter out everything, so do some research before buying one.

We will talk about the best water filter to remove chlorine from your drinking water. So keep on reading.

What Type of Water Filter Removes Chlorine?

Water filters are a quick and easy way to remove chlorine from your drinking water. 

A good quality filter will clear up any cloudy or murky-looking tap water, removing chlorine and other contaminants that may be present in the water. 

You can remove this chemical by going with RO (Reverse Osmosis) or Activated Carbon Filters, which effectively remove chlorine and THMs.

First, let’s talk about the Reverse Osmosis Water Filter.

The Reverse Osmosis water filter process starts by filtering your tap water through a membrane. 

As the filtered water passes through this membrane, it becomes almost pure as most of the chlorine is removed. 

This type of filtration can be quite expensive to install, but it lasts for decades and, in some cases, may even provide you with enough drinking water for all family members’ daily needs. 

A RO system removes up to 98% percent or more contaminants, including THMs (Trihalomethanes) and Arsenic which are harmful chemicals found in contaminated municipal waters.

However, a RO system can be pretty expensive for some. 

It costs around $100 to have a good RO system installed in your house.

Another type of filtration is Activated Carbon Filters (ACF). This is a cheaper alternative to the RO system.

These filters are made of granular activated carbon (GAC), a form of charcoal that can adsorb chemicals and other organic substances.

This type of filter comes with an active charcoal layer where impurities get trapped on its surface when it comes into contact with liquid water molecules. 

It is then absorbed by the GAC material as pressure forces it up through tiny pores or holes in the media bed from below upwards.

This process removes contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, THMs, and Arsenic from contaminated municipal waters before reaching your tap.

However, Activated Carbon Filters have their own disadvantages. 

One of which is that they cannot remove organic compounds, such as natural and synthetic hormones. 

ACF also cannot filter out contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, and other organisms in your water.

Therefore, if you are in the process of looking for a water filter, then it would be best to get an RO system as it provides a complete filtration system to your water.

Reverse osmosis filters have a more complex technology than ACF filters which gives them an edge over the latter when it comes to removing chlorine from drinking water. 

Some Reverse osmosis systems also use UltraViolet technology, so they can remove other pollutants like bacteria, lead, and other chemicals from your water.

Also read: Does Water Filter Remove Lead?

Does Boiling Water Get Rid of the Chlorine?

Yes, boiling your water does get rid of the chlorine in it. 

Boiling your water will remove most of the chlorine from your drinking supply which means that it’s safe for consumption again. 

This process is inexpensive and straightforward, so it’s really not worth risking your health by continuing to drink this kind of tap water without first removing the chlorine content completely!

When you are boiling chlorinated tap water, the chlorine that it contains will evaporate and escape into the air as a gas leaving you with clean water.

Does Letting Tap Water Sit Remove Chlorine?

Yes, letting tap water sit around overnight does remove some of its chlorine content. 

You can get rid of chlorinated tap water by leaving it to stand for the night. 

When your chlorinated drinking water is allowed to stay there undisturbed, a portion of that gas will evaporate and escape from the surface area. 

Still, I don’t recommend people do this because it would take too long just so you could have clean drinking water in hand again.

There are better ways you could go about achieving this; boiling or getting a good filter is much more effective than just letting tap water stand around for too long.

Conclusion: So, Does a Water Filter Remove Chlorine from Tap Water?

To conclude, yes, the right water filter can remove chlorine from your tap water. 

Reverse osmosis and activated carbon filters are two popular choices for removing chlorine from your tap water. 

If you’re looking to remove the taste of chlorine, then an activated carbon filter is a great solution.

On the other hand, if you want to ensure that all traces of chlorine have been removed, including any potential carcinogens such as Legionella bacteria or Trihalomethanes (THMs), reverse osmosis may be more appropriate for you. 

The decision ultimately comes down to how much money you are willing to spend on a water filter system vs. what level of protection against harmful chemicals in your drinking water do you want.

We hope you’ve found this guide helpful to decide on the right water filter for your household. 

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me using the contact form on this blog.

I will be more than happy to answer your questions.