9 Tips to Remove Chlorine From Water

Unfortunately, many cities use chlorine in the tap water. This can leave a strong chemical taste in your mouth when you are just trying to quench your thirst. The taste difference between pure, filtered water and chlorinated water is massive.

I have been having the issue of the water in my taps tasting strongly of chlorine. That’s why I’ve been desperately searching for the optimum solution.

It turns out that some solutions are very expensive while others are fairly cheap. I have written this article to give you an idea of the variety of solutions available for getting the chlorine out of your water.

There are also many reasons other than taste that you may want to get the chlorine out of your water. I have covered some of these as well.

Recently, some states have started using Chloramine in the tap water instead of chlorine. The difference is that chloramine is a blend of both chlorine and ammonia.

It has the same chemical taste but is, unfortunately, harder to remove from water. I have mentioned this here because some methods of chlorine removal work only on chlorine but some on both chlorine and chloramine.

Read on to find out about why you may consider removing chlorine from your water, and how to do it.

Why Remove Chlorine From Water?

Taste

Of course, the most common problem people have with chlorine in their drinking water is the taste and smell. This can be very off-putting for some people. Rather than drinking bottled water instead, keep reading to find out some solutions you can use to remove chlorine from water.

Harmful By-products

Apart from the unpleasant taste, there are other reasons you may want to remove chlorine from water in your tap. Chlorine produces harmful by-products. It mixes with other compounds in the water to create by-products referred to as Trihalomethanes. These can be dangerous to consume.

Beer-Brewing

It is a growing trend lately that more and more people are brewing their own beer. It is a great hobby to have, but it is made harder if your home has chlorinated tap water. You use a lot of water when you are brewing beer.

If that water has chlorine in it, this can completely alter the flavor of your beer. Many at-home beer brewers use one of the below methods to take the chlorine out of their water.

Fish Tanks

Fish do not respond well to having chlorine or chloramine in their tap water. It can be dangerous and harmful to them. That’s why many people search for a way to remove chlorine from water.

Methods to Remove Chlorine from Water

1. Granular Activated Carbon Filter

No idea what a granular activated carbon (GAC) filter is? Don’t worry, many people don’t. It is a type of filter that can take the chlorine out of your water.

These filters are created from natural materials such as coal, wood, coconut shells, and carbon.  They can be placed in a water filter pitcher to be used easily.

When water is filtered through this, odors, tastes, and other compounds get trapped in the filter. This will leave you with pure, fresh-tasting water.

This method is popular because it is fast. No waiting around, just pour and sip. However, there is a cost to it. These filters can cost you anywhere between $5 – $30 every time you need to replace them.

Also, when you first pop in a new one you need to run water through it for a while to get rid of any charcoal dust that has settled on it.

2. Off-Gassing

If your water has only chlorine in it, and no chloramine, then you can use the off-gassing method. All you need to do is let your water sit for 24 hours after pouring out of the tap.

The chlorine will simply dissipate into the air. Make sure that your water is sitting in a container without a lid for this to work. Otherwise, the chlorine gets trapped in the container as it is not getting much oxygen.

The good thing about this method is that it is completely free. However, it takes a long time as you’ll need to pour the water the day before you need it. Also, it doesn’t remove chloramine, only chlorine.

This technique is quite popular for those who are brewing their own beer or using the water in fish tanks. This is because it is a free method of chlorine removal.

3. Boiling

You can simply boil your water to get rid of the chlorine. However, do note that this will not remove any chloramine from the water. This method is easy to use as the water just needs to boil for around 15 minutes.

Once it has cooled, you can pour it into a container that you can keep in your fridge. Or keep it on your countertop if you prefer your water lukewarm.

Boiling is much faster than the off-gassing method which takes 24 hours. However, if you want cold water then you will still need to wait for the boiled water to cool down.

4. Shower Filter

If you are concerned about getting chlorine on your hair or skin, you may want to consider using a shower filter. Adding a shower filter to your shower can have multiple benefits as well as removing chlorine.

These include purification of water, softer skin, and shinier hair. Who doesn’t want that?! It can also lead to less exposure to harmful bacteria that can make you sick.

5. Chemicals

Another method you can use is getting rid of chlorine through chemical adjustment. You can use potassium metabisulfite to do this, which can be purchased in tablet form.

Campden Tablets are a highly popular brand that will do the job effectively. These remove both the chlorine and chloramine from your water.

This method is incredibly fast. You just need to drop the tablet into the water and stir to dissolve. Once it is dissolved, you’ll have up to 20 gallons of chlorine-free water. However, the chemical used does smell pretty bad. If it matters to you how your water smells, this may not be the technique for you.

6. Reverse Osmosis

Many homes use a reverse osmosis system to filter their water. This is an effective way of ridding your water from toxins and other compounds. It functions by propelling water through a special membrane. This removes the nasty toxins from the water and leaves you with sparkling clean water.

Reverse osmosis systems are often used industrially in manufacturing. However, you can also purchase them as a whole house water filter. This YouTube video gives you more information on exactly how it functions.

7. UV Light

Although this method is less popular than others, this largely due to the challenge of getting your hands on a UV light. If you do have one, then this is a highly effective technique to get chlorine removed from your water. By exposing your water to UV light, the chlorine quickly starts to break down.

This method is good because it doesn’t require any chemicals and it gets rid of chloramine as well as chlorine.

8. Sodium Thiosulfate

This method uses Sodium Thiosulfate to make fish tanks chlorine-free and safe for fish. The good thing about this method is that you can’t really use too much – your fish will be safe. It is also relatively cheap.

It comes in an easy to use crystal form for putting in your water. Check out the YouTube Video for all the details on what it is and how to use it safely for your fish.

9. Under Sink Water Filter

Under sink water filters are another great option that you may like to consider. These take out all the hassle of removing chlorine from your water. They are a set and forget method.

Once you have set up your sink with an under sink water filter, all water from your tap is automatically filtered. There are no extra steps for you; it allows you to drink your tap water as normal.

The reason why you may want to remove chlorine from water is likely to change the method you want to use. Free methods are favored by beer brewers or those with aquariums who require large amounts of chlorine-free water.

On the other hand, the more effective methods of using a charcoal filter or a whole house filtering system are great options. These are favored by people who are looking for their drinking water to taste better.

Summary

Regardless of why you want to filter chlorine from your water, you will find a solution for it on this list. After reading this list, you can decide if you want your hair to feel softer with a shower filter or if you’re interested in trying out a UV light to remove the chlorine.