If your tap water smells like a public swimming pool, you are not imagining it.
Chlorine is deliberately added to municipal water to control bacteria and help keep the water safe while it travels through kilometres of pipes. That is an important job. None of us wants to return to the days when a glass of water came with a complimentary dose of typhoid.
But once the water has safely arrived at your home, you may not want to taste or smell the disinfectant in every glass.
Strong chlorine taste is one of the most common reasons people tell us they are not drinking enough water. They reach for another coffee, cordial or bottled drink because plain tap water is simply unpleasant.
The first requirement of good drinking water is rather obvious: you should actually want to drink it.
So which filters genuinely help? And do you need a drinking-water filter, a shower filter or both?
Is chlorinated tap water unsafe?
Not necessarily.
Australian water suppliers add chlorine because it provides an essential barrier against waterborne disease. The amount used is monitored under the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
However, water can meet those guidelines and still have a noticeable chemical taste or smell. People also differ greatly in their sensitivity. One person may barely notice it, while another takes one sip and wonders whether the council has connected the kitchen to the local aquatic centre.
If the chlorine smell has suddenly become much stronger, ask your water supplier whether treatment has temporarily changed. Disinfectant levels may be adjusted following heavy rain, maintenance or a problem within the distribution system.
If the water has an unusual petrol, solvent or sewage smell—not simply chlorine—do not assume that an ordinary filter will make it safe. Contact your water supplier.
For the normal chlorine taste found in treated water, however, filtration is usually a practical solution.
Chlorine and chloramine are not the same
Before choosing a filter, find out whether your supplier uses free chlorine, chloramine or a combination of the two.
Free chlorine is comparatively easy to reduce with activated carbon. Leaving a jug of water uncovered in the refrigerator may allow some free chlorine to dissipate, although this is slow and inconvenient. Boiling may also remove some, but boiling every glass of drinking water is hardly a lifestyle improvement.
Chloramine is chlorine chemically combined with ammonia. It remains in the water longer and does not evaporate as readily.
A small amount of ordinary activated carbon may successfully reduce free chlorine but perform poorly against chloramine. Chloramine generally requires catalytic or specially formulated carbon with sufficient contact time.
This is why buying a filter simply because the box says “carbon” is not enough.
Ask what form of disinfectant the filter has been tested to reduce, at what flow rate and for how many litres.
Which drinking-water filter brands are worth considering?
There are several respectable choices. The right one depends on whether you merely want to improve the taste or want broader filtration.
BRITA: a simple, low-cost starting point
BRITA jugs and tap filters are widely available and convenient for renters. Their activated carbon is designed to reduce chlorine and substances affecting taste and odour. Some cartridges also contain ion-exchange material to reduce limescale and certain metals.
The disadvantages are limited capacity, slow jug filling and frequent cartridge replacement. Many BRITA jug cartridges treat approximately 150 litres and last around four weeks.
That may be perfectly adequate for one person. For a family using filtered water for drinking, cooking, tea and coffee, it can become rather tedious.
I see a filter jug as a useful entry-level solution, but not usually the final answer for a household serious about improving its water.
Doulton: established ceramic filtration
Doulton has been making ceramic water filters for a very long time. Its Ultra Sterasyl and related cartridges combine ceramic filtration with activated carbon to reduce chlorine, unpleasant odours and various other contaminants.
Gravity-fed, benchtop and undersink options are available.
Doulton is a credible choice for people who prefer ceramic filtration, particularly where sediment, cysts or microbial reduction is also a priority.
As always, compare the individual cartridge rather than relying on the brand name alone. Different Doulton cartridges have different capabilities.
Puretec: a broad Australian range
Puretec offers benchtop, undersink and whole-house systems through a large Australian dealer network. It is particularly useful when you want a conventional plumber-installed system or need a specialised cartridge.
Puretec’s chloramine-targeted composite carbon cartridges are designed to reduce both chlorine and chloramine. That is an important distinction for homes supplied with chloraminated water.
Its larger whole-house cartridges can operate at much higher flow rates than a kitchen filter.
Puretec makes good conventional filters. The main task is choosing the correct model from its very extensive catalogue.
Aquasana: good chlorine-focused options
Aquasana offers drinking, shower and whole-house filters, with several products tested for substantial chlorine reduction.
Its shower systems are well known internationally. However, Australian availability, plumbing compatibility and access to replacement cartridges should be checked before purchasing.
I would not import any filter unless I knew replacement cartridges would remain easy to obtain locally. We’ve seen too many filter vendors disappear over our 26 years of operation.
A water filter without replacement cartridges eventually becomes an interesting kitchen ornament.
Why my preference is the AlkaWay UltraStream
If your only problem is chlorine taste, a basic carbon filter may solve it.
But most people who begin investigating their water soon ask another question:
“While I am removing chlorine, what else could I improve?”
That is where the AlkaWay UltraStream becomes a much more complete proposition.
The UltraStream is available as a benchtop or undersink drinking-water system. It was designed in Australia with local water conditions in mind.
Its layered filtration system uses specialised media to reduce chlorine and chloramine while also targeting fluoride, heavy metals and a broad range of other unwanted contaminants.
According to AlkaWay’s current product information, the UltraStream has been independently tested for up to 3,500 litres and is designed to reduce:
- Chlorine and chloramines by 99%
- Heavy metals by 99%
- Fluoride by approximately 80% over the tested cartridge life
An additional fluoride pre-filter is available where greater fluoride reduction is required.
But the UltraStream does more than take unwanted things out.
It also adds beneficial alkaline minerals, including calcium and magnesium, and infuses the water with molecular hydrogen.
It produces gently mineralised, hydrogen-rich water without electricity and without creating the acidic wastewater stream associated with electric water ionisers.
The benchtop UltraStream connects to a suitable kitchen tap using a diverter. It does not normally require a plumber, making it practical for renters as well as homeowners.
The undersink version keeps the kitchen bench clear while providing the same style of filtered water through an appropriate dedicated tap.
Most importantly, people tend to enjoy drinking the water.
When the chlorine smell and taste disappear, hydration stops feeling like homework. Children may drink more plain water. Tea and coffee can taste better. You may also become less tempted to buy bottled drinks or single-use plastic water bottles.
For me, that is the real test.
Laboratory specifications matter, but a filter that encourages you and your family to drink more plain water earns its place in the kitchen every day.
What about chlorine in the shower?
A kitchen drinking-water filter does not filter your shower.
If you smell chlorine most strongly when the hot water is running, or if your skin, scalp or eyes feel uncomfortable after showering, a separate shower filter may be worthwhile.
Shower filtration presents a different technical challenge. The water is hot and moves rapidly. Ordinary activated carbon generally performs best with cooler water and sufficient contact time.
A tiny carbon cartridge attached to a high-flow hot shower may look reassuring while achieving very little.
This is why I prefer Sprite shower filters, which AlkaWay supplies in Australia.
Sprite filters use patented Chlorgon media together with KDF-based mineral filtration. The media works through a redox process that converts free chlorine into chloride and is designed to function in both hot and cold water. There are quite a number of newcomers offering Asia-based product but this is the only one we have had a long experience with.
The Sprite High Output Shower Filter fits between a fixed shower outlet and the existing shower head. It has a listed capacity of approximately 95,000 litres or up to 12 months, with a replaceable internal cartridge.
There are also more compact Sprite models for handheld hose-style showers.
A Sprite is not a drinking-water filter. It does not remove fluoride and should not be expected to perform the broader filtration job of the UltraStream.
Its purpose is more specific: reducing chlorine in hot shower water at a much higher flow rate.
That specialisation is exactly why it works well.
Would a whole-house filter be better?
If chlorine is objectionable at every tap, a whole-house carbon filtration system may be the most convenient answer.
A properly designed whole-house system can supply filtered water to your showers, baths, laundry and kitchen taps.
However, whole-house systems cost more, require professional installation and need sufficient filtration media and contact time to handle the household’s peak water flow.
If your supplier uses chloramine, the system must be specifically designed for chloramine. A housing containing a generic carbon cartridge may not be adequate.
Whole-house filtration can be excellent when correctly designed, but it is not essential for everyone.
Many households can address the two areas that matter most by installing an UltraStream at the kitchen sink and a Sprite filter in the shower.
My straightforward recommendation
If chlorine taste is stopping you from drinking enough water, do not simply put up with it.
The solution can be surprisingly simple:
- For a low-cost trial or rental property, a BRITA jug can improve taste, although its capacity is limited.
- For conventional ceramic filtration, perhapsconsider Doulton.
- For a plumber-installed conventional or whole-house system, look at Puretec and ensure that the chosen cartridge matches chlorine or chloramine.
- For shower water, choose a Sprite filter suited to your shower fitting.
- For the best all-round improvement to your drinking water, my recommendation is the AlkaWay UltraStream.
The UltraStream does what a good chlorine filter should do, but it does not stop there. It combines broad filtration with natural alkaline minerals and molecular hydrogen in one easy-to-use system.
You could spend less on a basic filter that merely makes the water taste better. You could also spend far more on a complicated electric water ioniser.
The UltraStream occupies the sensible middle: serious filtration, better-tasting water and useful additional qualities without electricity, wastewater or a frightening price tag.
If you are unsure whether your water contains chlorine or chloramine, or whether a benchtop or undersink UltraStream suits your kitchen, ask the AlkaWay team.
Tell us where you live, what your water tastes like and what you would like to reduce.
After more than 26 years helping people improve their water, we know that choosing a filter shouldn’t require a chemistry degree.
It begins with one simple objective: clean, refreshing water that tastes good enough to make you want another glass.
