Chlorine taste means your disinfection is working. That’s actually good news.

The EPA allows up to 4 milligrams per liter of free chlorine in tap water. But your taste buds can detect it at 0.2 to 0.5 mg/L. Most municipal systems run somewhere in that lower range, which means you’re tasting your disinfection at levels well within the safety standard. The taste is a feature, not a flaw, at least from a public health standpoint.

That said, you don’t have to drink water that tastes like a pool.

Why Utilities Add Chlorine

Chlorine kills bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens in the water distribution system. The treatment plant disinfects the source water, but the water then travels through miles of pipes to reach your tap. Chlorine residual stays active in those pipes and prevents bacterial regrowth along the way.

Without it, the water would be safe when it left the plant and potentially unsafe by the time it reached you.

The system works. US tap water has one of the strongest safety records in the world, and chlorine disinfection is a big reason why.

Chlorine vs. Chloramines: A Critical Difference

About half of US water systems have switched from free chlorine to chloramines, which are formed by combining chlorine with a small amount of ammonia. Chloramines are more stable, travel farther through distribution pipes, and don’t break down as quickly.

The taste is different. Free chlorine has the sharp, familiar pool-water bite. Chloramines taste more medicinal, sometimes described as a faint antiseptic or bandage smell. Less sharp, but harder to remove.

The treatment difference matters a lot. Standard activated carbon filters, including most pitcher filters and faucet attachments, remove free chlorine well. They’re less effective on chloramines. Chloramines require catalytic carbon (a modified form of activated carbon with more reactive surface area) or a much longer contact time with standard carbon.

To find out which your utility uses, check their annual Consumer Confidence Report, which they’re required to mail or post online every year. It will list the disinfectant type. You can also call them directly and ask. Learn more about chloramines and what they mean for home filtration.

Why the Taste Gets Worse in Summer

This trips people up because the water quality hasn’t changed, but it suddenly tastes worse.

Two things happen in warm months. First, bacteria grow faster in warm water, so utilities increase chlorine dosing to maintain safe residuals. Second, warmer water holds chlorine less effectively and the gas comes out of solution more easily, which actually makes the smell more noticeable. The combination means summer tap water often tastes more strongly of chlorine than winter water from the same system.

It’s not a sign anything is wrong. It’s seasonal variation in disinfection management.

Simple Fixes, Ranked by Cost and Effort

Let it sit uncovered in the fridge. If your utility uses free chlorine, pour water into a pitcher and leave it uncovered in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes. Chlorine is volatile and off-gasses at room temperature and faster when cold air circulates around the open container. Most people find the taste is gone entirely within an hour. This costs nothing.

This won’t work if your utility uses chloramines. Chloramines don’t off-gas the same way.

Activated carbon pitcher filter. A basic pitcher filter with activated carbon media removes free chlorine reliably and improves taste noticeably. This is the right fix for most people. A good pitcher filter runs $25 to $50 and replacement cartridges cost $6 to $12 each. The best pitcher filters review covers which ones actually work and which NSF certifications to look for.

If you have chloramines, look for a pitcher with catalytic carbon or one certified to NSF/ANSI 42 specifically for chloramine reduction.

Faucet-mount carbon filter. Attaches directly to your faucet spout and filters water on the way out. More convenient than a pitcher because you don’t need to plan ahead. Costs $25 to $60. Good for chlorine removal. For chloramines, check the NSF certification list to confirm the specific model handles chloramine reduction.

Under-sink carbon filter. A dedicated line for filtered water at the kitchen sink. Better flow rate, larger carbon bed, and more contact time than a faucet mount. Handles both chlorine and chloramines more effectively. Setup costs $100 to $250. For chloramine removal, look for a filter certified to NSF/ANSI 42 for chloramine or one that specifies catalytic carbon media.

What about boiling? Boiling removes free chlorine, but it does not effectively remove chloramines. In fact, boiling and letting water cool can actually concentrate some chloramine byproducts. Don’t use boiling as a chloramine removal strategy.

What Doesn’t Solve the Problem

Water softeners remove calcium and magnesium. They don’t remove chlorine or chloramines. If you have a softener and still taste chlorine, the softener isn’t the fix.

Reverse osmosis removes chlorine, but it’s significant overkill for a taste complaint. RO systems cost $200 to $500 and produce wastewater for every gallon of filtered water. If chlorine taste is your only concern, a $30 pitcher filter solves it. Save the RO investment for contaminant removal, not taste. See NSF certification standards explained for a breakdown of what different filter certifications actually cover.

The Straightforward Fix

If your water tastes like chlorine and you’re on municipal supply, a $30 pitcher filter with activated carbon solves this problem for most households.

If the taste persists after filtering, or if it has a more medicinal quality that a standard pitcher doesn’t fix, your utility almost certainly uses chloramines. In that case, upgrade to a filter that specifies catalytic carbon media or NSF/ANSI 42 certification for chloramine reduction. That narrows the field but doesn’t eliminate it. Good options exist at both the pitcher and under-sink level.

Sources: EPA Chlorine in Drinking Water | CDC Water Disinfection with Chlorine and Chloramine