Chlorine or chloramine is added to disinfect your municipal water suppliers, but its ‘bleach-like’ may irritate you. Plus, Inhaling excess chlorine vapors during a bath (swimming pool, water bath, and home bath) can cause nausea, cough, skin dryness, and even loss of consciousness.
All these dangers may compel you to search for some natural methods to remove chlorine from water. Merci! to the boiling, evaporation, vitamin C, and sunlight that reduce its amount of chlorine and chloramine. However, specialized media such as reverse osmosis, distiller, and activated carbon work wonderfully.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to get rid of chlorine without and with filtration to stay safe and healthy!
Why is Chlorine Added to the Water Purification Process?
Chlorine and chloramines (chlorine with ammonia) are added to the public water supplies for disinfection. It is non-toxic and effectively kills a large variety of microbes, including viruses, bacteria, and other disease-causing germs such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, and norovirus. These organisms can cause typhoid fever, dysentery, hepatitis, cholera, etc.
The EPA and WHO recommended the safe levels of chlorine up to four milligrams per liter or four parts per million. Otherwise, Its excess amount can cause a bleaching smell and harmful health effects. Additionally, its exposure to higher levels is associated with coughing and other respiratory issues.
Is Chlorine Water Safe to Drink?
Yes, chlorine and chloramines in water are generally considered safe at regulated levels such as up to 4 ppm. They are essential for water disinfection to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases.
If they are added in excess amounts, chlorine and chloramine produce a bleaching smell, which may give you an unpleasant taste. Besides, a recent study revealed chlorine can react with organic compounds present in the water to form toxic disinfection byproducts, such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids, which are highly carcinogenic.
It is suggested to test your water quality at home or laboratory methods and stay informed about reports provided by local water authorities to ensure water safety. Importantly, individuals with specific health concerns or sensitivities must install filtration or treatment options to reduce this exposure.
How to Get Rid of Chlorine From Water Naturally?
We can remove excess chlorine by boiling, distilling, cooling, and filtering to get rid of it at home easily. The removal of chlorine from water is also called Dechlorination.
Remember that the natural methods may not be as effective or quick as these systems, which are designed for chlorine removal, such as reverse osmosis, distillers, and activated carbon filters.
Here are some methods to naturally make chlorine-free water at home.
1. Boil Your Water
Boiling is one of the oldest, most effective, and cheapest methods to make water safe for drinking at home. It is used to remove or inactivate bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella, and cholera, viruses like hepatitis and norovirus, and some parasites like giardia, chlorine, and other impurities.
You can simply do it by taking a large pot with the water in it and placing it on the stove. Turn on your stove and heat the water for 15-20 minutes. During this boiling process, the chlorine will evaporate from the water, leaving behind the clean water. Then, store it in the refrigerator and enjoy safe hydration.
Although boiling is very helpful for chlorine removal, it doesn’t remove chloramine. Therefore, it is better to test your water and what is actually present in it. In the case of chloramine, leave the water to evaporate, or you can get benefits from other processes mentioned in this list instead of it.
2. Evaporation/Aeration
In this process, the water turns into vapor forms and escapes out through the surrounding air. As chlorine is super volatile, it is easily removed along with chloramine naturally through this process. You just need to replace the chlorine-containing container in the open place or a refrigerator for 24 hours or overnight.
It is time-consuming but costs you zero. Plus, if you want to speed up the process, we suggest you boil the water for 10-15 minutes before evaporation.
3. Chemical Disinfection by Using Vitamin C
As the name shows, “Vitamin C” is a natural compound used to reduce chlorine and chloramine from water baths, swimming pools, and hot tubes. You can also use it for tap or well water disinfection for homes. It is available in two forms: ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate in powdered or tablet form.
You just need to add them to your drinking water, and they will react with the chlorine to get neutralized. Thus, chlorine and chloramines evaporate, resulting in safe drinking water.
Note:
However, for efficient results, you can use chemical disinfectants such as sulfur dioxide, sodium thiosulfate, potassium metabisulfite, sodium sulfite, and sodium bisulfite for the removal of chlorine and chloramine. Either you can use tablet or powder form; it depends on your choice. It is important to note to read the manufacturer’s manual to determine the exact amount to be added.
Citrus fruits like oranges and lemons contain ascorbic acid (vitamin C), which can neutralize chlorine to a very small extent; the amount present in their juice is typically not sufficient for complete removal. So you can’t use them for disinfection.
4. UV Light
Ultraviolet (UV) from the sunlight (more than )can kill microorganisms, but it is not enough to remove chlorine and chloramines completely.
However, it can reduce their excess amount indirectly by deactivating chlorine-resistant microorganisms and by breaking the chlorine and chloramine molecules such as (Cl-) and (NH3), which are evaporated If the water is exposed to an open place.
Note:
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One of the incredible advantages of UV filters is that they are available with reverse osmosis systems such as Simpure y7, which can remove Chlorine >99.45% from your drinking water.
How to Filter out Chlorine From Water?
You can easily filter out chlorine and chloramines from drinking water by using specialized media such as reverse osmosis, distiller, and activated carbon filters.
Here are the best water filtration methods to make your water chlorine and chloramine-free.
1. Reverse Osmosis
A reverse osmosis system can remove 99.99% of the contaminants, including chlorine, chloramine, heavy metals such as arsenic, fluoride, herbicides, PFAS, and many more. In this system, water is forced through a semi-permeable membrane that can trap much smaller molecules, even smaller than chlorine and chloramine.
You can install them under the kitchen sink, over the counter, and at the point of entry with Whole-House. It is better to use pre (sediment filters) and post-filters (ion-exchange, UV, and carbon filters) for the longevity and protection of its filter’s life span.
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2. Distill Your Water
Distillation is another effective method like reverse osmosis that can remove microorganisms and inorganic compounds, iron, chlorine, lead, nitrates, hardness (calcium and magnesium), and other particulates from water.
The water distillers involve the conversion of a liquid into a vapor that is subsequently condensed back into liquid form. As the steam rises, chlorine, chloramines, and other impurities evaporate with the water vapors, leaving distilled water behind.
This process can be easily performed in your home kitchen, but it is very time-consuming, and lots of energy or sui gas is required. At the same time, distiller water units are costly but also slow and not recommended for treating large volumes of water. So, my advice is to go for the reverse osmosis process instead.
3. Activated Carbon Filters
Activated carbon filters are efficacious and specially designed to remove and improve water quality. When water passes through an activated carbon filter, the carbon particles absorb and remove the chlorine, chloramine, various heavy metals, and organic compounds from the water.
Activated carbon filters are available in granular activated carbon (GAC) filters and carbon block filters. Their common application includes pitchers, under-sink filters, refrigerator filters, and whole-house filtration systems used as household water filtration systems.
Some of our best picks include Clearlyfiltered Pitcher, which is good in budget and efficient for small family; similarly, Clearlyfiltered Under the Sink include 3-stage filtration that is perfect for large to medium families.
Conclusion
In conclusion, removing chlorine and chloramine is essential for improving the taste and odor of tap or well water. You can use several methods to accomplish this, such as boiling, evaporating, and using Vitamin C.
It is the best idea to test the water’s quality to determine the exact culprit of your water. For a more comprehensive approach to water purification, you must install a multi-stage water filtration system that can remove various impurities, including chlorine, chloramine, heavy metals, and more.
Ultimately, the choice depends on your specific needs, the volume of water you wish to treat, and your budget.
