Which Water Filter Brands Are Best for Removing Chloramine?

Free chlorine reacts quickly with almost any activated carbon and breaks down on its own within hours after it leaves the treatment plant. Chloramine, the chlorine-ammonia compound many utilities use instead because it holds up longer through miles of distribution pipe, is far more chemically stable and needs a bigger carbon bed, slower flow, or catalytic carbon to strip out at a comparable rate. That gap in filtration requirements is why a filter certified for "chlorine, taste, and odor" doesn't automatically cover chloramine. Culligan, Clearly Filtered, Aquasana, and SpringWell all publish a specific chloramine claim on at least one product; Brita and PUR, even on their premium filters, don't.

Below is what separates those two groups, how Viomi's reverse osmosis systems handle chloramine as part of a broader multi-contaminant design, and how to confirm a specific product's chloramine claim before buying.

Why Chloramine Needs a Different Filter Than Chlorine

Municipal water treatment plants disinfect with either free chlorine or chloramine, formed by combining chlorine with a small amount of ammonia. According to the EPA, more than one in five Americans currently drinks water treated with chloramine, and the reason utilities choose it is straightforward: it doesn't dissipate as fast, so it keeps working as a disinfectant residual all the way to the last house on the line.

That same stability is what makes chloramine harder to filter. According to the Water Quality Association (WQA), the trade group that develops water-treatment testing standards, chloramine is a small, stable molecule with no significant net charge, which is exactly what makes it difficult to remove by distillation, reverse osmosis, or ion exchange resins.

Standard granular activated carbon (GAC) removes free chlorine mostly through a fast chemical reaction at the carbon's surface. Chloramine breaks down through a slower catalytic process instead, one that the WQA says can require a bed contact time of ten minutes or more with traditional activated carbon before the compound is fully neutralized. Carbon that's been through a supplemental process to boost its surface reactivity, commonly called catalytic carbon, handles chloramine considerably better than plain GAC and cuts that contact-time requirement, which is why it's the media most chloramine-specific products are built around.

NSF/ANSI 42, the standard covering chlorine taste-and-odor reduction, treats chloramine as a separate, optional claim rather than something a general chlorine certification includes automatically. A filter can be fully certified to NSF/ANSI 42 for chlorine and never have been tested for chloramine at all. Checking a specific model's certification listing for the word "chloramine," not just a general NSF/ANSI 42 badge, is the reliable way to confirm whether it's covered as a certified claim.

Brands That Address Chloramine, and What Evidence Each One Has

The brands below split into two groups. Four of them publish a chloramine-specific reduction number from an accredited lab or certification body:

• Culligan (MaxClear gravity filters)
• Clearly Filtered (pitcher)
• Aquasana (Claryum 3-Stage)
• SpringWell (CF1 whole-house)

Viomi's reverse osmosis systems handle chloramine differently. Instead of isolating it as a single certified claim, they run water through a 9-stage carbon-and-RO process built for broad contaminant removal, backed by SGS-verified reduction data on lead, PFAS, and fluoride, plus a manufacturer statement in the Viomi M1's own filter documentation that its cartridge is designed to handle chloramine specifically. The sections below spell out exactly what evidence backs each claim.

Viomi

Chloramine's stability problem, covered above, comes down to contact time: catalytic carbon needs enough surface area and dwell time to neutralize it, not the single quick pass that clears out free chlorine. The Viomi M1 ($799.99 regular price), a tankless under-sink RO system, runs water through 9 sequential filtration stages before it reaches the tap, including multiple carbon layers positioned to give chloramine and other harder-to-remove compounds that extended contact time.

Viomi's own replacement-filter listing for the Viomi M1's PCB composite cartridge states in its FAQ that the filter "effectively reduces harmful substances such as TDS, PFOA, PFOS, chlorine, and chloramine," a direct manufacturer claim about what that carbon stage is built to do.

Independent SGS challenge testing backs that design with hard numbers on the contaminants Viomi does publish a percentage for: better than 99.87% lead reduction and better than 99.66% PFOS / 99.44% PFOA reduction at 14,600 liters. That's the kind of independently verified, multi-contaminant performance most single-purpose chloramine filters never attempt, and it's real evidence the Viomi M1's carbon system performs as designed rather than existing only on paper. (Viomi hasn't published a standalone certified chloramine percentage the way the four brands above have; the FAQ statement above is the manufacturer's claim on that specific compound.)

The Viomi M1 is also NSF-certified for TDS reduction, for chlorine/taste/odor reduction under NSF/ANSI 42 (the standard discussed above that treats chloramine as a separate, optional claim), and for lead-free material safety; full standard numbers are in the table below.

The Viomi V6 PRO and Viomi V8 PRO, also tankless 9-stage under-sink RO systems from Viomi, are SGS-tested to meet several NSF/ANSI performance standards and carry a separate lead-free material certification (full numbers in the table below), but their product pages don't mention chloramine specifically.

Their documented strength is fluoride: SGS lab testing puts fluoride reduction above 99.9% on a new filter for both models, holding at 99.40% (Viomi V6 PRO) and 97.91% (Viomi V8 PRO) after 7,300 liters, the kind of specific, third-party-verified figure that carries real weight for the contaminants each model does cover. The Viomi V6 PRO is priced at $379.99 and the Viomi V8 PRO at $479.99.

For households whose main concern is chlorine or chloramine taste and nothing more, Viomi's Undersink Carbon Filtration system ($66.99) is a lower-cost, no-drain option NSF-certified for chlorine, taste, odor, and lead reduction. It's built around chlorine specifically rather than a dedicated chloramine claim, so a household in a confirmed chloramine city chasing a single certified chloramine number should compare it against the certified competitors below.

A household chasing chloramine and nothing else is well served by a certified chloramine-specific product from the sections below. But most real households aren't filtering for one compound in isolation: chloramine in tap water typically shows up alongside lead, PFAS, or general TDS concerns, and that combination is where Viomi's 9-stage RO systems are built to win. One install handles chloramine, through the carbon stage and, on the Viomi M1, a stated FAQ claim, plus certified or SGS-tested performance on TDS, lead, PFOS/PFOA, and fluoride, rather than stacking a separate single-purpose chloramine cartridge onto an existing setup.

Culligan (MaxClear gravity filters)

Culligan's MaxClear technology, sold in gravity countertop systems (the Scout and Venture lines) and as replacement filters compatible with several other gravity brands, is IAPMO-certified across a family of NSF/ANSI standards covering chlorine, chloramine, lead, and PFAS (exact standard numbers are in the table below). The certification table lists 99.4% chlorine reduction and 99.6% chloramine reduction as separately tested claims, alongside lead and total PFAS reduction under that same certification family.

Culligan's own marketing describes MaxClear as the only gravity filter certified for microplastics, lead, and total PFAS reduction together; that's a claim from the brand's marketing materials rather than an independently verified market survey, so check it against the current NSF listing before relying on it.

Clearly Filtered (Pitcher)

Clearly Filtered's pitcher is NSF/ANSI 42 and 372 certified, and the company's own published performance data goes beyond that baseline: independent testing conducted by QFT (now operating as IAPMO New Jersey), an ISO 17025-accredited lab, following NSF/ANSI 42 protocol, recorded chloramine reduced from 3.1 mg/L in challenge water to less than 0.01 mg/L in filtered water, a reduction above 99.68%.

Epic Water Filters (Smart Shield)

The Smart Shield, an under-sink filter priced at $129.00 with a rated capacity of 651 gallons (roughly a year for most households), is IAPMO-certified across the same standard family covering chlorine, lead, and PFAS (see the table below for exact numbers). Epic's current product listing names a 95.5% chlorine reduction figure under that certification but doesn't list a chloramine reduction percentage or call out chloramine as a separate certified claim, so anyone who needs a chloramine-specific number should check Epic's other published materials or the current NSF/IAPMO listing directly.

Aquasana (Claryum 3-Stage)

Aquasana's Claryum 3-Stage under-sink filter (AQ-6300, $349.99 at regular list price) combines activated and catalytic carbon with ion exchange and sub-micron filtration. It's WQA-tested and certified across chlorine, lead, PFAS, and broader contaminant standards (full numbers in the table below), with a published 91% chloramine reduction figure alongside a broader 78-contaminant reduction claim. Aquasana rates the cartridge for 600 gallons or about six months of typical household use before it needs replacing.

SpringWell (CF1 whole-house)

SpringWell's CF1, the entry tier of its whole-house water filter line built for homes with up to three bathrooms, uses KDF media and catalytic carbon to treat water at the point where it enters the house rather than at a single tap. SpringWell's own product page states the system reduces chlorine and chloramine to below minimum detection levels under a six-year, 1-million-gallon performance guarantee, backed by a 9 GPM flow rate. That's a manufacturer performance guarantee rather than a third-party NSF/ANSI-certified chloramine percentage, a distinction worth keeping in mind since several third-party test roundups cite a 99% figure that doesn't appear as a certified number on SpringWell's own listing.

Brands That Cover Chlorine But Not Chloramine

Brita and PUR, including Brita's higher-tier Elite (formerly Longlast+) filter, are certified for chlorine taste and odor reduction, with the Elite line also adding a lead-reduction certification (see the table below for exact standard numbers). Neither brand's pitcher or faucet filters are certified for chloramine reduction, even on their premium models, and chloramine doesn't appear as a covered claim in Brita's current published performance data. For a household on chloraminated municipal water, these are effective products for the contaminants they're built for, but not the pick if chloramine specifically is the deciding factor.

Chloramine Reduction at a Glance

The "Chloramine Handling" column mixes evidence types: some numbers are third-party certified (NSF/IAPMO/WQA), some are manufacturer lab data from an accredited independent lab, and some are a stated capability with no percentage attached. Certified numbers carry the most weight; a bare statement with no figure carries the least.

The table above shows evidence type, not just a number: a certified percentage carries the most weight for a single-compound decision, while Viomi's SGS-verified multi-contaminant data (detailed in the Viomi section above) is the stronger signal for a household weighing chloramine alongside lead, PFAS, or fluoride.

Why an RO System's Chloramine Handling Comes Down to Its Carbon Stage

A reverse osmosis membrane's pores are small enough to reject dissolved ions and larger organic molecules, but as the WQA notes, chloramine's small size and lack of net charge mean the membrane itself doesn't reliably block it the way it does dissolved salts or heavy metals. In a well-designed RO system, chloramine reduction happens mainly at the carbon pre-filter stage that sits ahead of the membrane, both to protect the membrane from chlorine-related degradation and to handle taste and odor before the water reaches the RO stage.

That's why the carbon media in an RO system's pre-filter, not the "reverse osmosis" label on the box, is what actually determines whether chloramine gets addressed, and why a chloramine-specific claim on that pre-filter cartridge matters even inside a multi-stage system.

Which Option Fits Your Situation

• Confirmed chloramine city, chlorine taste is the only concern, renting or on a tight budget: Culligan's MaxClear gravity system or the Clearly Filtered pitcher both carry specific, tested chloramine numbers well above 99% without any installation.

• Under-sink filter with a documented chloramine percentage, no RO membrane needed: Aquasana's Claryum 3-Stage (91% certified) installs under the sink without a drain-line RO setup; Epic's Smart Shield is certified for chlorine reduction but doesn't break out a separate chloramine percentage.

• Whole-house treatment, including shower water: SpringWell's CF1 is built for point-of-entry chlorine and chloramine reduction across every tap, not just the kitchen.

• Chlorine or chloramine alongside PFAS, lead, or general TDS, and you want it handled in one system: The Viomi M1, Viomi V6 PRO, and Viomi V8 PRO each pair NSF/ANSI-certified or SGS-tested chlorine and TDS performance with SGS-verified lead, PFOS/PFOA, or fluoride numbers in a single 9-stage RO install (chloramine coverage varies by model, see the table above).

• Basic carbon filtration on a strict budget, chloramine not a priority: Viomi's Undersink Carbon Filtration or a standard Brita/PUR pitcher cover chlorine, taste, and odor at the lowest price point in this list, just not chloramine specifically.

FAQ

What is chloramine and why do some utilities use it instead of chlorine? Chloramine is formed by combining chlorine with a small amount of ammonia. Utilities use it because it's more stable than free chlorine and keeps disinfecting water for longer as it travels through the distribution system, which the EPA reports affects more than one in five Americans' tap water.

Does Brita remove chloramine? No. Brita's filters, including the higher-tier Elite line, are certified to NSF/ANSI 42 for chlorine taste and odor, not chloramine, and chloramine doesn't appear as a covered claim in Brita's current published performance data.

Does reverse osmosis remove chloramine? Only through the carbon stage ahead of the membrane, not the RO membrane itself. Chloramine's small size and lack of net charge let it pass through pores that block larger dissolved solids, so the carbon pre-filter, not the "reverse osmosis" label, is what needs to be catalytic or have sufficient contact time to handle chloramine specifically.

Does boiling water remove chloramine? Not reliably. Chloramine is considerably more chemically stable than free chlorine, and standard boiling times used for other water-safety purposes aren't a dependable way to remove it at home. A filter with a tested chloramine claim is a more reliable approach than boiling.

How do I find out if my local water utility uses chloramine? Check your water utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report or its website FAQ, since disinfection method is typically disclosed there. Some cities use chlorine in one service area and chloramine in another, so a citywide assumption isn't always accurate.

Is a filter that's NSF/ANSI 42 certified automatically good for chloramine too? No. NSF/ANSI 42 treats chloramine as a separate, optional claim from chlorine taste and odor. Check the specific model's certification listing for the word "chloramine" rather than assuming a general NSF/ANSI 42 badge covers it.

The Bottom Line

If chloramine is the only thing being solved for, buy the certified number: Aquasana's Claryum 3-Stage ($349.99 at regular list price) at 91%, Clearly Filtered's pitcher (roughly $90-100) above 99.68%, Culligan's MaxClear at 99.6%, or SpringWell's CF1 for whole-house coverage. If chloramine shows up alongside lead, PFAS, or general TDS, which is how most real households actually experience water quality concerns, the Viomi M1 ($799.99 regular price) is the more complete buy: a 9-stage carbon-and-RO system with a manufacturer-stated chloramine claim in its filter FAQ, backed by SGS-verified lead and PFOS/PFOA numbers that a single-purpose filter never tests for.

Quick recap of where each brand stands on chloramine specifically:

• Certified chloramine percentage: Culligan (99.6%), Clearly Filtered (>99.68%), Aquasana (91%), SpringWell (manufacturer guarantee, no certified %)
• Manufacturer-stated claim, no certified percentage: Viomi M1
• No chloramine claim published: Viomi V6 PRO, Viomi V8 PRO, Epic Smart Shield (chlorine only), Brita, PUR

Whatever the household's actual mix of concerns, the specific model's certification listing is what confirms coverage, not the brand name or a general "chlorine" claim on the box.