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Why Removing Chlorine From Your Home's Water Is One of the Best Investments You Can Make

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

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Most homeowners assume that if water is safe to drink, it's safe for everything else. Municipal water systems across the Triad and Triangle — including Burlington/Alamance Water, Greensboro/Guilford County, Durham, and OWASA (Orange County) — do a great job disinfecting water with chlorine or chloramine. But that treatment is designed to get water safely through miles of pipe to your home, not to make it ideal for showering, cooking, or your plumbing.

That's where a whole-house filtration system comes in.

Why Chlorine Is in Your Water

Chlorine and chloramine kill harmful bacteria and viruses as water travels through the distribution system. It's one of the great public health achievements of the last century.

But once water reaches your house, chlorine has already done its job — and now it's just along for the ride through every fixture.

Where It Shows Up in Your Home

Chlorinated water touches everything:

  • Showers and baths
  • Dishes and cookware
  • Laundry
  • Drinking and cooking water
  • Brushing your teeth

The Benefits of Filtering It Out

Better taste and smell. No more "swimming pool" tap water. Coffee, tea, and cooking water all taste cleaner.

Softer skin, healthier hair. Hot showers open pores, letting chlorinated water soak in. Reducing chlorine can mean less dry skin, less itchy scalp, and less color-fading in treated hair.

Longer-lasting plumbing and appliances. Over years, chlorine can wear down rubber seals, gaskets, and washers. It's one more stress factor on:

  • Water heaters
  • Dishwashers
  • Washing machines
  • Refrigerator dispensers and ice makers

Whole-house coverage, not just the kitchen sink. An under-sink filter only helps one faucet. A whole-house system treats water the moment it enters your home — every shower, tap, and appliance benefits.

Why This Matters More in Our Area

Water quality varies a lot across Alamance, Guilford, Durham, and Orange Counties depending on:

  • Whether your water comes from Burlington, Greensboro, Durham, or OWASA
  • Local pipe age and materials (common in older neighborhoods in downtown Burlington, Greensboro, and Durham)
  • Groundwater vs. reservoir sourcing
  • Seasonal treatment changes

Because of this, we always recommend a water test before recommending a system — the right setup for a home on Durham city water may be very different from one on an Orange County/OWASA line, or a well in rural Alamance County.

Choosing the Right System

There's no universal fix. Depending on your test results, we may recommend:

  • Whole-house carbon filtration
  • Sediment filtration
  • Water softening (common need in parts of the Piedmont with harder water)
  • Specialty filters for specific contaminants

We work with multiple filtration manufacturers, so recommendations are based on your water — not a one-size-fits-all package.

The Bottom Line

Chlorine keeps municipal water safe on its way to you. But once it's in your home, filtering it out can mean better-tasting water, more comfortable showers, and less long-term wear on your plumbing and appliances.

Serving homeowners throughout Burlington, Alamance County, Guilford County, Durham, and Orange County — if you've noticed a chlorine smell or taste, or just want to know what's really in your water, a professional water test is the place to start.

Ready to find out what's in your water? Get a free, no-obligation water test by reaching out online or calling (336) 490-5385 and see exactly what your home's water needs.