Do Brita Filters Work? The Truth About How Effective They Are

Is your water healthy? Even if it is tested and healthy to drink according to the EPA, does it taste good? (Source)

If you answered no to either question then you are likely here to see if you can use a filter to get your water up to your standards.

And, with Brita being the big name in water pitcher filters and other types, it makes sense that you would be asking “Are Brita filters effective? Are they worth it?” 

The answer is yes, but also no. Confused yet? Don’t be. 

What that means is Brita does do a good job at filtering some things but not others. To find out if Brita is worth it for you then read on. You may be surprised at what Brita filters remove and what they don’t.

Though Brita is a good brand and does a decent job, there are better pitcher filters out there. (This one by Epic Pure is a great example!)

What do Brita filters remove?

Before you do anything, make sure you are testing your water to see what types of contaminants are lurking there so you know what you need to filter. Here is a water test kit that covers a lot of common contaminants. 

Once you know what’s in your water then you can see if Brita is going to work. 

Since there are different types of filters that Brita offers from water pitchers to faucet filters, let’s take a look at each one and identify what they filter.

Contaminant	Longlasting Pitcher	Stream Pitcher Filters	Bottle Filters	Faucet Filters
Chlorine (Taste & Odor)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Chloramine	No	No	No	Yes
Lead	Yes	No	No	Yes
Copper	Yes	Yes	No	No
Particulates (Sand, Sediment)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Pharmaceuticals	Yes	No	No	Yes
Pesticides	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Mercury	Yes	Yes	No	No
Cadmium	Yes	No	No	No
Benzene	Yes	No	No	Yes
Asbestos	Yes	No	No	Yes
Zinc	No	Yes	No	Yes
1, 2, 4 - Trichlorobenzene	No	No	No	Yes
TTHMs, Giardia, Atrazine, Lindane, TCE	No	No	No	Yes

What does a Brita filter NOT remove?

As you can see from the chart above, there are quite a few things Brita doesn’t filter out. Here is a list of the things Brita doesn’t remove:

Coliform Bacteria

If you have well water, then there is a good chance that you are dealing with coliform. Most of the time it’s benign, but if you live near a farm, then you may have e-coli or other fecal coliform bacteria that can make you sick. Brita doesn’t filter coliform bacteria so you’ll need a different kind of filter for that. Take a look at how to filter coliform here.

Arsenic

Again, if you are on well water then the risk of having low levels of arsenic in your water is on the high side. Since Brita doesn’t filter arsenic you’ll need to find a different filter. Zero Water is the only water filter pitcher that does remove arsenic. You can also try different types of arsenic filters so click to see what your options are.

Chloramine

Brita does a good job at removing chlorine, but Brita doesn’t filter chloramine which is a type of chlorine disinfectant. The filter doesn’t let the water stay on the filter media long enough to remove it. If you have chloramine your water will still taste like chlorine and leave your skin and hair dry unless you use one of these filters to remove it.

Hard Water

There is no shower head filter or water pitcher filter that can soften water and Brita is no exception. Brita might be able to remove some scale, but you will still have hard water. Which is fine to drink anyway, but for your shower and appliances you need a whole house filter for hard water. This electric one from iSpring is going to get the job done.

How do Brita filters compare with the competition? Check out this comparison article between Brita and Zero Water!

Best Brita Alternative

There are a few filters I would choose over Brita but that isn’t to say Brita is a bad filter.

Let’s go over a few different types of filters that I think beat Brita by category.

Water Pitcher Filter

There are a lot of water pitcher filters and not many of them work great. There is one that hands down beats Brita, though.

Brita vs Epic Filters

There are two different types of filter media found in most water pitcher filters. One is a solid carbon block and the other is granulated carbon.

Though they are both charcoal, they are not created equal. Granulated carbon allows water to pass through quickly which is good for speedy filtration, but not so good for filtering out a lot of contaminants.

Carbon block is far superior as a filter media because it can filter out things like giardia, lead, heavy metals and chloramine. The flow rate slows down because it is solid, but that is a good thing and is the reason it is able to filter things that granulated carbon doesn’t.

The problem with granulated carbon is that there is not enough time where the water is in contact with the media so lots of contaminants don’t get filtered out.

Faucet Filter

Brita vs PUR

This is a push as they both pretty much remove all the same things with one exception. PUR faucet filters remove Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) where Brita doesn’t. That means that many bacteria are removed.

It really comes down to price and convenience. The PUR beats Brita as far as convenience goes since they have filters that work across more systems than Brita. With Brita there is pretty much a different filter refill for every type of filter out there.

They are very similar but PUR edges out Brita for a couple of reasons.

Countertop Dispensers

Countertop dispensers can mean a couple of things. In its simplest form it is simply a large pitcher filter style that either sits on your countertop or goes in your fridge, but is only different in size.

Others are more complicated and can range from gravity filters that pass through a series of levels of filters to a reverse osmosis and everything in between.

It’s almost not fair to compare them because they have wildly different prices and do different things.

If you are going to take up space on your countertop, however, to me it’s better to go for one that filters the best.

Brita vs Aquasana

Still not sure what to get? Check out this detailed comparison between Aquasana and Berkey filters to see which countertop filter works best for your needs!

Water Filter Bottles

When you are on the go, a filtered water bottle is a great alternative to plastic bottles and still gives you tasty, purified water.

But, they aren’t all created equal. Let’s take a look at the competition for Brita in this category.

Brita vs Epic Filters

FAQ About Brita Filters

Are Brita filters worth it?

I will reiterate that it depends on what you need the filter to do. They are worth it to remove chlorine and give you better tasting water if your tap water tastes funny.

Are Brita water filters effective? After reading this article, I hope that you understand what filters really are for and that a Brita is only good for removing certain things. 

If you need an actual filter to get rid of bacteria and other contaminants, then you need a serious filter instead. Take a look at some whole house filters below to see what you really need to filter your drinking water safely.