Quick Guide to Faucet Filters

Do faucet water filters really work? How does their filtration compare to pitchers and other systems, like reverse osmosis? Here’s our unbiased look at the most popular faucet-mounted filters on the market and how they stack up against other types of treatment systems.

This quick guide discusses what faucet filters are, what they remove, and which ones you can trust.

Table of Contents:

• What Are Faucet Filters?
• How Do They Work?
• What Do Faucet Filters Remove?
• What Do They NOT Remove?
• PUR
• Brita 
• Waterdrop
• Culligan
• Best Faucet Filter for Lead
• What’s the Takeaway?

What Are Faucet Filters?

The term “faucet filter” is used differently by different brands, but it typically refers to filter setups that attach to or are integrated into a specific faucet. 

Faucet filters and shower filters are not the same. Faucet filters are designed to treat water for drinking and cooking, whereas shower filters are made to reduce contaminants that can impact your hair and skin while bathing. 

For this article we are exclusively looking at faucet-mounted filters for water you drink.

Image credit: PUR

How Do Faucet Mounted Filters Work?

Faucet filters are attached directly to the kitchen faucet. When you run the tap, water flows through the faucet and into the filter housing. From there it passes through a sediment trap, a screen that helps remove stray particles like dirt or sand, and then through a filter block—typically activated carbon.

Different filter models reduce different contaminants, but most faucet-mounted filters are used for basic filtration like aesthetic components (e.g., reducing chlorine) and suspended solids like sediment.

• Relatively easy to install, and switch between filtered and unfiltered water
• Usually quite affordable
• Don’t take up much space

• Don’t always work with all faucets
• Can slow water flow, sometimes dramatically
• Depending on usage, these filters may need replacement quite often, which can add impact cost; can also be damaged by sink activity
• Can effectively reduce a limited range of contaminants

What Do Faucet Filters Remove?

That depends on the filtration setup and the filter's claims. The most accurate way to know how effective a filter setup is is to perform a performance test, which requires purchasing two laboratory testing kits for maximum effectiveness.

Customers of a public utility will do well with this essential test that gives you an affordable baseline picture of your water quality:

Private well owners can use the following test kit to get an overview of their water quality, which can also double as your recommended annual well test:

If you opt not to test, there are two ways to assess what a faucet filter will reduce:

1. Understanding the treatment technology of the filter and what it is designed to effectively reduce.
2. Looking at which certifications the product has obtained.

In general, faucet filters are typically used to reduce chlorine and other taste and odor compounds in the water. Again, though, this can vary based on the technology used in the filter.

Treatment Technology

There are thousands of filtration products on the market, but a very small amount of treatment technologies used. Faucet filters typically include activated carbon, often carbon block specifically, and sometimes include other technologies like ion exchange resins or KDF (kinetic degradation fluxion) filters.

If a product has not been certified by a third-party according to NSF/ANSI standards for a particular contaminant, looking at what tech is used in the filter can give you some idea of what types of contaminants it can theoretically remove. However, there are no guarantees without proper testing.

Most popular treatment technologies for your home

NSF Certifications

When an NSF/ANSI standard is attached to a product name, the product has been certified by a third-party to meet the reduction claims of specific contaminants for the lifetime of the product. Sometimes, brands, manufacturers, and affiliates can make confusing or misleading claims about the effectiveness of the product. 

Certification to NSF/ANSI standards helps back up a product’s claims, allowing consumers to feel more confident in their purchase. However, “Tested to NSF standards” is NOT the same as certified. 

Note: The filtration device must be certified for specific contaminants. Standards are given on a contaminant-by-contaminant basis—which means just because a product is certified to a particular standard does NOT mean that it has been certified for every contaminant covered by that standard.  You can learn more about NSF/ANSI standards and certifications

What Do Faucet Filters NOT Remove?

Because faucet filters are effective for a relatively narrow range of contaminants, they aren’t appropriate for and/or won’t be effective for the reduction of:

• Coliform / E.coli, viruses, and other microbial contaminants
• Mold and fungus
• Nitrate
• Fluoride
• Arsenic
• Uranium

PUR Faucet Filters

PUR faucet filters use a combination of activated carbon and ion exchange. These faucet filter systems are compatible with two different filter cartridges: the PUR standard filter and the PUR PLUS filter.

Image credit: PUR

The contaminants for which the PUR faucet filters are certified to remove are listed below alongside the NSF/ANSI standard they’re affiliated with:

PUR Faucet Filter - RF-3375 (NSF & WQA)

Image credit: PUR

• NSF/ANSI 42 (Chlorine, Nominal Particulate Class I, Taste and Odor) 
• NSF/ANSI 53 (2,4,5-TP, 2,4-D, Asbestos, Atrazine, Benzene, Carbofuran, Carbon Tetrachloride, Chlordane, Chlorobenzene, Endrin, Ethylbenzene, Heptachlor Epoxide, Lead, Lindane, Mercury, Methoxychlor, o-Dichlorobenzene, Simazine, Styrene, Tetrachloroethylene, Toluene, Toxaphene, Trichloroethylene, TTHM—as chloroform, VOC—as chloroform) 
• NSF/ANSI 401 (Atenolol, Bisphenol A, Carbamazepine, DEET, Estrone, Linuron, Meprobamate, Nonylphenol, TCEP, TCPP, Trimethoprim, Metolachlor, Naproxen, Phenytoin, Microplastics)

PUR PLUS Mineral Core Faucet Filter - RF-9999 (NSF & WQA)

Image credit: PUR

• NSF/ANSI 42 (Chlorine, Nominal Particulate Class I, Taste and Odor)
• NSF/ANSI 53 (2,4,5-TP, 2,4-D, Asbestos, Atrazine, Benzene, Carbofuran, Carbon Tetrachloride, Chlordane, Chlorobenzene, Endrin, Ethylbenzene, Heptachlor Epoxide, Lead, Lindane, Mercury, Methoxychlor, o-Dichlorobenzene, Simazine, Styrene, Tetrachloroethylene, Toluene, Toxaphene, Trichloroethylene, TTHM—as chloroform, VOC—as chloroform) 
• NSF/ANSI 401 (Atenolol, Bisphenol A, Carbamazepine, DEET, Estrone, Linuron, Meprobamate, Nonylphenol, TCEP, TCPP, Trimethoprim, Metolachlor, Naproxen, Phenytoin, Microplastics)

Brita Faucet Filters

Brita faucet filters use carbon block technology. 

Image credit: Brita

The contaminants for which the Brita faucet filter is certified to remove are listed below alongside the NSF/ANSI standard they’re affiliated with:

Brita Elite Advanced Water Filter - FR200 (WQA)

Image credit: Brita

• NSF/ANSI 42 (Aesthetic Chlorine, Nominal Particulate Class I, Taste and Odor)
• NSF/ANSI 53 (Asbestos, Chlordane, Lead, Toxaphene, VOC—as chloroform)
• NSF/ANSI 401 (Bisphenol A, Estrone, Ibuprofen, Microplastics, Naproxen, Nonylphenol, Phenytoin)

Waterdrop

Waterdrop faucet filter cartridges use a 5-stage filtration system that includes non-woven fabric, carbon block, KDF (kinetic degradation fluxion), mineralization filter media, and a polypropylene membrane.

Image credit: Waterdrop

The contaminants for which the Waterdrop faucet filters are certified to remove are listed below alongside the NSF/ANSI standard they’re affiliated with:

Waterdrop 320-Gallon Long-Lasting Faucet Water Filter - WD-FF-01A (NSF)

Image credit: Waterdrop

• NSF/ANSI 42 (Chlorine, Taste and Odor)

Waterdrop Faucet Water Filter System Stainless Steel - WD-FF-03A (NSF)

Image credit: Waterdrop

• NSF/ANSI 42 (Chlorine, Taste and Odor)

Culligan

Culligan faucet mount filter systems use carbon block technology.

Image credit: Culligan

The contaminants for which the Culligan faucet filters are certified to remove are listed below alongside the NSF/ANSI standard they’re affiliated with:

Faucet Mount Filter System Advanced White - FM-15RA (IAPMO)

Image credit: Culligan

• NSF/ANSI 42 (Chlorine Taste and Odor, Particulate Class I)
• NSF/ANSI 53 (Atrazine, Lead, Lindane, Turbidity)
• NSF/ANSI 401 (Microplastics)

Faucet Mount Filter System Advanced Chrome - FM-25R (IAPMO)

Image credit: Culligan

• NSF/ANSI 42 (Chlorine Taste and Odor, Particulate Class I)
• NSF/ANSI 53 (Atrazine, Lead, Lindane, Turbidity)
• NSF/ANSI 401 (Microplastics)

What Is the Best Faucet Filter for the Reduction of Lead?

The best faucet filter for lead reduction is one that has been certified by a third-party to effectively reduce lead in drinking water. As a reminder, we do not endorse any specific products. The following faucet filters are certified to an NSF/ANSI standard for reduction of lead and are listed in no particular order:

• PUR Faucet Filter - RF-3375
• PUR PLUS Mineral Core Faucet Filter - RF-9999
• Brita Elite Advanced Water Filter - FR200
• Culligan Faucet Mount Filter System Advanced - FM-15RA & FM-25R

What’s the Takeaway?

• Testing your water before making any treatment decisions is crucial in order to understand your water’s particular contaminant profile. This is the best way to make sure your treatment device addresses your specific needs.
• Faucet-mounted filters are usually good for aesthetic issues, like taste and odor. For more complex contaminants, you may be better off opting for more advanced treatment systems.
• Keep an eye on your filter’s lifespan and set reminders to know when to replace your filter cartridges– they often have shorter lifespans due to heavy use of the kitchen sink.