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Water is associated with purity, freshness, revitalization, hydration, and a way to quench your thirst, especially in a hot summer.
Water is the first basic need you usually look out for when selecting a house or a neighborhood. No one can live without water; everyone expects good water quality in their home supply system.
With increasing pollution and poor pipeline systems, providing pure, filtered water to every household has become quite hard. Often, with too much use of bleach and chlorination to disinfect and get rid of airborne as well as waterborne contaminants and microscopic impurities, the water may start to smell more like chlorine rather than what it is supposed to smell like.
Explore the reasons behind the chlorine-like odor in your tap water in our article on Why Does My Tap Water Smell Like Chlorine, shedding light on the factors contributing to this issue.
If you have noticed that your water has recently started to smell more like bleach and chemicals, it is time for a check-up on it.
Bleach is good for disinfecting the water, especially for washing and cleaning. Still, if it exceeds the amount it is supposed to be in the water, it is quite alarming for health, especially if you also drink it. This matter should not be taken lightly as it could pose serious health threats like breathing problems.
This article will help you analyze the issue at hand and will provide solutions on how to get rid of the chlorinated or bleach smell from your water.
The following video shows some of the most common reasons why your water smells like bleach:
Does Your Water Smell Like Bleach? – Common Reasons & Tips
Following are some reasons why your water smells like bleach and how you can solve this problem;
Public Water Treatment
As a mandatory recommendation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it is required for the water to be treated with chlorine to disinfect the water and get rid of contaminants from the water. If you constantly feel like your water has a bleachy smell, chances are that it has been treated with high amounts of chlorine.
It is quite normal for the water to smell like chlorine, and little amounts are ingestible as well, but if the smell is too pungent, you can solve this problem by boiling the water every time you use it; it will remove the smell of bleach from the water.
In addition, you cannot smell the chlorine if you put the water in the refrigerator; changing its temperature is tolerable.
Suppose you spot the smell of bleach in outdoor settings such as showers, saunas, and swimming pools. In that case, it is because the water is treated with chlorine to eradicate bacterial growth and viruses, which is quite normal and an essential part of water treatment.
If you’re concerned about fishy odors in your Zero Water filter, explore our guide on Does Your Zero Water Smell Like Fish for further insights.
Chlorine & other reactants
Often, it is not the water or chlorine that is the only problem but the organic living beings in stagnant water, and their reaction to chlorine causes a funky smell in the water.
Organic materials such as fungi, algae, and bacteria are produced in the water pipelines and emit a sticky film which, when affected by chlorine already present in the water, turns into an awful-smelling substance.
An easy way to eliminate this problem is when you start using your water through taps, faucets, or showerheads, just let the water run for a few minutes, and then you will notice that the smell has gone.
Shock Chlorination
Maybe there has been a fear of a bacterial or virus spreading throughout the city. To counter that, the government usually issues a water treatment specifically if there is a chance of airborne or waterborne disease spreading.
That is when the water is treated with high amounts of bleach and chlorine to disinfect the bacterial growth or the possibility of viruses. But it is not an issue to worry about because the smell of the chlorine or bleach and the taste usually go away in a day or two.
Suppose you feel like no such extreme water treatment is happening in your area. In that case, you can contact your local community water treatment plant and ask for details and have your water treated and tested so that your water does not contain additional amounts of chlorine.
How can you use it for drinking?
The first step to figuring out how to drink water with chlorine or bleach is that it is safe to drink in the first place. For that, you can do a temperature test to check if your water is safe to drink; for instance, fill out a bottle of water, it can be a liter bottle, and let it stay in the refrigerator for a while.
When it is chilled, you should be able to drink it, and you will notice that the smell of chlorine or bleach has disappeared due to the cold temperature.
Also, ensure that you don’t keep that water, especially tap water, in your fridge for longer than a day; otherwise, you will notice a certain change in taste and numerous bubbles in the water. In addition, you can always use the water boiling option. Be extra careful, especially if you feed your youngsters with chlorinated water.
How can you permanently solve the problem?
So how can you solve the problem at hand? Well, there are several ways you can get rid of the bleach or chlorine in the water;
- The first is the distillation method, the easiest way to get purified water free from contaminants and impurities.
- Secondly, using carbon filters is another effective method that you can easily find when using water filters or softeners.
- Third, the reverse osmosis method removes the chlorine and the bleach smell that comes with it.
FAQS
Do chlorinated or bleached water cause exhaustion and fatigue?
Suppose we discuss swimming pools with a higher chlorinated or bleached water concentration. In that case, it does cause you fatigue, especially if you use a pool with a warm temperature.
Intrigued by water concerns? Explore how water quality affects you externally and internally in our article Does Drinking Water Actually Clear Your Skin?
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, this article helped analyze the issue behind the water smelling like bleach or chlorine and presented solutions for getting rid of it. It is not a big deal to have a chlorine smell in water, and it can be quickly removed by following the above-mentioned simple solutions.