Drinking at least a couple liters of water every day is important for regular bowel movements and overall gut health, but it’s not just the amount of water you’re drinking – the quality of your water matters too, especially when it comes to the health of your gut bacteria.

Modern water systems are treated with chlorine, a disinfectant that protects us from illnesses like cholera and typhoid fever. While arguably one of the most important public health interventions of the 20^th century, unfortunately chlorine-based disinfectants have a significant downside too – they can be harmful to our microbiome.

Preliminary studies suggest that chlorine derived disinfectants like chloramine and sodium hypochlorite can lower microbial diversity, and may increase our risk for disease. If you’ve ever accidentally killed a goldfish or houseplant with tap water you might have wondered how safe it is for you!

So what’s the solution? While it’s premature (and currently not advisable) to stop the use of chlorine-based disinfectants in our water systems, using a chlorine filter to decrease the effects on you and your microbes might be a good idea.

Choosing a filter can be a confusing process, but don’t fret! The Gutbliss team has researched, tried, and tested the most effective filters for removing chlorine and chlorine-derived disinfectants. And because microbes live not only in, but also on, your body, we’ve also included a showerhead filter. Here are our picks:

Drinking Water Filters 

Shower Head Filters