How to Clean PUR Water Filter Faucet Mount System (Step-by-Step)

The PUR faucet water filter is a highly effective at-home water treatment option – but only when it’s working properly. To keep your filter in order, you can maintain it with regular cleaning.

People love the PUR water filter because it can remove more than 70 physical and chemical contaminants, including lead, trace pharmaceuticals, chlorine, pesticides, and mercury. To ensure the filtration system performs at its optimum, you need to clean and replace the PUR filters.

In this guide, I’ll be sharing how to clean your PUR faucet water filter. This process can be used to clean other faucet-mounted filters, too.

📝 How to Clean a PUR Faucet Filter

Want to know how to clean PUR water filter faucet mount system? If so, follow these steps:

1. Remove the Filter From Your Faucet

Your first task is to remove the PUR water filter from your faucet.

If you installed this faucet filter, you probably remember how you put it on. It is designed to attach to the top of your faucet. You’ll need to twist the cover off to detach the filter. There are two buttons on the filtration system that you will need to squeeze when removing the filter.

If the water filter is installed too tightly to easily twist off, a wrench should help you to loosen it.

2. Examine the Filter

It might not always be suitable to clean your PUR filter. Though cleaning can prolong the filter’s lifespan, eventually, it will need to be replaced.

Examine your faucet mount filter’s condition and think back to how long ago it was since you installed it. PUR filters have a 3-month lifespan, but they can last longer than this if you clean them once a month. But if your PUR filter is showing obvious signs of wear and tear, and you’ve owned it for at least double this time, you likely need to swap it out for a new one.

Rusting and an unpleasant smell are signs that you should replace your filter instead of cleaning it. If the filter does need replacing, make sure to responsibly dispose of the old cartridge.

3. Empty Filter Debris

After removing the filter, hold it over your trash can and tap it against the side. This will remove any lingering debris and dirt.

4. Clean the Canister Housing

Cleaning the filter canister is an important part of the process that shouldn’t be skipped. To clean the canister, use a natural cleaner that’s safe and non-toxic, as the solution will end up inside the actual filter once you put the system back together.

One option is to use mild dish soap for the job. For getting rid of tougher stains or carrying out a more thorough clean, consider using 3 cups of water combined with 1 cup of vinegar.

Leave the canister to soak in this solution for 1 hour minimum, or overnight if you can. Remove it from the bowl and use a cloth dipped in warm water to clean it. Leave it to properly air-dry before moving onto step 5.

Whatever cleaning formula you use, just make sure it is completely natural and chemical-free.

5. Canister Debris Removal

After cleaning the canister, run it under cold water to remove any remaining dirt or debris. It’s common for sediment to stick to the inside of the canister’s surface during the water filtration process.

Hold the canister under running cold for up to 10 minutes, then let it air-dry once more.

6. Reassemble The Filter

Finally, when you’ve cleaned the PUR filter and canister, you can reassemble the filtration system and install it onto the faucet. Reverse the process of step 1 to twist the filter and cover into place.

Switch on your faucet and leave the water to run for at least 5 minutes, flushing the filter out. Make sure the faucet is switched on fully to get rid of any algae or dirt from the aerator.

🤔 Why Do I Need To Clean My PUR Faucet Mount Filtration System?

If you own a faucet-mounted filter, you’ll know that the filter cartridges don’t last forever. Changing your PUR faucet mount filters is an important part of maintaining your system. Without filter changes, your faucet filter would eventually stop working.

Cleaning the filters is something you can do to extend their lifespan. Of course, you will still need to switch your water filter with a new cartridge at some point in the future. But if you want to reduce how much money you’re spending per year on new filters, it’s well worth getting into the habit of cleaning them.

Related: PUR water filter leaks: what to do

⌛ How Long Do PUR Faucet Mounts Last?

The PUR water filter can filter up to 100 gallons of water, which equates to about 3 months.

If your drinking water consumption is higher than average, or your water contains a high amount of contaminants, your PUR filter might not last this long. On the other hand, if you use less drinking water per week than PUR water filters are intended for, your water filter might last longer than advertised.

Note that the PUR faucet filter systems have a filter change light that indicates when you need to change the filter. This can be handy, but it won’t be entirely accurate to your situation.

This filter change light isn’t smart enough to actually detect when the filter needs changing. It just acts as a timer, counting down 3 months from the date the filter is installed. Factors such as your own drinking water usage and your maintenance habits won’t be recognized by the faucet mount filtration system.

The filter change light on your filtration system will move from green to amber to red to display how long your PUR water filter will continue to work for. Once the filter change light switches to red, you’re advised to change the filter.

But if you’ve been cleaning your PUR water filter regularly, you might get another couple of months out of the filter before it needs to be changed. Use your instincts and take into account the quality of your water and your flow rate.

💓 How Can I Extend the Life of My PUR Faucet Filter?

Cleaning your faucet filter on a once-monthly basis is the easiest way to extend its lifespan for another couple of months.

A few other things you can do to extend the life of your PUR water filter are:

• Flush the water filter periodically. This is easy to do with faucet filters – just send water through the filter at high pressure for between 2 and 5 minutes. This will allow contaminants to break off from the filter and wash away.
• Don’t forget about the exterior of your faucet filtration system. Use a cloth dipped in water and dish soap to wipe down the surface of the faucet mount filter housing when you’re cleaning the rest of your kitchen.
• Don’t allow hot water to run through your filter. It isn’t designed to work with warm temperatures, and the heat could damage the filter cartridge.

Remember, you will need to change the filters in your PUR faucet filtration system at some point. If you’re dealing with a slow water flow and cleaning your filter doesn’t make a difference, or the system isn’t properly filtering your tap water anymore, a new faucet mount filter should solve the issue.