Most water pitchers bury PFAS somewhere in a long list of contaminants. Clearly Filtered leads with it: a roughly $110 gravity pitcher marketed on removing "365+ contaminants," PFAS front and center, aimed at people who went looking for a filter specifically because they are worried about forever chemicals in their tap water.
That is a different pitch than Brita or ZeroWater make, and it earns a closer look. The question that matters is not how long the contaminant list is. It is whether the PFAS claim is backed by real testing, and how that testing differs from an NSF certification. The answer is more nuanced than either the marketing or its critics let on.
This is where Clearly Filtered is easy to misread, because "certified" and "tested" do different jobs, and the brand uses both.
| What it claims | How it is backed | What that means | |---|---|---| | Chlorine, taste and odor | NSF-certified to NSF/ANSI 42 | Third-party certified | | Lead-free materials | NSF-certified to NSF/ANSI 372 | Third-party certified | | PFAS (PFOA, PFOS, 30+ others) | Independently lab-tested, not NSF-certified | Tested to the standard's method, no NSF listing | | Lead, fluoride, microplastics | Independently lab-tested, not NSF-certified | Same |
By the company's own performance data, the pitcher is NSF-certified to only two standards: 42 (chlorine taste and odor) and 372 (lead-free materials). Everything else, PFAS, lead and fluoride included, rests on independent testing by QFT, a lab now operating as IAPMO New Jersey, an ISO 17025-accredited lab that tests to NSF/ANSI methods. That is a real, credible test, but it is not the same as an NSF certification you can look up in the NSF directory. If you specifically need a listed NSF mark for PFAS, this pitcher does not have one. (Some older third-party reviews describe a WQA certification that includes PFAS under Standard 53; the manufacturer's current pages do not claim it, so we use the more conservative reading.)
Yes, and the numbers are strong. In the manufacturer's independent lab testing, the pitcher reduced PFOA by more than 99% and PFOS by more than 99.5%, with similar results across roughly three dozen individual PFAS compounds, GenX among them. For the two PFAS the EPA regulates most tightly, PFOA and PFOS, that is about as good as a pitcher filter gets.
Two honest caveats:
Tested is not NSF-certified. The PFAS results come from an accredited lab running NSF's method, not from an NSF certification. The testing is credible; the distinction matters only if you or your state program specifically require a listed NSF mark.
Real-world use can fall short of lab numbers. One reviewer's own lab test, using a Tap Score kit, hit 100% on fluoride and uranium but came in below the brand's claims on a few trace minerals, and measured a slower flow rate than a Brita. Lab conditions and real tap water differ; treat the 99% figures as the ceiling, not a guarantee for every faucet.
It is slow, and it is not cheap to run. The dense media that captures PFAS also makes the pour noticeably slower than a Brita or ZeroWater, and at roughly $0.55 a gallon the running cost sits near the top of the pitcher category, behind only ZeroWater. There is no filter-life indicator, so you set a calendar reminder. If your goal is cheap chlorine-and-taste filtering, a basic pitcher costs a fraction as much. Clearly Filtered earns its premium only if PFAS or lead is the reason you are shopping.
Before you spend $110 solving a PFAS problem, find out whether you have one. A filter this focused on PFAS is money well spent when your water actually carries it, and overkill when it does not.
Look up your address and read what has been detected in your water. Our water report lookup pulls the EPA and state testing records for your system, so you can match a filter to what is genuinely in your tap. If it flags PFAS or lead, a pitcher lab-tested for exactly those is the right tool. If it comes back clean, a basic taste-and-chlorine pitcher is plenty. For a direct reading of your own faucet, an at-home PFAS test kit confirms what is actually coming out before you commit.
Is the Clearly Filtered pitcher NSF certified for PFAS? No. It is NSF-certified only to Standards 42 (chlorine) and 372 (lead-free materials). Its PFAS removal is backed by independent lab testing to NSF's method, by an ISO 17025-accredited lab, not by an NSF certification you can look up in the NSF directory.
How much PFAS does it remove? In the manufacturer's independent lab testing, more than 99% of PFOA and more than 99.5% of PFOS, with similar reductions across about three dozen PFAS compounds including GenX.
How does it compare to a Brita? It removes far more, PFAS included, but it pours more slowly and costs more per gallon. A standard Brita targets taste and chlorine; Clearly Filtered targets health contaminants like PFAS and lead.
How much does it cost to run? About $110 for the pitcher and roughly $0.55 per gallon in replacement filters, near the top of the pitcher category.
Does it remove the good minerals? The brand says it leaves beneficial minerals in; one independent lab test found calcium dropped while magnesium rose, so results are mixed. Either way, mineral content is a taste-and-nutrition footnote, not a safety issue.
If you came to water filtration specifically because of PFAS, the Clearly Filtered pitcher is one of the few pitchers with real, accredited lab data showing 99%-plus reduction of PFOA and PFOS, and that is the honest reason to buy it. Just buy it for what it is: a lab-tested PFAS-and-lead pitcher, not an NSF-certified-for-PFAS one, and not a bargain. It is slow and the filters are pricey, but for a renter or anyone who cannot plumb in a reverse-osmosis system, it is the most focused PFAS pitcher on the shelf.
It earns a place on our list of water filters for anyone whose water report shows PFAS or lead, which, again, is the first thing to check.
See the Clearly Filtered pitcher on Amazon
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