Boiling removes free chlorine fairly effectively, because chlorine is volatile and leaves with the steam. It does very little to chloramine, which is far more stable and is what a growing number of US utilities use. Boiling also concentrates anything that does not evaporate, so it is a poor general purpose treatment and a good one only for microbes.
Free chlorine leaves, chloramine mostly stays
Free chlorine dissipates from water at room temperature over hours and much faster at a rolling boil, which is why a jug left uncovered in the fridge overnight already tastes better. Chloramine is chlorine combined with ammonia, deliberately chosen because it is more stable and persists further into the distribution system. That same stability means boiling drives off only a fraction of it, and long boiling is not a practical fix.
Find out which one you have
The answer changes what you should do, and it is published. Every community water system publishes an annual Consumer Confidence Report and the EPA maintains a finder for it, and the report names the disinfectant used. Utilities also switch temporarily, running a free chlorine burn for a few weeks a year, which is why the taste of your tap water can change noticeably without anything being wrong.
What boiling costs you elsewhere
Everything that does not evaporate stays behind and becomes more concentrated as volume is lost: nitrate, lead, arsenic, hardness minerals and dissolved solids all end up in a smaller amount of water. That is the reason boiling is advised for a microbiological boil notice and never as a treatment for a chemical contaminant. It also scales the pot faster in a hard water area and uses energy every time.
The practical fix for chlorine taste
Activated carbon handles both chlorine and chloramine, though chloramine needs longer contact time and a catalytic carbon media rather than a small pitcher cartridge. A pitcher, a faucet filter or an under sink cartridge will settle it for drinking, and a whole house carbon unit handles showers as well, which matters if the chlorine smell in the bathroom is what actually prompted the question.
Questions people ask about does boiling water get rid of chlorine
How long do I boil water to remove chlorine?
A few minutes at a rolling boil drives off most free chlorine. Chloramine barely responds, so a carbon filter is the better answer for it.
Can I just let water sit instead?
Yes for free chlorine, which dissipates over hours in an uncovered jug. Chloramine is stable enough that standing achieves very little.
Does boiling remove lead or nitrate?
No, and it makes them worse. As water evaporates the remaining volume holds the same amount of contaminant in less water.
Which filter removes chloramine?
Catalytic carbon with adequate contact time. Small pitcher cartridges are sized for chlorine and often struggle with chloramine at normal flow.