--- title: How often to change a Brita filter (and how to do it) description: Change a Brita Original filter every 40 gallons (about 2 months) and an Elite every 120 (about 6). How to change one and reset the indicator. source: https://oohunt.com/blog/how-often-to-change-brita-filter published: 2026-09-17 modified: 2026-09-17 author: Oohunt Deal Desk site: Oohunt disclosure: Product links are Amazon affiliate links. testing: None. This guide makes no hands-on testing claim. Factual claims are attributed to named manufacturer sources and linked inline. --- # How often to change a Brita filter (and how to do it) [Oohunt Deal Desk](https://oohunt.com/how-we-choose-deals) · Buying guides · September 17, 2026 · 6 min read As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through links on this page. **About every two months, or 40 gallons, for a Brita Original (formerly Standard) filter, and about every six months, or 120 gallons, for an Elite.** Brita rates its filters by volume, and its months assume an average household drinking about 11 glasses a day. A busier kitchen, or hard water, means changing sooner. The catch is that a spent filter looks exactly like a new one, and nothing about the water tells you straight away, which is why filters so often stay in past their date. A toothbrush head works the same way; see [how often to replace your toothbrush](https://oohunt.com/blog/how-often-to-replace-toothbrush). ## How long does a Brita filter last? These are [Brita’s own ratings](https://www.brita.com/support/faq/replacement-filters/) for its main filter types. Not sure which you have? The filter’s label or box names the type, and the colors differ: Original filters are white, Elite filters are blue, and Stream filters are gray. Brita says the bottle filter’s two months assume about 64 ounces a day. ## Signs it is time to change your Brita filter **The indicator says so.** Many Brita pitchers have an electronic light or a sticker indicator. Trust it over your memory. **The water slows down.** Brita says an Elite filter should filter a full reservoir in 10 to 15 minutes at most. If it takes much longer, sediment may be clogging it, and it is time for a new one. **The taste comes back.** Brita filters are certified to reduce the taste and odor of chlorine, so when tap water starts to taste like tap water again, the filter is likely spent. ## How to change a Brita filter - Wash your hands, then lift out the old filter. - Hand wash the pitcher, lid and reservoir with mild dish soap and rinse well. Brita pitchers and dispensers are not dishwasher safe, and abrasive cleaners should not be used. - Prepare the new filter. Rinse an Original filter under cold water for 15 seconds, and if it is more than a year old, soak it for 15 minutes first. An Elite filter needs no rinse. - Line up the groove on the filter with the notch in the reservoir and press firmly for a tight seal. - Fill with cold tap water, then pour away your first three pitchers of filtered water, or use them to water plants. - Reset the indicator for the filter you used, or set the sticker for the month the filter will be due. ## How to reset the Brita filter change indicator **Electronic indicator with a STATUS button, Original filter:** hold STATUS for 2 seconds, then release. All the lights blink twice, then the green light next to the filter type blinks three times. **Electronic indicator with a STATUS button, Elite filter:** hold STATUS for 6 seconds, and do not release until the green Elite light has blinked three times. **Brita Stream:** hold STATUS for 8 seconds. When the lights blink together, keep holding, and release when only the green light blinks. **Older models without a STATUS button:** hold RESET for 5 to 10 seconds until all the lights blink. **Sticker indicator:** follow the instructions that came with it; on older stickers, one side goes over the month the filter will be due. Other models, including SmartLight pitchers, are covered in [Brita’s filter FAQ](https://www.brita.com/support/faq/replacement-filters/). ## Looking after the pitcher between changes Use cold tap water only. Keep the pitcher somewhere cool and out of bright sunlight, which [Brita says](https://www.brita.com/support/faq/pitchers/) can cause algae, and in the fridge if you will be away for more than a couple of days. If you do see algae, hand wash the pitcher with mild dish soap and move it somewhere dim. None of this extends a filter past its rating. ## Brita filters worth stocking The replacements most people need, and a pitcher that tracks the filter for you. Prices change often, so check the current one on Amazon. What we would buy (4) Affiliate links - [Brita Original (Standard) replacement filters, 3-pack](https://oohunt.com/out/B00004SU18?p=blog-change-brita-filter): For Brita pitchers and dispensers. At one about every two months, a 3-pack covers about six months. - [Brita Elite replacement filters, 2-pack](https://oohunt.com/out/B01MU7973W?p=blog-change-brita-filter): Each lasts about six months, so a 2-pack is about a year of filters and fewer changes to remember. - [Brita Water bottle replacement filters, 3-pack](https://oohunt.com/out/B082TJ4BP5?p=blog-change-brita-filter): For Brita's filtering bottles. Each filter lasts about two months, so three cover about six. - [Brita Metro pitcher with SmartLight change indicator](https://oohunt.com/out/B09W4JQQ9K?p=blog-change-brita-filter): A small pitcher with a light that shows when the filter is due, so there is nothing to keep track of. No prices or star ratings here. Prices change daily and we do not track them, so Amazon shows you the current one. Nothing on this list has been tested. ## Common questions ### How often should you change a Brita filter? It depends on the filter. Brita rates its Original (formerly Standard) pitcher filter, its Stream filter and its bottle filters at 40 gallons, about every two months; its Elite filter at 120 gallons, about every six months; and its faucet filters at 100 gallons, about every four months. ### How long does a Brita Elite filter last? About six months, or 120 gallons, which Brita says is three times as long as its Original filter. ### Do you have to soak a Brita filter? No. Rinse an Original filter under cold water for 15 seconds; an Elite filter needs no rinse. Brita suggests soaking an Original filter for 15 minutes only if it is more than a year old. ### Is a Brita pitcher dishwasher safe? No. Brita says its pitchers and dispensers are not dishwasher safe. Hand wash them with mild dish soap, and take the filter out first. ### Why is my Brita filtering so slowly? Brita names two common causes: sediment such as sand or rust clogging the filter, and aeration from filling with the faucet fully open or pouring straight onto the filter. Fill with a gentler stream, and if it stays slow, replace the filter. Brita says an Elite should filter a full reservoir in 10 to 15 minutes at most. ### What happens if you don't change your Brita filter? Past its rated gallons, Brita no longer certifies that the filter reduces what it was designed to, and the chlorine taste can come back. A clogged filter can also slow the flow. --- Which filter to put in it is a separate question: [what Brita filters actually remove](https://oohunt.com/blog/what-brita-filters-remove) compares what the Standard, Elite and faucet filters are certified for. More for the kitchen, from coffee makers to cookware, sits in [home & kitchen](https://oohunt.com/category/home-kitchen). --- ## More guides - [Frigidaire refrigerator water filter: which one fits](https://oohunt.com/blog/frigidaire-refrigerator-water-filter) - [Power banks for laptops: what actually works](https://oohunt.com/blog/power-bank-for-laptop) - [Can you put foil in an air fryer?](https://oohunt.com/blog/foil-in-air-fryer)