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Ever feel like your bathroom faucet’s stream is never quite right? Either it’s too soft, too splattery, or just not powerful enough to rinse quickly. The culprit could be your faucet aerator. Luckily, removing an aerator is one of many basic home improvement tasks that just about anyone can take on. There are pros and cons to removing the aerator from your faucet, so it’s important to consider all possible situations before you decide to permanently remove it.

In pre-World War 2 Europe, a man named Elie Aghnides wondered why water from waterfalls tasted so much better than water from faucets. The conclusion he came to was that waterfalls allow air to get into the water and make it bubbly and foamy. It is, in fact, the combination of air and water that makes the water taste so great. Aghnides then invented aerators, a small collection of screens that act as a filter to go over the mouth of a faucet and let air bubbles through. 

Aerators in faucets prevent splashing because all the screens direct the water to flow through one stream. They also make chores like washing dishes go by faster, as air bubbles in water make soap lather faster. That being said, while having an aerator is useful, it is by no means necessary. The screens in an aerator can accumulate build-up from sediments and minerals in your water system, and when left unclean for too long, it can result in reduced water pressure.

If you want to take off the aerator from your faucet, there are a few ways to get that done. It’s possible to remove an aerator with a flat-head screwdriver by sticking the tip of the screwdriver into the faucet head, hooking it to one of the protruding notches on the aerator, and turning it until the aerator gets unlocked. The screwdriver method might require some patience, as it may take time to hook your screwdriver to the aerator’s notch. There is also the risk that the screwdriver could slip and accidentally hurt you, so using that method to uninstall might not be the best.

Fortunately, there are special tools out there made just to remove aerators. The Danco Cache Faucet Aerator Key Removal Tool available at Amazon is one option. Surprisingly, this aerator removal key is a tool you could also find at your local Dollar Tree. Usually, aerator remover tools come with four to five different keys, often in different colors, to accommodate a variety of faucet sizes. After finding which key option fits your faucet, screw the key into the top of the faucet and rotate it until the aerator comes loose. Once the aerator is removed, clean your faucet thoroughly to remove any buildup. 

There are upsides and downsides to removing the aerators from your faucet. Sometimes, the gunk that has accumulated in the small mesh aerator screens can slow down the water flow, so removing aerators can improve how much water gets through. Because aerators act as a barrier for faucets, removing your aerator will make instances when you need a large amount of water (like filling pots for cooking pasta or filling up a backyard pool) much quicker.

On the flipside, aerators reduce water splashing everywhere, so washing your face or hands doesn’t become a shower. Speaking of showers, the combination of air and water makes showers and hand washing go by quickly, but un-aerated water doesn’t lather soap as fast. Aerators can also reduce the amount of water and energy you are using by providing a consistent, stable stream and preventing wastefulness. You should confirm how many gallons per minute (GPMs) your faucet aerator dispenses. Aim for an aerator between .5-1.5 gpm, as aerators with figures above 1.5 gpm would have flow that is too fast and potentially wasteful, while below 0.5 would be too slow. While it’s clear that removing your aerator leads to a stronger stream, keeping an aerator on your faucet uses less water, less energy, and makes washing much quicker.