A water treating apparatus is provided which is capable of producing a hypochlorous acid-containing electrolytic water having a satisfactory sterilizing ability in a household. The water treating apparatus is an apparatus for producing hypochlorous acid in for-treatment water containing a salt by use of an electrochemical reaction which occurs in the for-treatment water when a direct current voltage is applied to at least a pair of electrodes oppositely disposed in the for-treatment water, wherein the direct current voltage to be applied to the electrodes is obtained by smoothing an alternating voltage of domestic use power supply into direct current power of a predetermined voltage, an electrode having titanium covered with a coating containing at least palladium or ruthenium is used as an anode, and at most 90% of the salt added to the for-treatment water is converted into hypochlorous acid by the electrochemical reaction.