Mille-feuille (“a thousand leaves”) paper is the first non-woven, wet-laid filter paper, composed of 100% native cellulose, which is capable of removal of the “worst-case” model virus, the non-enveloped parvoviruses, i.e. minute virus of mice (MVM; 18–20 nm), from water with a log 10 reduction value (LRV) >5 (>99.999%). We further illustrate how the flow rate across the mille-feuille paper can be increased exponentially so that flux rates in the order of 350 L m −2 h −1 bar −1 can be potentially achieved.