diff --git a/app/main/forms.py b/app/main/forms.py
index 1c2fd9546..7fea38a96 100644
--- a/app/main/forms.py
+++ b/app/main/forms.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import string
 import weakref
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 from itertools import chain
@@ -8,6 +7,7 @@ from flask_wtf import FlaskForm as Form
 from flask_wtf.file import FileAllowed
 from flask_wtf.file import FileField as FileField_wtf
 from notifications_utils.columns import Columns
+from notifications_utils.formatters import strip_whitespace
 from notifications_utils.recipients import (
     InvalidPhoneError,
     validate_phone_number,
@@ -41,15 +41,6 @@ from app.main.validators import (
     ValidGovEmail,
 )
 
-OBSCURE_WHITESPACE = (
-    '\u180E'  # Mongolian vowel separator
-    '\u200B'  # zero width space
-    '\u200C'  # zero width non-joiner
-    '\u200D'  # zero width joiner
-    '\u2060'  # word joiner
-    '\uFEFF'  # zero width non-breaking space
-)
-
 
 def get_time_value_and_label(future_time):
     return (
@@ -118,12 +109,6 @@ def email_address(label='Email address', gov_user=True):
     return EmailField(label, validators)
 
 
-def strip_whitespace(value):
-    if value is not None and hasattr(value, 'strip'):
-        return value.strip(string.whitespace + OBSCURE_WHITESPACE)
-    return value
-
-
 class UKMobileNumber(TelField):
     def pre_validate(self, form):
         try: