Water is vitally essential for our bodies. We still need to have those eight glasses of plain water each day to hydrate the body and help it function properly. But the question is, do we drink “healthy” water?
When you turn on the tap, you believe you have pure and clean water – after all, it’s regulated by the community's waterworks. The truth is, tap water contains tons of contaminants and in some communities, it can even be toxic.
People, who don’t trust the “healthy” qualities of tap water, spend thousands of dollars annually on bottled water, believing they’re drinking toxin and contaminant-free water. True? False! Some bottled water contains more contaminants than its tap equivalent.
While community waterworks test tap water for contaminants regularly and are required to give consumers a detailed report that contains the information about the quantity of contaminants in the water, the bottled water companies rarely do this and they actually never provide any reports that say their water does contain toxic substances. They aren’t liable for it.
Despite all the statements, both tap and bottled water are not optimally healthy as-is. You can test your water to be sure of its quality. If you’re sure the quality is poor and you don’t want to reap the side effects (rather than benefits!) of bottled water, here are a few foolproof ways to make your tap water healthier (and tastier).
1. Invest in a filtration system
Depending on the number of contaminants in your tap water, choose the right filter system that will not only remove any “dirt” from the water, but will also alter the ionic content.
There are many types of the filtration systems, such as water softeners, under sink and countertop filters, pitchers, faucet-mounted and shower filters, and the reverse osmosis system.
With pitchers being the most common and cheapest way to get clean water and the reverse osmosis system being the most expensive yet effective one, you can choose a filtration system that will suit your needs and wallet.
Test your water first to know what you’re dealing with. The more contaminants and chemicals found in your tap water, the more expensive filter system you’ll need. Health is wealth, right?
Carafe Filters Are Cheap but Only Partially Effective
If you’re lucky enough to live in a community with cleaner water, a carafe filter may be your choice. It resembles a coffee pot filter and is attached on top of a water pitcher.
It’s relatively cheap, but you’ll need to replace it each month. The carafe filters are good at removing chlorine, lead, and certain sediments. They don’t kill pesticides, bacteria, and other agricultural chemicals, though.
Faucet Filters Can Drain Your Budget but Do Work Well
Faucet filters come in different types and each has its own function. You can install it on your faucet or on the faucet’s hose or you can connect it directly to the cold water line under your sink. You can also use these filters on your shower head in order to protect your skin from absorbing toxins, and your lungs from breathing them.
Faucet filters remove lead, chlorine, some bacteria, particularly Cryptosporidium, radon, some industrial chemicals, and some pesticides. They typically don’t remove nitrates, though. The budget-friendly varieties may eliminate chlorine and lead only, so check out the packaging to see what contaminants the filter removes.
The Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System Is Costly but Provides the Best Water
The reverse osmosis systems have been shown to eliminate 95 percent of contaminants in tap water. It removes almost all contaminants, including industrial chemicals and bacteria.
Moreover, this filter also eliminates most of the fluoride in tap water. But some reverse osmosis filters are ineffective at completely removing all industrial chemicals.
The taste of reverse osmosis water is a lot better than that of tap or bottled water. However, be ready to spend an average $1,000 on it. The perk is, you will replace the filter parts only about once a year (usually).
2. Consider a Water Ionizer
Also called an alkaline ionizer, a water ionizer uses electrolysis to increase the pH of tap water. It separates the incoming water stream into alkaline and acidic components. Research has shown that drinking alkaline water has plenty of health benefits, such as slowing down the aging process and warding off diseases.
Ionization helps to soften hard water by eliminating chemicals and exchanges two sodium ions for each magnesium or calcium ion with the help of resin beads within the ionizer.
3. Boil Your Water
If you don’t hate the taste of boiled water, you can save cash and forget about the monthly or yearly filter replacements for good. Boiling helps to eliminate the chlorine in tap water, along with some toxins, protozoans, bacteria, and viruses, which can cause serious disease.
Boiling turns tap water into a microbiologically safe drink. The downside is the taste. Not everyone can tolerate it. It’s also a real pain to boil all your water.
4. Distill It
You can also make your tap water healthy by distilling it. Just boil it and collect the steam in a separate clean container; it will turn back into water. Distillation systems (a much more convenient method) tends to provide safe water by eliminating 98 percent of contaminants.
The disadvantage is, distilled water may still contain chlorine and pesticides. Although this water is absolutely drinkable, it tastes flat and a bit strange. You’ll need some time to get used to its taste.
Tap water contaminations come from many sources, including fertilizer, pesticides, factories, factory farms, and chemicals and metals leaching from pipes and storage tanks. That’s why it’s crucially important to think about the way to make it safe to drink.
You don’t want your children to drink those recommended daily glasses of water full of contaminations and toxins, do you? As you can see, some methods mentioned about are budget-friendly, making at least some filtration a no-brainer.
To make sure your filtered water is healthy, order before-and-after tests of your water to ensure your filter system is doing what you think it is.