Also Consider Emergencies
So, in my previous blogs I said that:
- Tap water is far cheaper, and kinder to the environment, than bottled water.
- In blind tests, people can’t always tell the difference between tap and bottled water
- Bottled water is often tap water, sometimes with some treatment, sometimes not
- Bottled water has different regulations to tap water – tap water is more strictly controlled.
- If you don’t like the taste or smell of tap water, or are concerned about its safety, you can filter out any nasties.
How To Choose a Filter
The best way to choose a water filter is to
- find out what is in your tap water
- decide what you want to get rid of
- look up the report for which type of filters will do that (http://www.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU/#complete)
- buy your filter
- change the filter regularly if required
Bonus Tip:
It may be that, when you read the report for the water in your area, that you are completely horrified by what is contained in it. Fear not! Remember there’s probably at least that present in bottled water, so you would probably be even more horrified by a bottled water report – if you could get it!
Consider also:
Some of the stuff in the water is good for you. (for example, certain minerals)
Some of the stuff added is to prevent the spread of disease. Chlorine is added to tap water, for example, to prevent the spread of cholera. Remember the Haiti disaster? And if you think that only 3rd world countries get cholera, you’re probably right – and it’s probably due to chlorine in our water. So even if you don’t like the taste of chlorine, remember it is there for a purpose. And you can filter it out at home anyway.
Some of the stuff present in your water is added to counteract the pesticides and chemicals that are swept into our water systems. In general, you’ll want them there to do their job, and then afterwards you can filter them out, and have clean tap water which you know you will be able to keep cool and clean.
And PS – appreciate that you are actually able to get that report on your tap water. I can’t get one where I live, and so I have to rely on my sense of taste and smell and my knowledge, and just go with my ‘best guess’ for what I want to remove. I also have a much more limited range of choices as to the filters I can buy. So take advantage of the facilities you have at your disposal!
Emergency Preparedness
A final thing to consider. You may want to keep a stock of emergency water in your home in case of an emergency. The Scouts taught us to Be Prepared, and you never know when something might leave you without water.
Most people automatically buy bottled water for this purpose. But in fact, tap water that you have filtered is just perfect.
And countries sending water overseas for disaster relief could save loads of money by using filtered water instead of expensive bottled water.
Other interesting articles on water filters:
Choose the best water filter for YOU!
Which type of water filter is best?
The best water filter for Las Vegas and for Barcelona
Is your drinking water safe and tasty?
Hi Green Goddess,
We use a Brita filter for our drinking water.
What about disposing of batteries? I use a lot of them and want to dispose of them in a green way. What do you recommend?
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell
This is an excellent summary of why and what type of water filter to buy and a review of tap vs bottled water. I especially like the last section on emergency preparedness. This is an area that we so often fail to think about until it’s too late.
Having a supply of clean water and food and other basics and essentials can make the difference between survival or not in a crises.
Thank you for this timely report.
Dennis
It is certainly surprising how well modern water filters work . I was a bit sceptical until I tried one last year .
In yesterday’s post you made me think of the importance of using the correct device to keep the water in my house clean.
I will ask in a small shop near to my home which is the best solution for the type of water that I have in Barcelona.
Thanks for sharing all this knoweledge!
Wow, I never knew that about chlorine in drinking water. I assumed we had safe tap water and heardabout flouride being in there.
Another great article on the Nuts and Bolts of drinking water. I heard something about Cholera outbreak in Haiti, but don’t know specifics. Could you touch on that for us? Thanks for keeping us up to speed!
Andrew
THanks for the helpful reminder that just regular tap water, bottled up, could also be used in emergencies. I’ve also heard you can drink the water in your toilet tank or water heater if you have too. Not sure what you might think of that?
TKS
Why are water reports where you live unavailable?
Do you think people are trying to pull a conspiracy on The Green Godess?
Mark Hogan
I’m working on the emergency preparedness thing. Thanks for the reminder! I do believe it’s very important.
Cherie Miranda
Holistic Health Expert
I live in the heart of farm country and I often wonder about the pesticides, herbacides and fertilizers that are going into our streams, rivers and aquaducts.
We can’t get a report on water in our area however you can send a sample to a lab and get it tested for a couple hundred bucks or so.
Thank you for your informative post and the reminder to have extra water on hand for emergency situations.
Michael
A bottled water report … what a GREAT idea, but like you said, “if you could get it!” This is a nice article, valuable content in a concise format.
Stay Amazing and Do Great Things, Neil
These are very important issues that you raise. Personally, I go and get water from a spring. It’s funny how people react when I tell them that–that the water is unsafe. Ironic though, isn’t it?
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