Where does your water come from? Much of the local drinking water in America is not as clean as it should be. The Environmental Work group maintains a helpful website that provides water quality information based on your zipcode and water supplier. Check here to see how your water rates and whether any EPA violations have been reported. We weren’t too happy with the report for Mount Pleasant, SC! (check the report for our store zipcode: 29464). Our tap water contains four known contaminants over EPA health guidelines. If you are concerned about your tap water quality, you should consider taking steps to purify your drinking water.
Another option for checking your tap water quality is to use a water test kit. You simply use test strips to identify contaminants or you can collect a water sample and mail it to a lab for a more detailed analysis.
How can you purify your water? There are several options to choose from, ranging from filtration pitchers to whole-house systems.
- Use a Water Pitcher with Filter. This is the simplest and cheapest solution. A filter pitcher has a replaceable filter that must generally be replaced every 3 months. To use the pitcher for the first time, simply place the filter in the top of the pitcher, fill it with tap water, and allow the water to filter through to the bottom of the pitcher (this takes just a few minutes). Store the pitcher in your refrigerator and top off as needed.
- Install a Faucet-Mounted Filter. It is simple and straight-forward to mount a filter onto your kitchen sink faucet. Most faucet-mounted filters provide the option of receiving either filtered or unfiltered water. Filters must be replaced periodically (e.g., every 2 months or 200 gallons of water flow). Many faucet-mounted filters provide a higher level of filtration than water pitchers with filters can provide.
- Install an Under Sink Filter. This option puts the filter mechanism out of sight, under your sink. It provides its own faucet that fits in a standard side sprayer or soap dispenser cut-out in most stainless steel sinks. Or it can be quickly installed by a plumber if needed. With an under-sink filter, you have your normal, existing faucet for unfiltered water and a separate faucet for drinking water.
- Consider a Refrigerator/Icemaker Filter. This filter installs in your refrigerator and provides purified water to your icemaker and/or your refrigerator door water-dispenser. Filters are simple to replace.
- Install a Whole House Filtration System. With whole house filtration, the filter system is installed in your home adjacent to your water source. The system connects to your water intake and filters all water in your home, including water for faucets, bathtubs and showers, toilets, washing machines, and dishwashers
Why not just buy bottled water? All of those empty plastic bottles wreak havoc on the environment (more info here)! And over time, plastic bottles can leach chemicals like phthalates and BPA into the water they contain! For water on the go, fill reusable stainless steel bottles or BPA-free plastic bottleswith purified water.