Find the best filter for your tap water
Bottled water isn't any cleaner or safer than the water that flows from your tap. In fact, studies have shown that sometimes those bottles are filled with untreated tap water.
One thing is certain, bottled water is much more expensive than tap. The New York Times estimates that it costs about $1,400 a year for someone to get their eight glasses of water a day from a bottle, versus about 49 cents for an annual supply of tap water. You can calculate your own cost for drinking bottled versus tap.
Experts say tap is the best choice for those living in the U.S. It's also your greenest option, since bottled water has many negative environmental impacts from the manufacture of plastic bottles through their disposal.
Worried about reports of pharmaceuticals and other unwanted chemicals in drinking water? Use a filter.
You have countless choices, from inexpensive pitchers to more costly systems that filter the water coming out of every faucet in your house. No matter which you choose, it's likely to be less expensive than buying cases of bottled water every year.
How do you pick a water filter? No one product does everything, says Tom Bruursema at NSF International. That's why it makes sense to base purchasing decisions on which pollutants you want to remove.
Follow these steps:
- First you have to find out what pollutants are in your water. Get an annual report of what's in your public drinking water or see the EPA's guidelines for those who use private wells.
- Still not sure exactly what's flowing out of your tap? Get your water tested by contacting your health department about free or discounted kits or see this list for certified labs.
- Then search here for filters that remove the contaminants you want to get rid of.
Once you know your water, you still have to pick the right filter. Here's a summary of the most common options:
Carbon filters are a relatively inexpensive and common solution for improving taste and getting rid of many contaminants. Carbon filtration can be used in pitchers, on faucets, counter tops, or under your sink.
The carbon attracts and absorbs impurities such as lead, disinfection byproducts, heavy metals, pesticides, parasites, radon, and volatile organic compounds. But all carbon filters do not eliminate all of the contaminants listed above. Read the package labels, or better yet, search for product suggestions based on which contaminants you want to get rid of.
Brita and PUR are two major carbon filter manufacturers. Brita is tops in Consumer Reports' ratings of carafe filters, and you can recycle Brita filters. PUR gets the highest marks for its faucet-mounted model. Some Kenmore models are rated "best buys" in the countertop and under sink categories.
One thing to note: Consumer Reports does take clogging into account in its ratings, but Bruursema says that clogging is more a function of what's in your water than the product itself.
Reverse osmosis filtration systems get rid of many impurities including perchlorate, fluoride, arsenic, and other hard-to-remove contaminants. In fact, these filters work so well they remove calcium, magnesium, and other beneficial nutrients, according to Bruursema. They're also often used in conjunction with carbon filters.
A downside is that they can waste a substantial amount of water. Bruursema says there are some high-end "zero waste" models that recycle the water wasted in the process into other non-drinking water applications.
Kenmore, Whirlpool, Culligan, and General Electric models all score about the same in Consumer Reports testing, but pricing varies considerably. One Whirlpool system is highlighted as a best buy.
Water softeners, available for your whole house through dealers, reduce the amount of calcium and magnesium that are responsible for making water "hard."
Culligan, Kinetico, EcoWater, and Whirlpool make water softener systems.
Less common filtering systems include ultraviolet disinfection and distillers. These have limited application in the U.S.
Finally, no matter which filter you pick, look for a system certified by NSF, which independently verifies the claims made by manufacturers. And follow the manufacturer recommendations on how often to change the filters.
Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green's users. Send Lori a question or suggestion for potential use in a future column. Her book, Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life is available on Yahoo! Shopping and Amazon.com.
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