Your Water is Clear, but is it Clean?
We all assume the water filter sitting in our
fridge is working, but how do we know if we’re getting the safest and most
delicious water? With water contamination in the forefront of many people’s
minds, finding effective water filtration solutions is more important than
ever.
If you have reason to be worried about
lead, many common water filters can be effective. The team at Reviews.com, a site dedicated to investigating products and industries, spent six weeks analyzing 38 pitcher and faucet water filters to find which are the most successful at removing contaminants and enhancing flavor.
TASTE MATTERS
Water is supposed to be tasteless, right?
Turns out it’s a little more complicated. Our saliva and our tongues’ taste
receptors have various enzymes and minerals that combine with foods (and water)
to affect how we perceive “taste” — it’s why some of us love cilantro and some
of us think it tastes like soap.
THE PITCHER IS
ONLY THE BEGINNING
A filter works just like a sponge: Once it’s full, it’s useless. Though
most filters have an anti-bacterial treatment, it’s only so long before that
wet carbon is a breeding ground for grossness.
The up-front costs of a pitcher or faucet filter pale in comparison to
the long-term costs of replacing those filters over and over and over: While
faucet filters can remain effective for 100 to 200 gallons of water, most
pitcher filters only last 40 gallons before they need to be replaced — and
that’s only if you believe the marketing claims.
If the owner of a typical water pitcher
filter drank the recommended 12 cups of water per day and diligently replaced
their pitcher filter every 40 gallons, they’d be buying about seven replacement
filters per year. That number goes up the more people you have in your
household, and up even more if you follow some water experts’ advice and
replace filters twice as often as recommended.
DID YOU KNOW?
The carbon material in your filter is oftentimes the burnt charcoal
remains of a natural substance, like coconut shells. Carbon looks like a big
sponge if you look at it under a microscope, and that’s exactly how it
functions during water filtration: It absorbs organic materials.
When water passes through this carbon material — either by gravity
(pitcher filters) or through water pressure (faucet filters) — pollutants are
bound to the carbon, thereby keeping them away from your water. Carbon in and
of itself is not effective at taking out volatile organic compounds and heavy
metals like mercury and lead. To accomplish this, some filters add a non-carbon
layer to the filtering process: a plastic resin that works like a magnet.
At the end of the day, it’s easy to take
water for granted — but it’s just as easy to use a filter and make sure your
H2O is clean and tasty. Learn what contaminants are in your drinking water, and
then find a filter with the right certifications to make sure it will do the
job it claims to do.
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