Tap water is pretty safe in England (only from kitchen taps, don’t drink water from your bathroom), compared to many other areas around the world. However, some people prefer to filter it, to remove various impurities and to make the water taste nicer, especially if your local authority treats the water with fluoride (there is no proof that this does any good – Ireland has been fluoridating the water for decades, with no improvements to dental health – good teeth come from less sugar and refined foods, and good dental hygiene and access to a dentist).
Water is filtered naturally in nature through rocks (spring water), so if you are buying bottled water, this is usually better than distilled water (which boils the water, but removes the natural minerals). Hardly anyone can be bothered with the time and expense of installing a home water filtering unit, so most people who filter their tap water, choose to use a portable water filter. The problem with these is they are usually fiddly, expensive and made with plastic jugs and filters (you can recycle them, but only if you live near somewhere that accepts old cartridges). There are better ways to filter water (or simply to make tap water taste better, if that’s the reason why you filter it). Let’s take a look:
- The first thing to do (if the filtering is more for taste than health) is just to copy what restaurants do. Fill a jug of water and then just air it on the table. After 30 minutes or so, this should air out any ‘chlorine taste’, and with ice and slices of lemon/orange, the water should taste fine.
- Another idea to make water taste nicer is to make fruit-infused water or herb-infused water. You can also do the same with herbal teas (just make them up hot, then leave to cool). Check herb teas are safe, if you are pregnant/nursing or have any medical conditions.
- If you prefer to filter the water for health reasons too, then a charcoal water filter is likely your best bet. This simply uses pieces of charcoal to sit in the water, and after a few hours, it’s naturally filtered. The charcoal lasts for weeks (you can refresh it in the sunshine). And at end of use, you can either bury the pieces in the garden to help your soul, or use them to absorb odours (in the fridge, cupboards or even smelly trainers!)
- Some people prefer to filter water for pets too, but if you do this, don’t use distilled water unless recommended by a vet. Don’t let pets drink from puddles either (it could contain pollutants, oil or antifreeze). The best way to keep pets hydrating is to walk them early morning/evening in hot weather (so they have less chance of heatstroke) and carry filtered water on walks (don’t let pets gulp lots of water after exercise, to help prevent bloat).
Filtered Water for Developing Countries
Although much of the world is made with water, only around 3% is safe for drinking (the rest is either in glaciers while they are still not melting, or polluted. There are campaigns to stop big companies marketing baby formula in developing countries to mothers who can’t afford it, once they leave hospital. So they either water it down (too weak to be nutritious) or mix it with dirty waters. World Health Organisation says that many babies die due to this, when in fact most mothers can safely breastfeed.
If you would like to help clean water projects abroad (to stop the 80% of disease in developing countries caused by dirty water), there are simple empowering solutions, instead of always donating to big water charities.
- FRANK Water Coolers are good for offices and schools, and although not filtered, the water tasets better. Profits help fresh water projects in India, both when you sign up and when you refill.
- Hipporoller is a simple yet innovative invention that looks a bit like a big tub on wheels. It was created to help women and children fetch water without headaches and joint problems, caused by carrying water on their heads. The journeys are also quicker, meaning children then get to spend more time in school.
- Lifestraw & Icon Life Saver Bottle (which filter out impurities) are cheap to buy and install, and can remove most lethal diseases. Some people don’t like them saying it encourages people in Africa to drink from dirty rivers, rather than invest in clean water projects. This is true, but in an emergency, these are great solutions until clean water wells are built, and many international travellers also use them.
