One of the most effective things you can do to reduce exposure to pollutants is ensure access to clean water. You can get clean water by finding a local spring near you or by employing effective water filters. Of course when we think water filters we think drinking water but it shouldn’t end there. What about filtering the bath we draw for our babies, or filtering water for our veggie gardens….what about when we are on the go and drink from a park bubbler? Today I’m talking about 5 effective water filters you can use on the go and around the house to ensure your family has access to clean water.
Why Should We Be Concerned?
Well, when most Americans drink a glass of tap water, they’re also getting a dose of industrial or agricultural contaminants linked to cancer, brain and nervous system damage, developmental defects, fertility problems or hormone disruption (source).
To add a little color, the EWG collected data from state agencies and the EPA for drinking water tests conducted from 2010 to 2015 by 48,712 water utilities in 50 states. All told, the utilities were tested for 500 different contaminants and found 267. Contaminants detected included:
- 93 linked to an increased risk of cancer. More than 40,000 systems had detections of known or likely carcinogens exceeding established federal or state health guidelines – levels that pose only negligible health risks, but are not legally enforceable.
- 78 associated with brain and nervous system damage.
- 63 connected to developmental harm to children or fetuses.
- 38 that may cause fertility problems.
- 45 linked to hormonal disruption.
These contaminants come from several sources but most ironically include water treatment chemicals which also produce harmful contaminants.
What About Bottled Water?
Bottled water exploded in the 90s to the point where most of us couldn’t even imagine how to live without it. In 2011, eighty-five million bottles of water were consumed in the US every day. But believe it or not, most bottled water is nothing but glorified tap water. In addition to this bait and switch, here’s the physical and environmental impact:
- Plastic bottles are a waste problem adding to landfills and oceans when not recycled.
- Bottling plants have impacts on local groundwater aquifers and streams which can cause stress on ecosystems.
- Trading and transporting raises concern for pollution and carbon dioxide emission.
- The price of bottled water is 500-1000 times higher than tap.
- In several cases bottled water has tested to be worse than tap confirming higher levels of bacteria.
- BPA in plastic bottles is known to leach into water. This can cause ovarian, prostate and breast cancers.
- PET bottles are BPS-free but have the potential to interfere with estrogen just as BPA and phthalates do.
- Phthalates are another chemical compound used to make plastic flexible and these leach into water causing gastro disturbances, nausea, vertigo, damage to liver and potentially cancer.
Yeah But Sometimes I Need To Grab A Bottle of Water!
We all do. So here’s some tips on how to read and decode water bottle labels to help you buy the cleanest water. This is what these phrases on labels mean:
- P.W.S or “public water source” – means sourced from tap water.
- Purified water – means sourced from tap water.
- 100% Spring Water – look for this on the label. And know that real spring water is usually packaged in glass or paper (not plastic).
Filter Your Water!
So an easy and effective way to avoid all of the junk is to filter our tap. But all water filters are not created equal. Some filter out more, some filter out less and some are just plain ineffective. Here are 5 effective filters we use and love around the house.
1. Berkey Filters
As a family of four we have the Royal Berkey and it totally works for us. We fill it up at night and it generally lasts us throughout the day. Berkey is the queen bee of water filters by far removing the most junk from our tap. This is taken from their website:
The Royal Berkey Water Filter removes viruses, pathogenic bacteria, cysts and parasites and extracts harmful chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, VOCs, organic solvents, radon 222 and trihalomethanes. It also reduces rust, silt, sediment, foul taste and odors and unhealthy minerals such as lead and mercury. This system is so powerful it can remove red food coloring from water without removing the beneficial minerals your body needs. Virtually no other system can duplicate this performance.
Click here to see a full list of the contaminates the Berkey removes.
My husband had to fiddle with the assembly – our spicket was leaking but after taking tutelage from Youtube we got it up and running without too much trouble.
Use this water to drink, cook, water plants and make coffee + tea! Berkey also has a smaller travel size one for road trips, camping and longer stays away.
Order from the Berkey website or grab it off Amazon! Use code NEWKNEW5 to save 5%.
2. Berkey Shower Filter
Also consider filtering your shower and bath water! Why?
When chlorine is used as a water treatment, it combines with organic matter to form compounds called trihalomethanes (THMs), also known as disinfectant byproducts. One of the most common THMs formed is chloroform, which is a known carcinogen. (source) Other THMs formed include the di- and trichloramines formed when chloramine is used as a disinfecting agent. (source) These compounds are toxic when consumed, inhaled, or applied to the skin. (source)
We like the Berkey Shower Filter, here’s why:
- Effective in both hot and cold water
- Reduces up to 95% of chlorine
- Reduces chemical absorption and vapor inhalation in the shower environment.
- Reduces the levels of hydrogen sulfide, iron, and iron oxide
- Reduces damage to hair and skin
The first time we installed a shower filter, I noticed the difference in my hair and skin right away – they were both softer and less dry. It was truly amazing to see the immediate difference. This is so important to me especially with a son who has eczema.
You can get the Berkey shower filter with a shower head attached or you can buy just the filter and attach it to your preferred shower head.
Get the Berkey Shower Filter from the Berkey website or on Amazon! Use code NEWKNEW5 to save 5%.
3. Neutralize Chlorine in Baths
This is our newest project. My 5-year-old who as eczema will stay in the bath forever so it is important to me to do my best to ensure he is not breathing in or sitting in a tub full of chlorine.
There are several bath filters on the market but I haven’t seen one with great reviews and worse I’ve seen some that turn moldy or test the same for chlorine even after they’ve been used. The United State Department of Agriculture and Forest Service concludes; Vitamin C effectively neutralizes chlorine.
So I ordered this Vitamin C in the mail and I’m excited to give it a try. Per Wellness Mama, just a teaspoon of Vitamin C should be enough to neutralize a tub of water. Has anyone tried this? What did you think?
4. Boogie-Blue Hose Water Filter
My friend Steph introduced me to this hose water filter just a couple of months ago. We currently live in an apartment but when we finally settle in and buy a house here in Atlanta, you best believe I’ll be boogieing over to the computer to order the Boogie-Blue.
Unfiltered city water contains…anything from chlorine, chloramines, heavy metals, and prescription drugs. It’s essential to use filtered water on your gardens to protect and maintain healthy microorganisms in your soil. Think of the soil being similar to your gut. Plants will thrive when the soil is biologically healthy. The instant we compromise it by adding chemicals and pollutants, the soil bacteria is altered in a negative way and is thrown out of balance. Not to mention filling our pools, running a sprinkler, making water balloons and more. More from Steph here as well as a recommendation for a nontoxic hose too.
Buy the Boogie Blue filter here!
5. Go Pure Pod for on-the-go
This portable water filter pod fits in wide-mouth water bottles and has been a total game changer. It filters over 250 gallons of water from some of the most egregious contaminants. Each pod lasts up to 6 months and only takes 1 minute to filter. I keep these in my boy’s water bottles for fill ups at school or at the playground. I also love them for me when I travel: hotels, roadside fill ups, airports, conferences. A must-have!
Shop Go Pure Pod on their website or grab on on Amazon!
P.S. Speaking of water, check out the cleanest organic wine and my fave face moisturizer!
Image by: Nynne Rosenvinge
Common questions about water filters
The best stand alone water filter is the Berkey water filter. It filters 99.9% of contaminants out of drinking water. Here are 4 more we recommend.
A portable water is a small pod that can be inserted into wide-mouth water bottles. It filters water in 2 minutes. Perfect for travel, on-the-go and school.
Unfiltered city water can contain chlorine, chloramines, heavy metals, and prescription drugs. A filter for your hose can remove these.
Terri Lopez
September 22, 2018I live in an apartment with water softener system. I buy those huge 40 lbs. Morton salt pellets to soften the water. However, I worry that we’re drinking and cooking and bathing in this water and it can’t possibly be safe! Are these suggestions above good enough to replace my current system? Also, can the little pods be dropped into a water jar kept in the fridge? Maybe use more than one pod at a time? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!
Lisa
September 22, 2018Hi Terri! If you are into the “whole house systems” – they totally have ones that will filter for chlorine, fluoride, prescription drugs etc..you could look into that because I’m sure they have options to soften the water too. And you could totally use the Go Pure Pods to filter small jars of water. They last 6 months each and filter over 250 gallons per pod.
Heidi
September 22, 2018Great article! My brother-in-law is a Chiropractor and he uses vit c to neutralize the chlorine.
Lisa
September 22, 2018He does!? That’s awesome girl! I was so excited to discover this resource – we are all in! xo
Sarah
September 23, 2018We have a Berkey water filter for our drinking water and LOVE IT! Can’t wait to try the vitamin C trick in my daughter’s bath! She has little bumps on her legs that we haven’t been able to resolve, no matter what we’ve tried. Curious to see if this could be the answer for her!
Lisa
September 23, 2018Hi Sarah! Yes! It’s such a trial and error process isn’t it – I hope this helps! xo
Natalie
October 2, 2018Hi Lisa,
I’m curious to hear if you’ve noticed any difference with the vitamin C? My daughter has eczema as well that we’ve been battling since birth (she’s 3 now). I’d also love to read a post from you from ways you’ve dealt with the eczema! Thanks.
Lisa
October 3, 2018Hi Natalie! So the vitamin C isn’t a specific treatment for eczema, it just helps to neutralize any chlorine that’s in the bath water. Right now we are using Metaderm which I normally wouldn’t use because I don’t love all the ingredients but I wanted to give it a try to see if it helps – Steph who also writes on TNK swears by it – and I think it is helping a bit. But I always see the biggest change in his skin when we are really strict on dairy. The milk protein stays in the body for 14 days so if you want to try eliminating dairy (if you haven’t already) make sure to give it two full weeks. Also, allergy testing like IgG and IgE can be informative too.
Sydney
October 7, 2018Hi Lisa,
I’ve been following you for a while now and am so grateful for all of the awesome info you share! I have been researching water filters for so long and have almost ordered a Berkey so many times! Do you know much about the ProPur filters? I am just curious why so many people seem to choose the Berkey over the ProPur. I would prefer the fluoride reduction filters and it seems like the ProPur has a better design for that? Any insight is so appreciated!
Lisa
October 7, 2018Hi Sydney! The ProPure looks really good! I’ve never tested it but their lab report looks fantastic. I’m sure you saw it but others can check it out here: https://www.propurusa.com/assets/images/Lab%20Report%2015-134.pdf
Off the bat I would say you really can’t go wrong with either. One thing to consider is when a company has been around for a while like Berkey, they have more skin in the game and their lifetime warranty actually means something. Where as with a newer company their warranty could be obsolete if they go under in a few years. Other than that it looks like a great option. If you try it, let us know!
Kat
June 1, 2022I want to thank you and your team for continually sharing such insightful information on your website!
Secondly, how can consumers gather more information on water delivery services in relation to this information?