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Untreated tap water doesn’t taste good, and it may not be drinkable at all. How do you make your tap water taste better? Here are five ways to do it. Read on!
Tap water in the US and all across the globe is less than ideal for drinking and many other activities like washing food or using it for cooking.
Water treatment plants do their best to make the water flowing through pipes as clean as it can be. Despite their efforts, we have seen several cases of water contamination all around the world.
Not only that, but tap water isn’t the best option for hydration by far. There are several reasons for this and we will explore all of them in detail.
The Most Common Tap Water Problems
Researchers rely on what’s known as the Water Quality Index (WQI) to determine how good or bad the water is in a particular area.
The index takes into account five important characteristics of water, but there are also other factors that play an essential role regarding the water’s purity level. As you can imagine, the biggest contributing factor is pollution. The more contaminants are in water, the less recommended it is to drink.
Other factors that make water desirable or detrimental are pH levels (acidity, alkalinity, or neutral), hardness levels, inorganic minerals, carbonate equilibrium, and so forth. Without getting too technical, we will try to show you a few tips on how to improve your tap water so that you can get the best out of it.
Install a Water Filter
Having a water filter in this day and age is of utmost importance. However, many people overlook the fact that not all filters are created equally.
You see, there are numerous types of water filters available, and each one is better at screening out different pollutants compared to others. To give you a quick example, a whole house UV water filter is excellent for removing microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites. However, it won’t remove any inorganic materials.
On the other hand, a reverse osmosis filter will remove a much larger number of contaminants, but it has several downsides such as wasting a significant amount of water, needing fairly hefty maintenance, and membrane replacements. You could also choose a standard carbon filtration system, but that isn’t effective at removing minerals, salts, and dissolved inorganic substances.
Choose a Water Softening Method
Water hardness is one of the biggest issues affecting pipes, appliances, faucets, showerheads, and other fixtures. It’s also the reason why your clothes become dingy after a wash or why you may see white film on dishes after they’ve come out of the dishwasher.
This is caused by the minerals found in hard water, namely calcium and magnesium. These are the main culprits for the formation of limescale and the increase of water and energy bills because of it. Plus that showering in hard water can lead to scalp calcification and dermatitis.
Despite all of this, the high calcium and mineral concentration also has some health benefits. Researchers believe that hard water may be beneficial for your health, digestive system, and even that it might ease the nasty effects of diabetes.
Many people have often used water softeners to avoid limescale and all the other problems caused by hard water. However, certain states and counties have started banning or heavily regulating their use since it replaces the minerals with sodium ions. Fortunately, there are other water softening devices that don’t alter the water or completely replace the mineral.
Here are a few examples of said devices:
- Water Descalers
- Template Assisted Crystallization (TAC)
- Water Conditioners
- Reverse Osmosis Systems
Whichever you choose, you’ll get the same benefits without any added sodium. Just don’t forget to research the model that interests you and read through user reviews to identify exaggerated marketing claims.
Enhance Your Water Using Natural Methods
Regardless of whether you have hard or soft water, you can use several fruits, vegetables, and teas to infuse your water with and give its qualities a boost.
These natural ingredients will give your water some added taste, nutrients, and other beneficial properties. High in oxidants and natural additives, some of these fruits, vegetables, and teas can help improve your:
- Mint
- Lime
- Herbal tea
- Blueberry
- Raspberry
- Lemon
- Ginger
- Cucumber
- Strawberry
Using these ingredients on a regular basis, you’ll most likely see improvements in oral health, sleeping patterns and quality of sleep, immunity system, digestion, skin, and more.
Consider Flushing
While we don’t like wasting water, sometimes it’s a necessity. If you’ve been gone from home for a while, leave cold water running through the taps for about two minutes.
Doing so will get rid of water that might’ve developed bacteria or accumulated rust from your pipes and water heater while it was sitting still. Alternatively, you could also flush the water by flushing your toilet, doing the laundry, or turning the dishwasher on to wash dishes. Either way, it’s best to do so to avoid drinking water that contains rust or bacteria.
Replace Old Pipes
Whether you like it or not, pipes do need replacing from time to time. No matter what material they’re made out of, sooner or later the pipes might start to leak or rust very hard.
Some of the classic signs of pipes needing a replacement include low water pressure, water discoloration, cracks, and exterior damage. If you see any of these signs, it might be time to call a plumber to perform a checkup.
Now we know that replacing pipes isn’t easy or cheap, but think of it as an investment for your health, the health of your family, and the wellness of your home.
The Takeaway
Improving the water quality in your home is quintessential for a better living. If you follow these five tips, you’ll most likely feel some drastic improvements.
Like we said in the part regarding water filtration, it’s better to prevent than to have nasty surprises later down the line. The same goes for anything. And since water is one of the main components of a healthy diet, taking your time to adjust your lifestyle according to these tips is essential.
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