by Rachel Lyon, Editorial Director for The House Designers®
The quality of your water affects everything from the taste of your drinks and recipes to the health of your family. Whether you’re connected to a public water source or a private well, contaminants can lurk in your tap. Lead and other heavy metals, irritating chemicals like chlorine and chloramine, illness-causing microorganisms, and emerging pollutants like pharmaceuticals are just a few of the major concerns that people face across the country. To reduce exposure, look into filter systems that can provide healthier water everywhere you need it!
Kitchen
The most important place to have clean water is the kitchen, where the tap runs most often and for consumption. Think about all the things you rely on the kitchen faucet for—a drink, to rinse produce, to fill a pot for stock or pasta, etc.—and you’ll see how exposure to contaminants can add up quickly. A filter pitcher can’t keep up with the amount of water you need to make a meal, so it’s a good idea to invest in an under-sink filter that connects directly to the cold water line. This way, water will be filtered on-demand and at a faster rate.
Under-sink filters come in two main types: those that have dedicated filter faucets and those that connect directly to the main faucet. Both deliver clean water, but at different rates depending on the system. If it’s hooked up to the main faucet, you can usually expect a higher flow rate than what a filter faucet will provide. Just make sure to look at the numbers when you shop to find a solution that meets your expectations, because the best option depends on how you use your kitchen.
Bathroom
If you like to use a bathroom faucet to get a drink rather than walk to the kitchen every time, don’t overlook putting a filter on it! Even brushing your teeth and rinsing your mouth can be hazardous if you have a contaminated water system. Under-sink filters come in a variety of sizes, so you can definitely find something that fits. And you don’t need the same capacity in the bathroom as a kitchen, so it won’t cost as much. Evaluate how you use all your sinks to figure out how best to outfit them, and invest more in the places that need it.
Shower
It’s not all about what you eat and drink—some contaminants take a toll on you externally as well. Chlorinated water can cause brittle hair and dry skin, and inhaling the steam in the shower isn’t good for lungs, either. Shower filters connect to the shower arm that extends out of the wall, so they’re very easy to install. Some are integrated into a shower head and others attach between the shower arm and head—like a faucet-mounted model on a sink—so you can use the shower head of your choice. You’ll see the difference between bathing in filtered water versus regular tap pretty quickly; it’s definitely one of the best-kept beauty secrets!
Point of Entry
If you don’t want to connect filters to all your taps, go for the whole-house option. Point of entry filters hook up to the water main coming into the house, so they can remove contaminants well before they make it to your faucets for consistent water quality across the board. The cost is higher up front due to the larger size of the filtration tanks compared to under-sink canisters, but the cost over time is definitely less than installing and replacing multiple smaller filters in the kitchen and bathrooms.
Better yet, you can combine a whole-house filter with a water softening system. Water softeners treat hard water to reduce mineral scale buildup, which can be extreme in some areas. Softening water prevents damage to pipes, faucets, and appliances, and can even help the hot water heater work more efficiently. The best place to set up a softening system is at the source—the water main—so plumbing throughout the house is spared from scale buildup. Adding on a filter to remove chlorine, lead, etc., ensures the incoming tap is healthy for you, too!
There are filters made to address every sort of water quality concern. Whether you choose a point of entry system to take care of every tap at once or focusing on key locations is better for your situation, be sure to compare options. You’ll find a wide range of water filters to suit all budgets, each made to target certain contaminants, so explore the possibilities to find the perfect solution for your needs!