Best H2O?

Updated on December 12, 2009
M.M. asks from Long Beach, CA
25 answers

Hi Moms,
I'm wondering what you all think is the best option for quality, affordable drinking water for the family. We've had Arrowhead delivery for several years. It's not that expensive & I think it tastes good but I've been reading some reports that it's not any better than tap water. I'm thinking of switching to Brita. We can't afford anything fancy like a whole house filter. Thanks for your feedback!

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So What Happened?

Wow - I did not expect to get so many responses - thanks Moms! I grew up in a mountain town that has the BEST drinking water, straight from the faucet - I so miss it! It seems that the best option is the reverse osmosis system. I see that they now have one that is "zero waste"... a little more expensive but would pay for itself in water savings. We drink a ton of water in our house so I think the Brita would be inconvenient to keep refilling. We also need a new refrigerator soon so I think we'll go with the one with the PUR water filter built in. By the way, we do NOT purchase or use any other small plastic bottles to refill with the Arrowhead in order avoid BPAs & additional recycling. We do use stainless steel & BPA free for the kids. Dr. Mercola says the 5 gallon water bottles are okay but I will be happy to make the change anyway. Thanks again!

Featured Answers

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N.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Honestly - I love my brita water more then any other bottled water I've ever drank. I was quite amazed at how good it really was. Get the brita!

1 mom found this helpful
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M.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hello M., I have the Britta filter pitcher and LOVE it. I dont like the taste of tap water and the filter really seems to make a difference. I dont change the filter as often as it recommends but its still good until I get another filter to replace it. The only issue I have is with my family. I seem to be the only one refilling the pitcher when its low on water. They take the last of it and dont refill.LOL.
Good luck, Happy Holiday's
M.

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B.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

After a lot of research, I chose to install a Reverse Osmosis system in my kitchen. It cost about $300, and that was a year ago. It has paid for itself already. I cook with it, drink it, wash our fruits and veggies etc, everything I can. I will be getting the whole house done this spring. I want my skin to "drink" the good stuff as well.

B.
Family Success Coach

2 moms found this helpful
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C.P.

answers from San Diego on

water is not water is not water. i've been a water chemist and i wouldn't drink tap water here in san diego. just don't do it. at least use a britta. the best thing i did at my house was install a water filter at the kitchen sink. you can get a good one for $150-250 from home depo and it'll change your life. somehow try and do that. you can install it yourself and change the filters yourself.

2 moms found this helpful
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A.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

We have been using arrowhead for the last 15 yrs and am still happy A. no hills

1 mom found this helpful
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J.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

We purchased a Culligan under sink faucet about 6 years ago and have been really happy with it. It was around $1500.00 I believe. It has paid for itself over and over again. You have to change filters on it, but not very often. We have not had any problems. Our spicket sp? recently broke and I went to their office and picked up another for free. They have maintenance, but I did not want to pay when my hubby could do it himself so it cost us nothing. Good luck to you.

1 mom found this helpful
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V.C.

answers from San Diego on

Years ago we bought @ Costco & installed a small reverse osmosis system under our kitchen sink. I think the tank is 3 gallons or so. It still works great--it was only $175.00 & my husband changes the filters a couple of times a year, H20 tastes great. They still have the brand there--I think it's called Premire, but I'm not sure, it's not even that much more than when we bought ours! Good Luck

1 mom found this helpful

G.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi M.,

My husband and I switched to Kangen last year after doing extensive research on different kinds of water. It was a bit of an investment, but after doing all the research, it was a clear choice for us. Essentially, there are a few things to consider when it comes to water; Alkalinity, Micro-clustering,Anti-oxidant qualities, and Filtration.

Arrowhead is really far better than tap water, but a Kangen system will give your family health benefits that you won't get with any other water. I believe that Brita filters out the chlorine that's in tap water, but it also filters out the important minerals that your body needs.

If you want more information on the differences, check out www.ourbodiesofwater.com

Hope that helps,
G.

1 mom found this helpful
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V.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Double filtration "home style" you just buy 2 filters – one stand alone filter (Brita or PUR) and the kind that is attached to the tap – countertop version (this kind: http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=210487581&l.... The water goes from the tap to the countertop filter and from it to Brita or PUR. i preffer PUR over Brita.
Good Luck
V.

1 mom found this helpful

A.F.

answers from San Francisco on

I buy my water at Whole Foods, by the gallon. It's only .39 cents/gal to refill. I use the de-ionized water - it's the most pure.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

I absolutely love our water to drink. We have a reverse osmosis system installed at our kitchen sink. These systems do waste a lot of water (about 4 gallons for every 1 made), however it is only used for drinking. We have a Brita filter pitcher for cooking and making hot drinks.
While we're on the subject, I just recently installed a shower filter head (about $30 from Amazon) it makes the world of difference to the quality of water, we get a lot of chlorine in our water, which smells awful. I also bought a de-chlorinator ball from Amazon for my daughter's baths. The water here in So Cal is NOT good. Do what you can to make it better.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.W.

answers from Las Vegas on

M.,

We have the "PUR" water filter that goes over the faucet. The unit costs about $40 at Costco, and the filters are around $7 each, and lasts about 1 1/2-2 months. We love it, the water tastes good, clean, and it's always readily available. I had a Britta pitcher once (I don't know if they have something else now, this was years ago), but it seemed like the quantity the picther was able to filter was limited. I think the PUR filter is a great option.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.N.

answers from Las Vegas on

We have a Brita, I hate the taste of tap water, buying water is so expensive, and a huge waste of plastic. It did take me a little while to get used to it, but I have tasted our tap water straight from the tap and it is nasty, Brita really does a great job. I actually have an extra 1 gallon jug I pour the filtered water in, because I drink a lot of water and I like it cold, so I am constantly refilling it.

1 mom found this helpful
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D.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

We had bought water for years and I was tired of all the waste. We put in a reverse osmosis system ourselves and it has been wonderful. We have since moved and have now put the system in our garage, but we have a water dispenser crock and we have a local hardware store that also does drinking water the same way (reverse osmosis). The water is amazing. You will love. We buy it in 3 gallon jugs for our crock and it's only 25 cents a gallon. You have to go get the water, but it tastes so good that it's worth it!

1 mom found this helpful
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E.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

I recommend PUR faucet mount or pitchers. They remove more contaminants than some undersink mounts that cost much more.
Good customer service too...they replaced a faucet mount we had had for about 7 years because it started to leak.
The pitchers are supposed to be BPA free as well. (The delivered water like Arrowhead) may have BPA.
Unfortunately..if you, like another poster, want to avoid fluoride, you have to get a reverse osmosis system or buy your water elsewhere. (Distilled etc.) I love my RO system, but had to move suddenly and could not bring it with me. Some companies do rent them though.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.F.

answers from San Diego on

We've just canceled our Arrowhead water as well and plan to start using a Brita refrig pitcher. Seems like a good financial and environmental move.

Good luck,
L.
www.OffRampPublishing.com

1 mom found this helpful
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C.Z.

answers from Los Angeles on

I'm no tree hugger but you should really do your part and stay away from plastic water bottles. If anything...all the chemicals in them! I suggest put a Brita filter on the kitchen sink and get a filter/pitcher for the fridge. Get some safe water bottles to take on the go that you'll use over and over again. There is some ad for a competitor to Brita that is sold at Target that let's you test the water...supposed to be better than Brita.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

We use a Brita and I hate it. It's ok for me... because i"m able to handle the flouride in our water, but my son's teeth are showing signs of flouridosis. We plan on switching to sparkletts as soon as our finances settle back down after the holidays. Arrowhead is the same as britas, just more expensive.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Tap water is fine if you have a good filter. We get ours from our refrigerator dispenser. Before that my husband loved his Britta but I hated it so we would take empty gallon bottles and fill them up for a quarter outside the supermarkets. That water always tasted good to me. I use Sparklets at my office and love it too.

You can't really go wrong whatever you decide.

1 mom found this helpful
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E.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

We use the Brita pitcher and love it! Just fill it with your tap water and it runs through the filter. Bought it off Amazon for $20. Works great!

1 mom found this helpful
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S.O.

answers from San Diego on

Wish we could afford a whole house system too. But for now we buy the Kirland brand water in bottles from Costco (they use reverse osmosis) and a PUR counter top filter at home. I also bought my kids a bunch of the BPA free stainless steel Thermos brand sipper cups. Those things are pretty indestructable once you make sure that the straws are secured properly. So far hardly any leaks and they have been dropped, thrown, stepped on, rolled into the street, etc. Worth the $15 each (we have about 8 of them now). My kids are 4 and 2. I am also started to gradually buy some stainless steel water bottles for me and DH. Before we leave the house we fill up the thermos's. I also keep a case of the Kirkland water in the back of my van.

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W.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Water is water is water. Tap water is perfectly safe and fine to drink. If you don't like the taste (and I hate the taste of So. Cal water), then a Brita or PUR filter work just fine. That said, the water in my city tastes like typical hard yucky So. Cal water but is perfectly safe. Unfortunately, the pipes around my neighborhood are nasty and if I don't use the tap for awhile, the water comes out brown. Disgusting. So, I run the tap, use it for cooking, and even drink it occasionally (my son even prefers it), but I buy Kirkland drinking water. I miss living elsewhere where the tap water is delicious.

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A.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

I get the stuff from the little water stores in my town. It's filtered through "reverse osmosis" and it tastes way better than ANY of the bottled stuff you'll find. It costs only a quarter per gallon. Sure, I have to take a trip to the water store ever so often but it's yummy and cheap.

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S.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

The water coming out of your tap should be just fine. Does your refrigerator have a water dispenser? Ours does and the fridge has a filter in it - have to replace it about 2x year. We also bought a filter that connects to the back between the water line and the fridge, so it's filtered before it even goes in. So, our drinking water is double filtered.
You can also put a Pur faucet filter on. And, yes, the Brita pitchers work good too. You could ask for those as Christmas presents!

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R.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

My family uses sparkletts. We had an in home water softner and purifier installed but we prefer the sparkletts to it.

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