Is your drinking water safe and healthy? While you may say yes because it looks clear and tastes fine, most drinking water supplies have many invisible contaminants that do not show their presence until you have fallen sick.
Water quality is a global issue. And no, you don’t need to be a resident of an underdeveloped country to experience this problem.
In 2016, a leakage in a sinkhole caused contaminated water to seep in a major aquifer of Tampa, Florida. No resident was informed of this problem for weeks. Something similar happened in Flint, Michigan, in 2014 and led to many unfortunate cases of illness.
Since water contamination is quite a common issue, it is always right to prepare yourself before it hits your home. In this article, we have listed some easy hacks for you to boost your drinking water quality. Take a read and find out!
Hacks to Increase The Quality of Drinking Water
A glass of water at home looks like a god-sent reward to quench your thirst after a long day. But is it a blessing or a condemnation?
As long as your drinking water is potable, it is the best natural source to enjoy. However, if it has lots of contaminants and impurities in it, you are much better off not drinking it.
So, if you want to enjoy safe and healthy drinking water whenever you want, read through and try some of the easy hacks below:
1. The Traditional Boiling Method
Before the invention of modern water filters, the only hack available to purify drinking water was boiling it. This method is still as relevant as it was years ago, and many households follow it daily. To boil water:
- Fill a pan with the desired amount of water you want to use.
- Put it on medium heat and wait before bubbles appear.
- Once done, take a jar and cover it with a mesh cloth.
- Pour the boiled water from the pan into the jar by passing it through the fabric.
- The piece of mesh acts as a membrane that separates all the impurities from your boiling water.
- Let the resultant water cool down for a bit before you enjoy it.
The only drawback of the boiling water is that it doesn’t remove any contaminants. However, it does kill all kinds of viruses, bacteria and pathogens.
2. The Distillation Method
While distillation is not as effective as filtration, it can help to remove almost all impurities that may be present in your drinking water. Distillation involves heating the water and then condensing it to form a pure drinkable product.
To perform easy distillation at home:
- Place a large pot over a heated stove and add in some water.
- Simultaneously, place a smaller pot within the large one and let it float.
- Turn the flame to medium heat and let the water simmer and boil.
- Now, turn off the stove and cover the large pot with the upside-down lid.
- The lid will allow the condensed water to trickle down in the smaller pot.
- While this is happening, cover the top with ice cubes to accelerate the condensation process.
- Wait for a few minutes for the process to end.
- Any water collected in the smaller pot is your drinkable distilled water.
While this hack is simple and doesn’t require much investment, you may want to try something more manageable. So, for that, you can always purchase a conventional water distiller and get similar results much faster and with less of a hassle.
However, be aware. Distillation removes even the essential minerals from water. That’s why it may not be the most beneficial method of purifying water.
3. The Reverse Osmosis System
To boost the current quality of your drinking water, installing reverse osmosis systems in your home is the wisest thing you can do today. These units are mostly installed on your kitchen sinks and provide a continuous flow of healthy water.
Reverse osmosis or RO filters work against the rules of a well-known scientific process, osmosis. Heavily contaminated water passes through a membrane that filters all the impurities and chemicals. As a result, you get clean water with oxygen and a few essential minerals only.
There are many RO filters available. Some are big while others are compact. To choose the best tankless RO water filter system, you should be clear of your daily water requirements and your budget.
Moreover, RO filters are pretty complicated to install. Don’t hesitate to take help from a professional to get this job done.
4. Iodine Tablets
If you cannot install an RO filter anytime soon, you may want to try disinfection using iodine. Iodine available in the form of tablets and tinctures can help boost the purification process of drinking water. For this hack:
- Fill a jar with drinking water.
- Add a few iodine tablets and mix well.
- For one quart of drinking water, add one tablet only.
- Let the water sit for a couple hours (approximately two) so that the iodine can fight against all the possible germs present.
Iodine treatment is pretty quick and easy to follow. But it is not always a healthy option for many.
Besides, Iodine isn’t safe for pregnant women, nor is it fit for people with shellfish allergies. So, before you try this hack, make sure you don’t have any such consumer in your house.
5. Bleach Your Water
While it may sound absurd, using bleach is the most common tip you’ll find to improve the quality of your drinking water. Household bleach is a great product to purify water in case of emergencies. Moreover, this hack doesn’t require much effort.
Before using bleach, be careful with the quantity. Always look at the labels for the concentration of the active ingredient, sodium hypochlorite. For 6% concentration, do not add more than eight drops of bleach to a gallon of water.
Also, with an 8% concentration, only six drops in a gallon of water will do a safe job. After adding the required amount of bleach to the water, let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
If you think it tastes different, pour water from one jar to another and wait for another 20 minutes. You can use this hack on your travel adventures as well.
6. Clean Your Faucet Aerators
To avoid a buildup of bacteria on your faucet aerators, clean them periodically. Here’s how you can achieve that:
- Close the sink drain to prevent any particles from escaping.
- Then use your hands and unscrew your faucet’s aerator.
- Take a towel and spread all the parts of the aerator on it.
- Use your fingers to remove any sediments.
- Also, use vinegar water to soak the pieces for a few minutes.
The above steps will help clean the aerator for some time, and you won’t get any unneeded impurities in your drinking water.
Final Thoughts
The hacks mentioned above are simple and do not require much time. While installing a filter may demand some investment, it is one of the best ways to consume healthy drinking water.
The above tips are also safe to follow. But in case your drinking water quality suffers from harmful contamination, don’t just rely on them.
Consult your local water supplier and change the source as soon as possible. If needed, ask the municipality management to run a few tests on your drinking water and get your hands on any essential reports.
Be cautious of what gets into your glass and make efforts to make it safe.
Salman is a prolific environmental writer, and has authored more than 500 articles in reputed journals, magazines and websites. He is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management, sustainability and conservation all over the world.
Salman can be reached on salman@cleantechloops.com
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