With bottled water companies using aggressive methods of marketing to divert more customers towards their products, you too could think that you should indeed drink bottled water instead of tap water. But if you enter into the battle zone of tap water versus bottled water then you should know more about each of these products before you make an educated decision. If you think is tap water cleaner then bottled water sold in stores then pay heed to some of the facts given below.
One simple fact in favor of tap water could be the fact that you might have consumed this water since childhood without any adverse effects. The seeds of doubt would have sprung up in your mind coincidently only after the entry of bottled water manufacturers into the market. The fact is that bottled water companies have started targeting the purity of tap water only in a bid to expand their market. Bottled water has to pass through various purification processes that include activated carbon filters, ultraviolet rays, reverse osmosis and ozone purification before it is packed in bottles and transported to consumers.
However, the bottles themselves require a lot of oil to manufacture, while transporting these bottles too requires a lot of fuel and energy. The empty bottles too fill up landfills without disintegrating and emit toxic smoke when burnt. Moreover, many manufacturers take advantage of lax regulations and pass off purified tap water as spring water that has many mineral benefits. Some manufacturers simply filter tap water again in their bottles and proclaim that their water is the safest.
Tap water has to pass through many filtration processes too. Sometimes vital chemicals such as fluoride are added to this water so that the local population does not suffer from tooth cavities. Tap water is usually free of any contaminants which could harm your body and is tested regularly by the relevant authorities. If you are not convinced about the benefits of tap water and also do not want to buy bottled water in small bottles then there is still a healthier alternative. You can buy a large full-size water dispenser and connect it to your municipal tap. This dispenser could be fitted with a filter that provides totally pure drinking water that could be then kept in your fridge and enjoyed later in plain form or with added flavors.
You could also go in for filtered bottled water but only in larger 3 to 5 gallon bottles since the bottles are reused again and again. You could invert these bottles over your dispenser and get hot or cold water, depending on the model that you choose. Manufacturers such as vitapur have different dispenser models to choose from. This method would enable you to avoid the tap water vs. bottled water war and choose an alternative that not only keeps the environment clean but also saves you a lot of money.
Small bottles that line the shelves of stores could attract you but you should be aware that they might not have any health benefits as compared to tap water while costing much more. You can avoid the debate is tap water cleaner then bottled water sold in stores by using dispensers to filter your tap water at home and then chilling the water to get cold plain water or even tastily flavored water while remaining safe at the same time.