Baking and Cooking Advice

More and more people choose to filter their tap water nowadays, and there are some good reasons to do so. For one, there are all sorts of additives in water that comes straight from the tap due to the purification and sanitation processes the water goes through before it reaches your home.

Understandably, people have reservations about all of these additions to something as simple as water. And, concerns aside, unfiltered tap water can taste pretty nasty. It can also make tea and coffee look murky and dull, and nobody wants that.

When it comes to actually filtering your water, however, you're faced with a few choices that can vary quite a bit both in terms of price and effectiveness. This is how to decide between the most common types.

Jug filter

This is the most commonly used type of water filter, but that's most likely because of the price rather than anything else.

While the price is low and they don't need any installation, jug filters have a few limitations. First of all: their capacity. They're rarely big enough to store very much water, so they need frequent refilling throughout the day, and that means your water isn't always as cold as you'd like it to be. Which leads on to the second issue.

To keep your water cold, you'll need fridge space. That can be a bit tricky unless you have one of the small, slim jugs, but it's not much of a problem if you don't need much filtered water.

Under-sink filter

This elegant solution is convenient enough that you'll forget it's even there. An under-sink water filter connects between your water supply and your taps, so you'll get clean, filtered water with zero effort. You can even use them with hot and cold taps, getting whatever temperature you want on demand.

The filters need to be changed every now and again, but not every month like a jug filter, so you can essentially just carry on as normal once your filter is installed, the difference being your tap water will suddenly be much nicer and more healthy.

Mains-powered worktop filter

While they have a larger capacity than a jug filter, need less frequent changes, and keep your water cold, these large, bulky filters take up quite a bit of space.

If you can spare the room on your work surface, worktop filters are a better option than a jug, and many of them can also supply hot water. However, this adds an extra step between filtration and actually getting your water, which means changing your routine when you're in the kitchen.