Choosing the Perfect Water Filter Pitcher
Published October 6, 2024.
Drinking sufficient amounts of water every day is essential for your wellbeing. Having a trusty water filter pitcher can better that habit by improving the taste of your drinking water and removing various potentially harmful contaminants.
Types of Water Filter Pitchers
Not all pitchers are the same, even though they have a similar structure. The cartridges contain different filtering mediums that serve different purposes. Some cartridges won’t remove all trace contaminants, while others might purify the water as well as saturate it with healthy minerals.
Water filter pitchers are categorized by the following standards:
- The New NSF Standard 401: Removes chemical compounds like pesticides, herbicides, and trace medications.
- NSF Standard 43: Removes contaminants that affect your health, including volatile organic compounds, fluoride, nitrites, heavy metals, and arsenic.
- NSF Standard 42: Removes the taste and smell of chlorine from your tap water.
How to Choose a Water Filter Pitcher for Your Needs
Here are a few things to look out for when choosing a water filter pitcher:
- Target contaminants: Ensure that the water filter you want is suited for the contaminants present in your tap water.
- Filter life: The ideal filter life of a water pitcher filter is between two and six months.
- Jug material: Most water pitchers are plastic, however, they're made from different grades. Choose pitchers made from BPA-free and food-quality plastic.
- Jug size: You'll need a larger water pitcher if you have a large family.
- Ease of use and cleaning: Water filter pitchers that aren't durable will be difficult to use, clean, and maintain. Choose a sturdy model where all the parts fit together tightly.