Tuesday, March 4, 2008

PUR Water filter

Who would have thought, years ago, that the issue of drinking water would be so complicated? All I want is water that tastes good. But if you are going to the trouble of purchasing water, or a water system, shouldn't it also eliminate all those grody contaminants and metals? Probably, but which ones, how many, and what percentage blocked is enough? Oh brother! Had I known all these questions needed to be answered I never would have stopped at Target this morning to buy a water filter pitcher...

So there I stand in the water purification isle (again, what would grandma think of that?) trying to choose between 6 different pitchers. There are now 3 different brands which list different contaminants being removed. Ugh. I figure I'll go with the one with the most stuff filtered, right? Well, it doesn't list lead which comes from old pipes, which we have, so I want to get rid of it! Upon further investigation, this PUR filter says it does meet the NSF standard for lead reduction. Great. So why isn't it listed? The Brita filter also says it meets NSF standards of all the metals listed. Ugh, ugh. And what does "Independent NSF Certification" mean? Are there really any standards or do we just test when and where we want and give ourselves the seal of approval?! Ugh, ugh, ugh.

Aaah, the memories of being in NYCity and drinking cold water straight from the tap. My aunts laughed at me because I gulped it down, even as a child. I don't know if Rachel's Brooklyn water tastes as good as Manhattan's, but if it is she's got that going for her. I don't care if there are contaminants in it, it tastes good, I don't have to pay for it, and I just turn on the faucet.

What did I do? I bought the PUR pitcher, set it on the counter, and then went to the Internet to see if it was worthy of my using it. It turns out that I chose well. Consumer Reports tested it and gave it a thumbs up, the Green People agree with their findings, and another consumer group put all these thoughts together and actually listed it in the number 2 position, just under the PUR water system that attaches to the faucet. Hmm, I must be getting better at label reading and smarter than the label writers! It is now filled, chillin' in the fridge and tastes great.

1 comment:

RJ said...

Yes, Helena, I do adore the water here. I was going to do a post about it someday in fact. I have like 347 posts swirling around in my head. I wish I was a blogger before motherhood, I could have gotten some of them out before my time was muy muy poquito. I am curious if it tastes good and IS good for you too. I'll let you know when I find out.