The Best Water Filters (and Why It Matters More Than You Think)

One of the easiest changes we’ve made at home that’s had a surprisingly big impact on our well-being is improving the quality of the water we use every day—not just for drinking, but for cooking, showering, and bathing as well.

Water is something most of us don’t think twice about. We turn on the tap and assume it’s “fine.” But once you start paying attention to what’s actually in tap water, it becomes clear that a few simple changes can really add up over time.

Here’s what we have been using in our home for nearly a decade, and why. 

*Please note that there are two affiliate links in this article. We don’t do that much, have been using these products for about a decade now, and would hand on heart recommend these tools to anyone who wants to improve their wellbeing. 

Drinking and Cooking Water

Drinking water is the obvious place to start, ensuring you have a clean, pure source that nourishes your body each day. But cooking water often gets overlooked - if you’re boiling pasta, making soup, cooking rice, or even just brewing tea or coffee, that water, and the contaminants, also end up in your body.

We use the Waters 1100 benchtop filter for all our drinking and cooking water. It removes the nasties and remineralises the water. Here’s what could be in your tap water:

• Chlorine (the smelly one) and chloramines (no scent)
  

• Fluoride
  

• Pharmaceutical residues
  

• Microplastics, & more
  

Beyond your health, the taste difference is miles apart. You find that, after some time, drinking tap water isn’t really an option, as it stinks! Tea tastes cleaner, coffee is smoother, and food just tastes better when it starts with good water. It’s one of those changes that quickly becomes non-negotiable once you’re used to it.

Shower Water

This was something I didn’t really think about until I started noticing how dry my skin felt after showering and began smelling the chlorine. I found that if I was filtering my drinking water, the shower needed to be addressed as well.

Our skin absorbs what we put on it — and that includes the water we stand under every day in the shower. Shower water is warm to hot, which opens your pores, allowing you to absorb contaminants in the water. The steam from chlorinated water is also absorbed into the lungs, bypassing the liver and kidneys and entering the bloodstream. Chlorine and chloramines in shower water can be harsh, especially if you already deal with dry skin, sensitivity, or eczema.

We use this shower filter, which helps reduce chlorine and other contaminants before the water hits your skin. It’s a small switch, but one that makes showers lower tox, better for your skin and hair, and your general health. 

Bath Water (Especially for the Kids)

We don’t have a bath filter or a full-house filtration system, so when we do run a bath — especially for the kids — we use Vitamin C powder to help neutralise chlorine and chloramines.

How It Works

Vitamin C reacts with chlorine and chloramines, neutralising them almost instantly. It’s a simple, effective solution when you don’t have a filtered bath system.

How We Use It

We add Vitamin C powder directly to the bath as it’s filling, let it dissolve, and then it’s ready to go.

Testing It Yourself

If you want reassurance, chlorine testing strips can show the difference before and after adding Vitamin C. Seeing the levels drop immediately is convincing—and gives peace of mind when kids are soaking in the water and breathing in all the steam. 

The Takeaway

You don’t need to overhaul everything at once or install an expensive whole-house system to make a difference. Small, intentional changes — like filtering your drinking water, upgrading your shower, or neutralising bath water — can significantly reduce daily chemical exposure.

We are made of water! Making sure we are intentional about the water we drink, cook, and clean ourselves with is safe an pure can be one change that has a big impact on our health and wellbeing.