The New Year is approaching, and with it comes the perfect time to reflect on your life choices. Many people choose to change their diet, exercise regimen, or other aspect of their lifestyle. But why not start with something as essential as your water source?
Where you get your water from can affect your health, your environmental footprint, and even how it tastes. Let’s compare the top three ways Americans enjoy water: from the tap, a bottle, or via a home water filtration system.
Tap Water
The convenience of water straight from the faucet is obvious. But is tap water safe to drink? The short but complicated answer is, “It depends.” Tap water comes from a range of sources and flows through an aging infrastructure, often picking up contaminants from the pipes along the way. Other substances leach into water from the environment, surrounding industry, and agricultural run-off.
Contaminants you may find in your tap water include:
• PFAS: Also known as Forever Chemicals, PFAS are linked to various health concerns and are found in 45% of all American tap water samples.
• Heavy metals: Copper and lead are just two of the heavy metals that can accumulate in the water supply and create potential toxicity.
• Nitrate: A byproduct of agricultural fertilizers, nitrate can affect how your body absorbs oxygen.
Other contaminants include radon, algae, parasites, mold, and many more.
Pros and Cons of Tap Water
Pros
• Convenient
• Inexpensive
Cons
• Multiple health risks
• Variable flavor
• Unknown substances in your water unless tested
Bottled Water
Bottled water is a more expensive alternative to tap water, but it reduces the risk of exposure to certain harmful substances. You may be surprised to learn, however, that bottled water isn’t guaranteed to be free of contaminants. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that bottled water may still contain a parasite called Cryptosporidium. This parasite is microscopic, lives in water sources such as lakes and rivers, and is resistant to chlorine and other water disinfection methods.
In healthy people, the parasite causes vomiting and diarrhea. For people with suppressed immune systems or certain chronic illnesses, it can lead to serious, sometimes fatal, complications.
Another downside of bottled water is that the plastic used for water bottles is single-use and contributes to pollution, landfill waste, and increased energy use. Only a third of plastic bottles are recycled in the U.S., with the rest producing harmful gases and microplastics as they decompose, a process that can take centuries.
Pros and Cons of Bottled Water
Pros
• Convenient
• Mobile — take a bottle anywhere
• Tastes good
Cons
• More expensive than tap water
• Not guaranteed to be contaminant-free
• Bad for the environment
Filtered Water
The best way to handle potentially contaminated tap water and improve its taste and aroma is to invest in an effective water filtration system. There are numerous types of water filters, and the best home water filtration systems use several at once.
Water filtration solutions can use any of the following filtration methods:
• Polypropylene: Filters out large sediment particles like rust, dust, and dirt.
• Activated carbon: Clarifies and removes volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and chlorine taste and odor.
• Kinetic degradation fluxion: Filters out lead, chromium, and other heavy metals
• Reverse osmosis (RO): RO filtration uses the principle that molecules move to the area of highest concentration, but in reverse, which removes contaminants and leaves you with the cleanest water possible.
• Ultraviolet disinfection: UV light is sometimes used in home water filtration systems to kill microbial contaminants and clean filters and coolers.
You can contact your water supplier to request a water quality report, which can help you choose the best water filtration system for your home.
Pros and Cons of Home Water Filtration Solutions
Pros
• Removes multiple contaminants for improved health and well-being
• Tastes and smells better than alternatives
• Easy to install and convenient to use
• Use filtered water to fill reusable water bottles when you’re on the go
• Cost-effective over its lifetime, especially compared with single-use water bottles
Cons
• There’s an initial cost to consider
Top Water Filtration Solutions for 2026
So, what are the best water filtration systems for home use? You have plenty of choices, so pick the one that best suits your household.
Single Housing Systems
“Single housing systems” are compact water filtration solutions that attach directly to your cold water supply line. Consider the Brio 16" Multi Stage Undersink Water Filtration System & Faucet, which is ideal for use in RVs, garages, and even the smallest kitchens. The filter lasts for up to 24 months or until 15,000 liters of water are used, whichever comes first.
Undersink RO Filtration Systems
An undersink RO system uses RO membranes alongside other filtration technology to offer clean water straight from your faucet. You can even invest in a system that includes a smart faucet, like the Brio AQUUS Tankless RO Undersink Filtration System. This system can handle 800 gallons of water per day and even has a meter to track the volume of contaminants it has removed.
Bottleless Water Coolers
A bottleless cooler may connect to your water supply or use a refillable tank, with the latter more common on mobile countertop coolers. Despite their name, coolers often produce warm or hot water on demand, like the Brio 400 Series 4-Stage Reverse Osmosis Bottleless Water Cooler. With a filter system like this, you can enjoy crisp, odor-free water for your herbal teas, infusions, and other hot and cold beverages at the push of a button.
Want to know more about getting delicious, healthy filtered water in your home? Browse the collection online or contact Brio Water for more information.
