Access to clean water is essential for health and well-being, but contaminants in our water supply can pose serious risks. A high-quality water filter can make a world of difference, ensuring the water you and your family consume is as safe and healthy as possible. In this article, we’ll explore why water filters are essential and how to choose the right one.

Why Do We Need to Filter Our Drinking Water?

Clean water isn’t always as “clean” as it seems. Tap water, while treated to meet safety standards, often contains contaminants that can harm human health.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) highlights that millions of Americans are exposed to unsafe levels of toxins through their drinking water and many treatment plants around the U.S. fail to meet recommended water guidelines.

In addition, our society is constantly introducing new substances into our water supply that treatment plants are not designed to filter (I'm talking to you, Polyvinyl Alcohol!).

Lastly, filtering your water also has other benefits like better hair and skin! You may notice less greasy hair and less facial breakouts when you filter or soften your water, especially if you are in a hard water area.

Common Contaminants in Drinking Water

There's a lot that goes into our water without our knowledge. Here are some of the most common contaminants found in drinking water:

• Lead: Exposure to lead, even at low levels, can cause developmental delays in children and damage to the brain, kidneys, and nervous system. Studies show that over 10 million homes in the U.S. still receive water through lead service lines. (CDC)
• Heavy Metals: Similar to lead... arsenic, mercury, and cadmium are other toxic metals often found in groundwater and industrial areas, contributing to organ damage and developmental issues. (USGS)
• PFAS (Forever Chemicals): PFAS are man-made chemicals that have reached every single waterway in our nation. PFAS are linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and immune suppression. They are called "forever chemicals" because they don’t break down in the environment. A 2020 study found that more than 200 million Americans could have PFAS-contaminated drinking water and nearly all Americans already have PFAS in their blood. (CDC)
• Chlorine and Chloramines: Used to disinfect water, these chemicals can form harmful byproducts like trihalomethanes (THMs), which are linked to cancer and reproductive issues. (NIH)
• Nitrate: Most commonly found in agricultural areas, nitrate contamination is linked to “blue baby syndrome” and has been linked to colorectal cancer, thyroid disease, and neural tube birth defects. (IWLA)
• Fluoride: Fluoride is intentionally added to most water treatment centers across the United States to help prevent tooth decay. For decades, opponents have been concerned about the neurotoxic effects of Fluoride and more recently studies are showing a link between lower IQ in children and fluoride (NIH). The U.S. sets a safety limit of 0.7 mg/L, but is poorly regulated and tests have shown some water treatment plants exceed this level. Most municipal water fluoridation systems do not use naturally occurring fluoride minerals. Instead, they typically add fluorosilicic acid (hydrofluorosilicic acid) or related compounds that release fluoride ions in water. The most common fluoridation chemical comes from a by-product of phosphate fertilizer production.
• Pharmaceuticals: Trace levels of medicines (antibiotics, hormones, antidepressants, pain relievers) are showing up in rivers and, at very low concentrations, in some finished drinking water because of human excretion, improper disposal, and wastewater discharges. Conventional plants aren’t designed to remove all of these “emerging contaminants.” Using your own added filters can substantially reduce many of them. (source)

Understanding Your Water Quality

To better understand what’s in your water, visit the EWG’s Tap Water Database. Simply enter your zip code to see a detailed analysis of your local water quality. This will give you a pretty good picture of your water quality, especially if you are on City Water.

For a more comprehensive analysis or if you have well water, you might consider sending a sample to a certified laboratory, which can test for a wider range of contaminants, including heavy metals, pesticides, and PFAS (forever chemicals). 

Many local water filtration companies provide free consultations and quotes for whole-home water filtration systems. During their in-home visit, you can gain valuable insights about your water quality and potential treatment options. These consultations are typically free, though some companies may charge a small fee. Some use predatory and misleading information to sell their products, so proceed with caution.

Are TDS Levels a Good Indicator of Safe Water?

If you've ever sat through a whole-home water filtration sales presentation, you may have seen the salesperson pull out a TDS reader. It is a common marketing tactic.

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) measures the combined content of all dissolved substances in water, including minerals, salts, and organic compounds. A TDS reading indicates the overall concentration of these solids but does not differentiate between beneficial and harmful components (ie. it could just be minerals!).

For example, essential minerals like calcium and magnesium contribute to TDS levels and are beneficial for health, while contaminants like heavy metals or nitrates can also raise TDS and may pose risks. It's important to interpret TDS in context, as not all dissolved solids are harmful. Some are vital for taste and nutritional value. Understand the context of a TDS reading before falling for marketing gimmicks!

Is Drinking Bottled Water a Good Solution?

The biggest challenge with drinking bottled water is the exposure to microplastics—tiny plastic particles that can leach into the water from the bottle itself. Researchers have found that bottled water includes on average 240,000 tiny pieces of plastic, about 90% of which are nanoplastics (NIH source).

Over time, ingesting microplastics may disrupt endocrine systems, cause inflammation, or accumulate in tissues, posing long-term health risks, including cancer (source 1, source 2). Considering these risks, bottled water isn't as "pure" as it's marketed to be.

Now, while most filtered water systems employ some level of plastic materials, it is not the same level of exposure. The plastic tubing in a home water filtration system, such as PVC pipes or tubes, is not subjected to the same conditions as bottled water. Bottled water is transported, stored, and often exposed to heat in warehouses, transportation trucks and even in outdoor displays under direct sunlight. By contrast, home systems maintain a consistent, temperature-controlled environment and usually use higher quality plastics. This reduces the risk of plastic leaching chemicals into the water, and it is filtered before you consume it, ensuring a safer and more stable drinking option for your home.

How to Shop for Water Filters

Not all water filters are created equal. Choosing the right one depends on your water’s specific contaminants, your household needs, and your budget. Here’s what to consider when shopping for a water filter:

• The type of filter: this will determine what the filter is actually doing.
• Certifications: this ensures the filter is actually performing as it should (confirmed by a third party).
• Materials: this tells you what the parts are made of.
• Additional considerations: factors like cost, lifestyle, installation and maintenance can influence what the right filter is for you.

Let's dive in deeper into each of these considerations...

Types of Filters and Their Benefits

• Carbon Filters:
  • Effective at removing chlorine, THMs, and some pesticides.
  • Ideal for improving taste and odor.
  • Found in pitchers and faucet-mounted filters.
  • Downside: Carbon filters do not remove all contaminants. Review the list of contaminants the product claims to remove. Usually we find that they always miss fluoride. But there may be other contaminants it is not filtering out.
• Reverse Osmosis (RO) Systems:
  • Highly effective at removing a wide range of contaminants, including lead, arsenic, fluoride, nitrates, and PFAS.
  • Most RO systems also contain a carbon filter. This is why you often see mentions of "multi-stage" filtering.
  • Downside: If the RO system does not re-mineralize, it will strip water of beneficial minerals too. RO basically removes everything. So make sure to add back a remineralizer. This is often sold as an additional filter/step or built-in.
• Distillation Systems:
  • Removes most contaminants by heating water and collecting the steam.
  • May leave water tasting “flat” due to the absence of minerals.
  • Downside: Strips water of beneficial minerals, so consider adding a remineralizer. Very energy-intensive and slow. Requires regular maintenance to remove scale buildup. Not very popular for at-home use.
• UV Filters:
  • Kills bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms.
  • Some RO systems will include a UV filter step. We personally do not believe it is necessary, but there are products out there that add this step.
  • Downside: UV filters do not remove heavy metals, pesticides, nitrates, or chemical contaminants like chlorine and PFAS.
• Whole Home Water Filtration:
  • Treats all the water entering your home, providing filtered water from every tap, sink, and showerhead.
  • Can be customized to target specific contaminants, such as chlorine, sediment, or hard water minerals. Softens your water and usually has very little maintenance. In most cases, it just requires adding salt to your system a few times a year.
  • Downside: Typically more expensive upfront and usually requires professional installation and regular maintenance. 

Water Filter Certifications

Certifications are important because it ensures that the filter lives up to the claims made by the brand on which contaminants are filtered and to what purity level.

Generally, you do want a system that is NSF certified, or at least certified to NSF standards. Remember, certifications are expensive for brands so in some cases I see brands that are NSF-certified, and others that are certified to NSF standards by some third party testing organization. And sometimes I see a combination of both.

• NSF/ANSI Certifications: NSF has a ton of different certification levels, so make sure you understand which certification applies to your water filtration system. Some certifications are specific to filters, showerheads or types of filtration systems. While some certifications are provided for taste, order, water hardness. These are the type of certifications I came across while comparing different systems: 
  • NSF/ANSI 42 (chlorine, taste, odor)
  • NSF/ANSI 53 (heavy metals, microbes, VOCs)
  • NSF/ANSI 58 (Government Regulated Contaminants such as arsenic, cadmium, fluoride, lead, nitrate and overall TDS reduction)
  • NSF/ANSI 372 (Confirms lead-free materials are used in the pipes, fittings, faucets)
  • NSF/ANSI 401 (Emerging Contaminants, mostly the top pharmaceuticals and OTC drugs, but also BPA, hormones disruptors and pesticides).
  • NSF/ANSI 473 (Specifically tests PFOA and PFOS, not the entire PFAS class of chemicals)
    
• WQA Gold Seal Certification: Ensures the filter meets strict safety and performance standards, and can certify to NSF standards as well. If it only says "WQA certified" and does not make mention of specific NSF standards, then it just means the system was independently tested for water quality and performance by the Water Quality Association. Personally, I prefer to know which standards it was tested to exactly.
• Some brands use different independent labs that test to the NSF standards. You can inquire with the brand if you have specific questions about their testing standards.
• IAPMO - This certification (International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials) indicates that plumbing, mechanical, and water treatment products meet rigorous safety, performance, and code standards (UPC/UMC) in North America.
• EPA 537 Standard - This is not a certification specific to water filters. However, I list it here because some brands made mention of testing to EPA 537. If you see a filter company cite "tested using EPA Method 537.1," that means their lab used this analytical method to measure before/after PFAS levels. It's a testing technique.

Water Filter Materials

Glass vs. Plastic: Most systems are made of plastic parts because it is the most practical material. A few systems may have a glass pitcher or container, but still uses many plastic parts in transporting the water to your drinking glass.

Is this a matter for concern? As long as the brand is using BPA-free and food-grade plastics, we don't recommend stressing over this. Bottled water in particular tests high for microplastics (NIH) because they are often exposed to heat in warehouses and trucks during transportation, which increases leaching into the water. There is less concern for a plastic container which is temperature-controlled in your home.

Additional Considerations

• Double Check the Contaminants List: Now that you know which contaminants to look for, ensure they are explicitly listed on the water filter you are considering. Some don't filter them all or may not be filtering the ones you actually need for the water you have.
• Filter Maintenance: Regular replacement of filters is crucial to ensure effectiveness. Choose a system you can keep up with. Pitchers require more frequent replacements. Some whole home systems even have self-cleaning/self-regenerating filters. Just know what you're getting so that the filtering is actually effective.
• Flow Rate: Higher flow rates are better for larger households. Not really a huge concern for pitchers, countertop or under the sink systems, but might be more important if you are looking at whole-house filters (high water pressure with a slow flow rate means the filter will be less effective).
• Cost: Consider both upfront costs and long-term maintenance expenses. Always look at the cost and frequency of replacing/maintaining the filters. 
• Installation: if you own your home, you can install a faucet by drilling into your counter, or purchasing a whole-home filter. If you rent, you should opt for a countertop or portable system you can take with you. If you rent, you can also consider an under the sink system that connects back to the main faucet (this means you don't need to drill a hole in the countertop for a secondary faucet). If you're handy, this is one way to get an under the sink system you can take with you and not damage/alter the landlords property.
• Efficiency: If you see references to "2:1" or "3:1" this means how much water was used to produce your purified water. A 3:1 ratio means for every 3 gallons of clean output, 1 gallon goes down the drain as reject water. So the higher the first number is, the more efficient it is.
• Where is it made? Some people care about where their products are manufactured and try to avoid products made in China. First, I want to share that just because something is made in China, does not mean it is inherently bad. Yes, many cheap and toxic items come from China, but so do high quality and safe products! The truth is, China's manufacturing is more advanced and arguably safer in some areas. I simply suggest buying from a reputable brand, and I prefer an American intermediary. An American intermediary means that the company has some reputation to protect and is subject to the laws and regulations of this country. That being said, most water filters are made in China, but there are some American options I've noted in the suggestions section.

Choosing The Best Water Filter

At Ivy & Fields, we rather much inform you with the information you need to make your own informed choice. You can use the previously provided information to find the water filter that works best for you because there are seriously so many options.

Personally, we always recommend a reverse osmosis system because it is the most effective at filtering out all contaminants, is cost effective, and requires minimal maintenance. For those worried about mineral depletion, look for systems which add minerals back, or find other ways to include minerals in your diet.

Here is our round up of some solid choices that may work for you, as well as an example of how to compare certain specifications. We've saved some of our favorites in our shopping guide here.

Please note, almost all water filters are made in China or abroad. What is more important is the efficacy testing (see certifications column). 

As a reminder, here is what the different NSF certifications mean:

• NSF/ANSI 42 (chlorine, taste, odor)
• NSF/ANSI 53 (heavy metals, microbes, VOCs)
• NSF/ANSI 58 (Government Regulated Contaminants such as select metals, arsenic, cadmium, fluoride, lead, nitrate and overall TDS reduction)
• NSF/ANSI 372 (Confirms lead-free materials are used in the pipes, fittings, faucets)
• NSF/ANSI 401 (Emerging Contaminants, mostly the top pharmaceuticals and OTC drugs, but also BPA, hormones disruptors and pesticides).
• NSF/ANSI 473 (Specifically tests PFOA and PFOS, not the entire PFAS class of chemicals)

With clean water being a cornerstone of good health, investing in a reliable water filter is one of the best decisions you can make for your home. It's one of the first places we recommend you start in our article: How to Go Toxin-Free (without losing your sanity) - a MUST read!

You may also be interested in checking out our shopping guides.