Purified vs. spring water: you might have heard of one or both of these types of water, as they’re both popular bottled water choices. However, do you know exactly what the difference is between these two? Which is healthier, tastier, or better for you? As you can imagine, most of those answers come down to personal preference. In the matter of healthiest waters, neither of these two win.
We’re all trying to get our eight glasses of water a day, so making sure you’re drinking the best water has never been more important.
Purified Water
What is purified water?
Well, purified itself means to remove or cleanse contaminants. Therefore, purified water is water that has been filtered or processed to remove chemicals and impurities.
If you live in an area that has dirty tap water, chances are that you are relying on purified water either through bottles or an at-home filtration system. The purification process for purified water includes removing contaminants such as bacteria, chemicals, and toxins that are found in tap or groundwater.
This is processed through different steps in order to remove contaminants. These steps include carbon filtration, UV lights, sand filtration and reverse osmosis. Carbon filtration is a popular water filtration method that can remove chlorine and larger size molecules. UV lights can sterilize water instead of using chlorine as a purification method.
These steps must meet the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards, leaving you with very clean water.
Spring Water
Spring water is natural, unprocessed water that comes from underground aquifers and springs. An aquifer is an underground layer of rock that holds onto groundwater. Spring water can form on the side of a hill, bottom of the valley or when an excavation joins a flowing body of groundwater. The size of the spring can range from a small puddle that only holds onto rain, or large pools of water that flows into hundreds of millions of gallons each day.
Spring water is collected and bottled at the source. It does not remove the naturally occurring minerals, but instead keeps them for taste and health benefits. However, the FDA and EPA still regulate this water, so it still goes through testing for safety.
The FDA and EPA look for a different type of safety measure for spring water. It goes a different safety test than purified water does. Spring water goes through a limited distillation process because the benefit to Spring water comes with the naturally occurring minerals. However, the water does need to filter out sediment to pass the test. Rest assured that if you have a bottle of spring water in your hand, the water has passed the standard test and is safe to drink.
Purified vs. Spring Water, Which is Better?
Unfortunately, between the two, there isn’t a right answer. There are positives and negatives to both forms of water, and it comes down to your personal preference.
- Spring water is bottled at the source, purified water is bottled from anywhere.
- Spring water only comes from springs, while purified water is taken from anywhere.
- Purified water goes through rigorous testing, while spring water goes through less, but still standardized, tests.
- Purified water tastes cleaner, while spring water retains naturally occuring minerals, leaving behind a slight taste.
The Best Type of Water?
Between purified vs. spring water- neither. Filtered water is the best type of water.
Filtered water offers you clean, healthy water without having to buy it in a bottle. With the average American using 167 plastic water bottles, our landfills and oceans are filled with plastic that can’t be broken down naturally. Instead, the plastic will live in our landfills for over 1,000 years before it decomposes.
To combat this, you should have an at-home filtration system. The system can clean your tap water and provide you with clean, tasty water. Adding a home-filtration system and utilizing reusable water bottles can help you drink healthier water, and use less plastic a year: a true, win-win. There are also filtered water bottles to help make sure that if you fill you water on the go, you’re still supplying your body with clean, uncontaminated water.
To get started, give us a call or visit us online. We can give you a free-water test with same day results. Not sure what a free water test can tell you? Read more about free water tests here. After your water test, we can give you an idea of which filtration system works best for your home. We will professionally install your new systems, insuring that you get the cleanest water from the start. The process towards filtered water has never been easier!