Water

Bottled Water (Molly Renfrew - Ogden, Utah)

I don’t buy bottled water anymore. I read that each year almost 2 million tons (tons!) of plastic are used to bottle water sold around the world.

I still use, and reuse (and reuse) my old water bottles so I can drink plenty of water daily. I simply fill those bottles with filtered water from my home filter unit.

But what I do not do is buy expensive water that tests out to be no more tasty, healthful or safe than filtered tap water.

I got real serious about this bottled water thing after reading the World Wildlife Fund report entitled “Bottled Water: Understanding a Social Phenomenon.”

The use of bottled water shifts public support from cleaning up public water supplies. The big corporations benefit, the public water systems deteriorate, and the poor have to drink lower quality water.

I really urge you to kick your bottled water habit.

Thanks for homesafehome. I love it!

Bottled Water Without the Worry (Sarah Harrison - Moscow, Idaho)

The plastic water bottle issue has gone from here to there and back again in the last few years. First we bought water at the store to avoid the chemicals and additives in our tap water. Soon we realized the plastic bottles we were buying our water in were filling up our landfills, so we started refilling our old plastic water bottles with filtered water at home. Now scientific studies say this plastic is only meant for one use, after which it breaks down and releases toxins into our water. So we bought a hard, durable plastic container to carry with us as we went about our day, filling it with filtered water and calling ourselves healthy.

Now it turns out even certain hard plastics can leach chemicals — chemicals that mimic our bodies’ natural hormones and can cause birth defects in our children. It’s the clear polycarbonate plastic bottle, usually labeled #7, that we’re supposed to avoid. There are alternative plastics: polypropylene (#5 PP) is currently not known to leach harmful substances, as well as #2 HDPE and #4 LDPE. We’re supposed to check the labels before we decide on a new plastic drinking container.

Or we can avoid the alphabet soup altogether and stick with glass or stainless steel. A company called “Klean Kanteen” (www.kleankanteen.com) has developed a lightweight, reusable drinking container made of surgical-grade stainless steel — the same material used for processing and transporting milk. The bottle comes with a polypropylene #5 sport cap, and they have a stainless steel cap available as well. This bottle is claimed to be “THE non-toxic alternative to plastic water bottles,” so drink up!

Katadyn Water Filter (anonymous - Austin, Texas)

I volunteered with the Red Cross for a few years and we visited natural disaster sites in Africa and Asia doing what we could to help.

Basic to helping others was keeping ourselves alive and healthy, and for that purpose the Katadyn Pocket Water Filter was essential. Water sources of doubtful quality were the norm, and to stay working we always filtered our water. We were issued this filter and used it regularly. Despite harsh conditions, they worked well consistently. Like the famous Swiss Army knife, these Swiss-made filters are well-designed and built to last.

The Katadyn uses an extremely fine ceramic filter about the size of a telephone headset to produce a quart of drinking water in a minute or so using a simple built-in hand pump. The replaceable ceramic filter can be cleaned repeatedly and will last for years. I think it's a great tool for anyone camping or traveling in the wilds. Last time I checked, Real Goods (www.realgoods.com, 1-800-762-7325) sold them online, but lots of mountaineering stores carry them too.

Unplugging Water Nozzles (Jeri Davis - Las Vegas, Nevada)

We must have hard water or something, because the showerheads and kitchen sink faucets always get plugged up.

I used to try to clean out those little holes in the showerhead or sink nozzle with a pin or bent paper clip. That was tedious.

Then I tried vinegar. My mom said vinegar would loosen that built-up gunk--and she was right.

Now I just unscrew the showerhead or the aerator end of the faucet and put them in a pan filled with equal parts vinegar and water. I then bring the mix to a boil, and simmer for five or ten minutes. After that, the little holes are all clean. I put them back in place, and the spray comes out fine for a month or two. Then the water clogs it up again and I boil them again.

You have to remember to take off the rubber washers, and to only use metal--not the new plastic--nozzles and showerheads.