Some really good reasons to get a home water filter system

Here are some of the things a water filtering system will help to protect you from:

Chlorine

Chlorine is a chemical added to the water supply to help kill pathogens. It's generally effective, and can be considered a beneficial additive when it works. Although it does kill germs, it also can facilitate a parasite called giardia, which Sydney residents will remember for the outbreak of 1998. Fortunately that event was contained before it could cause a major health crisis.

For all its potential benefits, chlorine isn't a chemical that should be in, on, or anywhere near your body. It's still toxic, and has many harmful effects.

If you experience dry skin, eye irritation, skin irritation, mucous membrane irritation, rashes, or even dizziness after showering, your tap water supply probably contains too much chlorine.

Chlorine also can have unpleasant effects when you drink it. For a start, even before you drink it, you'll notice the awful smell associated with it, and when the concentration is particularly strong, you may even notice a burning sensation in your nose when you smell it.

Drinking chlorine is bad. There's no way to downplay the seriousness of it. Get a water filtering system to protect your family from the harmful chlorine added to raw tap water.

Fluoride

Even more controversial than chlorine, fluoride is an unnecessary water additive that has already been banned or phased out for a lucky 95% of the world's population. The unlucky 5% that still are forced to have fluoride compounds in their tap water includes the people of Australia.

Drinking fluoride is far worse for your body than drinking chlorine. Really, if you care about your health, you shouldn't be consuming either substance. You can read 50 reasons why fluoride is a bad idea in this linked report.

Heavy metals

These aren't intentionally added to the water supply like chlorine and fluoride compounds, but find their way in as a result of industrial pollution. Some also gets into the water as a result of the corrosion of old metallic pipes (actually this can also happen after the water leaves the municipal supply but before it reaches your tap).

Plastic particles

This is a more recent concern. Nobody yet knows for sure what the long-term health consequences of these particles will mean for our health. For now, it's clearly a smart idea to avoid plastic consumption by using a water filter to remove particles.

Pathogens

These include bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other nasty microscopic organisms that can make you sick. Chlorination does help to reduce the incidence of pathogens in the water, but it does not entirely eliminate them. Filtering and ionizing the water will help to not only remove pathogens, but also to remove the equally bad chlorine that was added to combat them.

Ionized filtered water is good for your health

There are many health-boosting effects that can result from using an ionizing water filter. Ionizing filters such as those available from AlkaViva change the properties of water by altering its polarity.

This makes the water more alkaline, naturally raises its pH level without the addition of chemicals, and helps to break down potentially harmful compounds into more inert elemental ions. The resultant hydrogenation of the water also produces an antioxidant effect.

The higher pH level of alkalised water can be especially beneficial for those who suffer from conditions related to acid imbalances. These conditions include gout and reflux. Body builders and athletes can also benefit from alkaline water consumption to reduce recovery times, cutting down lactic acid accumulation resulting from exercise.

Not only does consumption of filtered water help to make you safer, it's also more safe to bathe in filtered water, and you will notice better results when you wash your clothes in it, too. Filtered and ionized water is "softened" which means you can use less detergent, so it is also better for the environment.

These are all good reasons to get a water filter, and it is one of the best investments you can make. Water is, after all, essential to life.