If there’s one thing that’s essential to a healthy life, it’s access to clean water. And yet, when water quality regulations keep slipping, what’s a Conscious person to do?
The way we see it, your easiest option is this: Get a high-quality water filter!
Filtering your water is the most impactful change you can make. Water quality is a huge health (and environmental) issue that’s often overlooked. Many people who do try to filter their water settle for something cheap and easy like a Brita pitcher.
There are two major problems with products like this: 1) they’re only designed to filter out older forms of fluoride that had larger particles, not the modern fluorosilicic acid used today; 2) they’re made from plastic materials that can add to your microplastics exposure.
And fluoride is just the tip of the iceberg. Most towns’ and cities’ tap water is also contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides, industrial chemicals, bacteria, parasites, and more. In fact, recent studies show all of our water is contaminated with PFAS, so it’s crucial that we look for filters that filter it out. Depending on the age of your home, you could also be wrestling with lead residue. Even in natural aquifers, there can still be naturally-occurring chemicals like fluoride, arsenic, or radium.
So how do you make sure your water is safe?
Start by looking up your zip code in EWG’s tap water database. You can also try testing your water yourself to find out your water quality.
The EPA sets minimum standards for water quality, and has recently expanded its database under the Toxic Substances Control Act to include drinking water contaminants like PFAS, microplastics, and pharmaceuticals. But their acceptable levels of these substances don’t take into account how much these chemicals build up in our systems over time with regular consumption.
That’s why we recommend taking your water safety into your own hands. It’s important to have some kind of water filtration in your home, whether it’s as powerful as a whole house system or as simple as a countertop gravity filter.
To help you source the best of the best, we took a deep dive into what’s on the market and narrowed it down to our top five favorite products. These filters will take care of more than 95% of the contaminants in your tap water, and they range from higher to lower budget options.
Our Top 6 Water Filters On the Market Right Now
- AquaTru Carafe Countertop Purifier
Best for: renters or anyone who wants reverse osmosis power without the plastic or the plumbing. If you want a reliable reverse osmosis but don’t want to deal with under-sink installation, this one’s for you. The AquaTru Carafe brings the same 4-stage filtration power in a compact countertop design that simply plugs into an outlet. What really sets this one apart for us is the glass carafe: your water gets purified without ever sitting in plastic. It even fits in your fridge! - CWR Gravity Countertop Filter
Best for: renters or travelers who need a low-commitment option. Not ready or able to commit to a permanent system? This is your answer. Gravity filters like this one from CWR are renter-friendly, budget-friendly, effective and won’t strip out the minerals your body actually needs. CWR’s model uses a 3-stage process to filter out fluoride, heavy metals, and pesticides. - Rorra Countertop System
Best for: renters or minimalists on a budget who want high filtration without installation. Rorra’s 2.5 gallon stainless steel countertop gravity filter has a sleek, simple design that minimalists will love. But it’s not just pretty – it’s also rigorously tested to filter out more than 50 contaminants, including PFAS, lead, microplastics, and human and animal byproducts. We’re big fans! - Aquasana Reverse Osmosis Undercounter System
Best for: homeowners who want powerful filtration without a whole-house price tag. Reverse Osmosis is one of the most thorough filtration methods out there. This Aquasana system is a long-time favorite of ours, because it lives quietly under your sink and adds essential minerals once it’s done. Clean water that’s still mineral-rich? Yes, please! - CWR Undercounter Water Filter
Best for: people who want a powerful filter that stays out of sight. This undercounter filter is a heavy-hitter for maximum contaminant reduction. It features a special Ultra Ceramic + Metalgon filter that tackles heavy metals, fluoride, chlorine byproducts, PFAS, and even pharmaceuticals. And like other undersinks systems, it installs directly into your sink, so it’s perfect for anyone trying to reduce countertop clutter. - AquaPure Stainless Steel Whole House Filtration
Best for: families and home owners with a bigger budget. If you can afford to go all-in on clean water, you can’t go wrong with whole house filtration. We love the AquaPure system because it covers every tap in your home, including your bath and/or shower. The stainless steel housing is a big bonus for us, because it keeps microplastics from leaching into your newly filtered water.
Overall, we recommend choosing a reverse osmosis system. It’s one of the most thorough filtration methods available, which is exactly why we love it. RO systems push water through an ultra-fine membrane that removes most heavy metals, fluoride, PFAS, nitrates, pharmaceuticals, and more. For anyone cleansing or actively working to reduce their toxic load, the quality of your water matters just as much as the quality of your food.
If you end up using a reverse osmosis system, there’s one more layer to consider: remineralization. In addition to filtering out the things you don’t want, these systems tend to strip water of the minerals you do need. We recommend getting a system that adds those minerals back in (like the AquaTru and Aquasana systems listed above), or by adding a pinch of high-quality sea salt for every gallon of filtered water.
Do you have a favorite water filter we didn’t mention? Is there a home filter system you’d like us to research for you? Reach out to us in the comments below!
With clean water love,
The Conscious Cleanse Team
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