Do you know everything that comes out of your kitchen tap? Water quality is a key element in creating a healthy, sustainable home, so why is it so often overlooked? Australia’s tap water undergoes thorough treatment to make sure it’s safe to drink, but this does not mean the water we are drinking is as good as it could be.
The kitchen is one of the primary places where the quality of your water can impact your everyday life. We drink from the tap, brew tea and coffee, fill our kettles, and cook/bake with water that scrapes by with a “drinkable” quality grade. Chemicals and impurities like chlorine, calcium, and trihalomethanes can cause a range of frustrations and concerns from foul tastes and damaged appliances to more serious health issues.
Filtering the water coming out of your kitchen tap is a simple but highly effective step you can take towards improving your quality of life. In this blog, we’ll address some of the primary benefits you can experience when you have better water in your kitchen.
Better Taste, Better For You
Even though Australia’s tap water is treated to meet safety standards, those treatments are designed to eliminate harmful pathogens and bacteria rather than providing the purest water possible. In order to comply with government health and safety regulations, chemicals like chlorine, fluoride, and ammonia are added to public water supplies. These substances, while not necessarily immediately harmful in regulated doses, can influence the taste and quality of your water.
A high-quality filter can remove unwanted chemicals and impurities, significantly improving your water’s taste, odour, and overall quality. These filters can be point-of-use systems, which filter the water at the tap, or point-of-entry systems, which filter all the water coming into your home at once. Removing chemicals that influence your water’s flavour also improves the taste of beverages like tea, coffee, and juices.
Filters like the 1-micron Complete Home Filtration system or reverse osmosis under-sink purifier also filter out potential contaminants like lead, heavy metals, and pesticides, reducing health risks associated with long-term exposure to these substances.
Spot the Difference
Limescale spots and hard water stains are a constant frustration for millions of Australian homeowners. Many state water utilities draw water from areas rich in minerals like calcium and magnesium, either from underground aquifers or rivers with limestone banks. These minerals dissolve in the water and are very difficult to remove through standard treatments, so any hard water minerals will typically still be present in your tap water when it reaches your home.
Limescale is a chalky residue left behind when hard water evaporates or bonds with other mineral deposits in warm water. The kitchen is often the first place hard water damage becomes noticeable, as limescale spots commonly appear on drying glassware and in water-using appliances like kettles and coffee machines.
Scrubbing away the scale every few days may be frustrating, but leaving it can cause permanent and expensive damage. Mineral deposits can permanently etch glass, damage heating elements, and breed bacteria that eat through your countertops. Additionally, most tap water filters are unable to remove dissolved minerals, so even using water from a filtered tap will not protect your glasses or appliances.
The solution is to use a filtration system specifically designed for softening hard water or removing dissolved minerals. A reverse osmosis under-sink filter will strip away 99.95% of impurities before reaching your tap, including hard water minerals. For whole-home systems, look out for one that has a built-in softening resin to exchange calcium and magnesium ions for something that won’t cause damage.
Cooking and Baking Benefits
The water you use in cooking and baking will impact the quality of your meals. Filtered water ensures that no unpleasant tastes or chemicals interfere with the flavours of your food or the ingredients’ ability to dissolve or mix together.
From boiling pasta to making soups, stews, and even bread, clean water can elevate your culinary efforts. Filtering out chlorine and other impurities is particularly beneficial for bakers, as removing these unwanted ingredients improves the hydration of doughs and batters, leading to superior textures and flavours.
If you take your culinary creations seriously, purified water will elevate the quality of practically everything you make. A reverse osmosis system is the perfect water filter for getting the best results out of your kitchen.
Cutting Costs and Chemicals
Bottled water is an easy go-to solution for avoiding the taste or smell of chlorine or other impurities in Australian tap water. However, this convenience comes at a high price – both financially and environmentally. The average Australian household spends hundreds of dollars annually on bottled water, contributing to our planet’s growing plastic waste problem.
The water we drink is not the only product we buy in plastic bottles. Detergents and cleaning products also produce waste, often with leached chemical traces that make them more difficult to recycle. The chemicals themselves also contribute to pollution, often being washed down the sink and ending up in our water basin.
Filtering and softening your water has the dual benefit of providing bottled-quality water straight from the tap and reducing your reliance on harsh chemicals. Softening your water makes detergents more effective in smaller doses, so each bottle will last longer. A kitchen filter doesn’t just reduce wasted money; it reduces waste full stop.
Permanent Peace of Mind
Water treatments, environmental contamination, and disinfection by-products can significantly impact the chemical makeup of your water between when it is drawn and when it comes out of your tap. Mains water can have traces of heavy metals, pesticides, trihalomethanes, and other impurities that have been linked to serious health concerns. For households with children, pregnant women, or individuals with health concerns, having a reliable filtration system provides invaluable peace of mind.
Even if health issues are not a major concern for your tap water, the sheer convenience of filtered water cannot be understated. Having a water filter in your kitchen means better water is always within reach. Even a pantry-sized slab of plastic bottles will eventually run out, and it isn’t always practical to use your water one bottle at a time. Whether you need water for drinking, cooking, or even washing fruits and vegetables, a kitchen water filter ensures you’re using the purest option available.
For households with children, pregnant women, or individuals with health concerns, having a reliable filtration system is especially valuable.
Your Kitchen, Your Filter
One of the best things about modern water filtration systems is their adaptability. Whether you live in a small apartment or a large family home, there’s a filtration solution to suit your kitchen. Complete Home Filtration has filter configurations to suit any Australian home, from excessive hard water in the South West to filter-defying chloramine in the Eastern states.
A kitchen filter is more than just a convenience; it’s an investment in your health, your home, and the planet. Filtered water enhances the taste of your food, saves you money, and reduces your environmental impact.
To find out more about your options or organise a quote, feel free to send us a message or call in to speak with a specialist on 1300 693 458.
