Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

I was buying bottled water because I didn't like the taste of the water coming out of the faucet until I set it out for 24 hours. Now it tastes the same as bottled water and I've saved lots of money.

To do:

1. Fill old OJ, milk, or water gallon jugs with cold tap water.

2. Set beside the fridge and let it sit for 24 hours (outside of the fridge, not inside)

3. Rotate stock - I have 5 jugs of water and I rotate them every time one is filled (so the newer water is in the back and the water that has been sitting for over 24 hours is in the front and ready to go in the fridge when one jug is empty). I keep 2 gallons in the fridge and 3 outside the fridge (and this is for two adults and some pets).

How does this work? I believe it's because when you set it out over 24 hours the chlorine leaves the water, making it taste wonderful!

I give my cats and dogs water from these jugs as well. I'm sure they can taste the difference and since it's hot out, they are enjoying the cold water.

I hope this tip helps someone else save money too!

Source: Source: Living on a dime newsletter suggested drinking water from the tap instead of buying it and the rest of the information is my own.

By Misty from Wooster, Ohio

Answers:

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

I believe for the chlorine to dissipate you have to leave the tops off the containers for at least 12 hours.
(06/27/2008)

By Mark C

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

I buy bottled water and then when bottles are empty, I wash and refill with water from fridge in a Brita pitcher. This way, I can keep it in fridge for kids to drink. When they say "Mom, we are thirsty", they and their friends can grab a bottle and go! (06/27/2008)

By Kim

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

The old NYC trick was to always have a pitcher of water in the frig - leaving it overnight will dissipate the chlorine - still true - and as we are discovering that most bottled water is just filtered tap water. (06/27/2008)

By pam munro

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

I would love to save money and use tap water instead of bottled but my husband, who services washers and dishwashers, has shown me what comes out of the tap and collects into valves. The goop and gunk I saw was all it took to justify bottled water! No amount of settling will get rid of it either. (06/27/2008)

By DEBRADJ.

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

The only problem is that it won't get rid of the fluoride if you have it in your city water like I do, it remains in the water. Also, a lot of people don't know this, but you can't filter it out either with a filtration system. They put too much fluoride in our water so you can still taste it and it tinkles your tongue and mouth too.

Ick! I read the labels and only buy 100% spring water which is not purified city water. I won't buy that, it's a waste of money. The spring water is fresh from a spring.
(06/27/2008)

By Mary

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

How do you keep the water clean with the lid off? (06/27/2008)

By Roxie

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

I had to start doing that because the chlorine in my water was messing up my seedlings and houseplants. I fill two liter bottles with cold tap water and set them in the sun for a few hours, then cap them and store for use of watering seedlings and houseplants. For drinking, I put the water in a two quart pitcher, leaving cap open and store in fridge. Then close cap after a few hours. It works for me, and I don't taste the chlorine. (06/28/2008)

By Dawn

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

Bottled water costs more than gasoline and it is just tap water from somewhere else. Letting it sit won't get rid of flouride, unfortunately. I would suggest looking for glass pitchers or jars for keeping your water in (at the thrift store) because it tastes better than plastic. (06/28/2008)

By Ashley

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

Please don't use milk containers because you risk contamination from the bacteria and the plastic. Glass would be better. (06/28/2008)

By Jazzylazzy

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

DEBRADJ, you're absolutely right. I hate buying water in gallon jugs, but it's much safer than drinking tap. To save money, just refill the gallon jugs at any of those places that have a filtration machine. Wal-Mart is one of them. And the plastic jugs can be used for crafts, or simply recycled. (06/29/2008)

By Silverojo

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

As full-time rv'ers we taste a lot of different water sources. Our Brita pitcher has made a world of difference. We did have a filter on the kitchen faucet. However, it was too heavy and soon pulled the faucet out. (06/29/2008)

By G J Amber

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

Hello, I don't know what our water is treated with in our mobile home park, but I tried your idea of putting some on the counter overnight in a water pitcher. Low and behold, there is no more smell coming from the water and our morning coffee tasted just great for the first time in months. We had been using bottled water but it got too expensive so we went back to using faucet water and putting up with the smell and taste. Now we don't have to do that anymore thanks to your suggestion. Thank you so very much.
(06/30/2008)

By Arlene

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

My pipes are not that good so they have some rust in them. Like silverojo said I buy the clear water jugs and then take them to a water place. Here Walmart is too much so we go to I think Deer Park watering place or something like that and get a gallon for 25 cents and 5 gallons is a dollar. The water taste great and I just use the sink water for clothes and dishes and some cooking. We boil the water and it gets the impurities out. (06/30/2008)

By Barbara

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

Where I live, we have good water fresh from the tap. We pay a lot of money in taxes to get good water and it has been voted some of the best tasting water in the country. I am against bottled water because of the effects on the environment of the used bottles and because of the chemicals in the plastic. I know some places the water does taste terrible and I am thankful for our good water here in St. Louis

(06/30/2008)

By TC in MO

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

I like to add a little fruit juice to my tap water, taste better than the stuff you buy at the store. (07/09/2008)

By amy

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

"Bottled water costs more than gasoline" I am so confused by this "myth" bottled water is 68 cents a gallon. Please show me where I can get gasoline for even double that price and you will be my hero :-)

We have a filter under the sink. Our water tastes no different than bottled water :-) (09/17/2008)

By Chris Taylor Jr

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

I have six 1 gallon jugs (Gadorade bottles) I get filled for 25 cents a gallon. We drink it so fast that the fact that it's plastic doesn't concern me too much. Maybe it should, but glass is too heavy. It's not the price that gets me. It's the fact that we drink so much that I'm having to refill once or twice a week. I love Misty's idea; I'll give it a try. I thought about the Brita pitcher, but the filters are expensive if you drink as much water as we do. I've thought about the under the sink filter, but I haven't done the research yet. Anyone know how often you have to replace the filter on that one? I live in West Texas where the water is hard. (08/06/2009)

By Betty

Good Tasting Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water

What you might be having happen, is when it first comes out of the faucet, you can smell some of the chemicals they add and some of the stuff in our nasty tap, but just because some of the smell goes away, doesn't mean the water is good and chilling covers a lot of the bad taste of it for those who don't have discriminating taste buds, but the stuff that is bad in tap water is not gone. Good, clean water can come from many sources, I have a 5 stage reverse osmosis system in my house and let me tell you, it's the real deal. This type of water is only pennies a gallon, bottled water is pretty much the same thing, only you can never tell what is a good bottling company and what is a bad one, and even if it's a good one most the time, you have no way of knowing how good their systems are and how close they keep track of the quality.

Unless you get water from an uncontaminated well, which is harder than finding hen's teeth these days, you can't be sure unless you do your own testing. A good reverse osmosis system is worth it's weight in gold, and it pays for itself pretty fast. (10/23/2009)

By christine M. Thayer