3 Reasons to Keep Safe Drinking Water On the Go

Are you still sending your kids to school with plastic water bottles in their backpacks? Consider the fact that the EPA tests our water daily for bacteria and posts the results to the general public, while the FDA only requires weekly testing of bottled water and doesn’t make its results public.

Or that bottled water costs can ring up at more than $50 each month. And, finally, that when they get warm, those plastic bottles can leach chemicals into your children’s water–and bodies.

Contrary to what many people believe, safe drinking water comes from the tap–not the bottle.

Contrary to what many people believe, safe drinking water comes from the tap–not the bottle. If you don’t like the way your tap water tastes, try it filtered. Most filters use carbon to filter out lead, copper, chlorine and mercury; faucet-mounted or fridge filters can also filter for giardia, lead and pesticides. A great source to suss out filters is the Environmental Working Group’s Water Filter Buying Guide.

My dream is a whole house filter, which makes sure even the water you wash your hair with is filtered. Sigh.

But bottled water is just bad all around. First of all, as I mentioned, you don’t know what’s in it. I don’t know about you, but giardia is one thing I want to know when to avoid.

Still not convinced? Studies have shown that Bisephenol A (BPA), which mimics estrogen and messes with your hormones, can leach from plastic bottles into their containers.

Finally, there’s the cost factor. As a public utility, tap water is virtually free–bottled water, between $1 and $4 per gallon. Your family’s average bottled water cost at 20 gallons per month? $50!

My recommendation? Get a filter and encourage your kids to take their safe drinking water on the go in recyclable, reusable stainless-steel bottles that last forever, like this BPA Free Wide Mouth 25 oz Stainless Steel Water Bottle.

If only they wouldn’t keep losing the tops.