How to Filter Your Water at Home
It’s 90% of your body. It is life's most important ingredient and yet we continue to take it for granted. That's right, we are talking about water! International titles publish articles everyday about the perilous water situation in China. However, the pertinent information we need to protect ourselves is often lacking. But hey, we care about you here at WOW, so we took the time to find out how to clean and safe your water is at home.
Spoilers: Vodka is not a viable substitute.
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE
Dear all, this is not breaking news, but Shanghai’s tap water is not the best in terms of taste, color, smell, and especially safey. But, there have been major improvements made over the last few years. Firstly, it’s now sourced from the Yangtze river (it was the Huangpu River before that, let that sink in). Then, the Shanghainese government shut down several factories along the river (so no more risks of pork pollution in those parts, which was a genuine problem).In addition, they’ve also upgraded testing standards (so evidently they’re no longer afraid of the results).
Despite this, the quality of tap water is still quite bad. Ineffective law enforcement, illegal releasing of chemical products and outdated water pipes are just some of the enormous issues involved. It’s still ridden with sediments, rust, bacteria, viruses, chlorines, and some other heavy metals. Sure you can boil it, but this is not enough. Some microorganisms are heat-resistant - and your gut will testify to this in it’s unerringly unique way.
We're guessing not too many of you are consuming unfiltered tap water, but that doesn't mean you need to go buy bottled, you can safely filter your tap water at home.
Expensive? Perhaps, if you want to put a price on uncontaminated water.
Complicated? Not so much. Here’s an A-Z guide on how to do it and what benefits you'll recieve.
HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOUR BODY?
SHOWER - HAIR & SKIN
Let’s make it clear: having healthy hair and skin is extremely important as it protects us from external diseases. Shanghai’s water is tough on them both because of all chlorine it’s spiked with. This chemical disinfectant is added to the water and regular exposure dries your skin and scalps your hair. Every wash further peels away at the natural oil created to protect your body, resulting in itchy skin and loose hair.
TAP - INNER SYSTEM & FOOD
We told you about the effects of chlorine on your skin, so imagine the results on your insides. No need to talk about it, it’s a disaster. The disinfectant effectively destroys the natural balance of your system and the big particles and heavy metals are carcinogenic substances, like THM (Trihalomethane). Want to know the good news? You combat it with bacteria from your daily fruits and vegetables. You know the phrase: “An apple a day prevents you from slowly rotting from the inside out”.
LAUNDRY MACHINE
Last point - you carry these intrepid micro-bitches around all day by cleaning your clothes with non-filtered water. So, your clothes can be filled with these beloved particles and infringe on your health 24 hours a day. Perfect.
COMPANIES TO CONTACT
Now you know about the risk, here comes the solution. Remember, in case you are looking for something different, you can also have a look on TaoBao花洒净化过滤器. Some big brands sell there, like Toray or Paragon.
GREENWAVE
Greenwave is an American-Chinese joint venture company located in Shanghai and is operating for more than 7 years in the water filtration industry. Greenwave is dedicated to providing safe water and air solutions for residential and commercial use such as offices, clinics or restaurants through the "Clean Water Restaurant" program.
Kitchen:
Betta Drinking Water Purifier RMB 4800: Through 5 stages of filtration, this product purifies tap water to allow you to drink cleaner and safer water. Get rid of big particles and chlorine as well as heavy metals and bacteria on your fruits/vegetables with this bad boy.
Bathroom:
WaterBaby RMB 498: Installed on bathroom or kitchen taps, it removes the chlorine from the water
ClearFall/Shower king RMB 789: Removes chlorine from rain.
Dishwasher/Laundry Machine:
2-Stage Filter RMB 498 : Connected to either your dishwasher or laundry machine, it makes sure your belongings stay untainted by the water pollutants.
Where to buy it: www.greenwavechina.cn payment via COD Payment (COD fee required), bank Transfer, cash Payment in Store
CLAU
CLAU is a Korean Company with over 15 years of experience making water filters. They make all different types of products for the shower, the laundry and any tap. They have their own factory in Shanghai which makes them one of the 5 major international companies. They sell reliable products which pass all the tests (you can have a look on their website at www.claulife.com).
FS1 is the standard filter at RMB 88 and deals with any iron rust and foreign substance. They sell a one year plan package which has four filters and one adapter for RMB 258. FS2 does everything FS1 does but also filters cholrine, THM, phenol adhesion, and is also designed so that all bacteria is killed on entry to the filter. FS2 is RMB 158, and a one year plan which also has four filters and one adapter is RMB 488. Please note that one filter lasts for about 3-4 months, depending on the water, and its installation can be done within 5 minutes.
Where to buy it: Wechat-DSDL0617 Cell-186-1615-5232
XIAOMI
Xiaomi can provide your phone, your speakers and yes, even your water filter! Their filter works for any kind of tap (bathroom or kitchen) and can be installed within 5 minutes. You can also get an app to record its performance. Their website will explain this all much better than we could (check www.mi.com/en/water/ ). RMB 1999 for the filter; no product for the laundry and the shower though.
Where to buy it: on their website or their app (available on apple store and android).
BOTTLED WATER DELIVERY
If youd rather just buy some pre-filtered water that works too! These are some companies you can contact if you want to get bottles delivered at home (hot line in Chinese):
Nongfu Spring 4008-096-666
Aquarius 96858
ZhuoMa Spring Glacial Water 4008-075-100
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