Spring Water vs. Purified Water
Buying bottled water at the store can present an almost overwhelming amount of options. With labels like deionized, purified, distilled, and others, you won’t be alone in feeling a little lost over what the right choice is for you. It helps to know what these labels mean, and how they can impact the taste and quality of the water inside. According to the FDA, bottled water falls into one of three categories based on their source and the level of filtration involved:
- Spring water
- Mineral Water
- Purified Water
What is Spring Water?
In order to be classified as natural spring water, the FDA requires that water must come from an underground well or spring. Once water has been collected from the spring, it must also be filtered before being bottled and made available for consumers. Most filtration systems for spring water are designed to allow most of the naturally occurring minerals that can make spring water so appealing to remain in the water — so you can enjoy the benefits of mineral rich spring water without having to worry about potentially harmful contaminants.
By contrast, purified water is much more ‘pure’ in composition and has generally undergone more rigorous filtration.
What is Purified Water?
To be classified as purified water, the FDA requires that water to have gone through one of three purification processes: deionization, reverse osmosis, or distillation.
In all of these forms of filtration, water undergoes a process that removes all but the most basic water molecules, so you end up with water at its most elemental, or pure, form. So when you’re looking at bottled water labels and see terms like “deionized water” or “reverse osmosis water” those are generally clues the water is purified according to FDA standards for bottled drinking water.
Spring Water Vs. Purified Water
Deciding between spring water and purified water often comes down to personal preference, as well as your own body’s needs. For example, people looking to add beneficial minerals to their routine would be wise to consider spring water rather than other types of bottled water. Or it may be that your preference is for a more clean taste, in which case you might opt for simpler, purified water.
If you’re using water with appliances like medical equipment, humidifiers, or diffusers, purified water generally makes a wiser choice since appliances of all kinds can use purified water more efficiently. The minerals present in spring water slow down and complicate the process of most water-based devices.
If you need dependable water all over your home, filtered, purified water can be a great choice to make sure all of your water appliances are running at peak efficiency, and that your water tastes great, too. A point-of-entry water filtration system, like our whole home water filters, can also eliminate reliance on bottled water, since it turns your tap water into great-tasting, high quality drinking water, no matter what kind of water you rely on from your municipal system.
