Renovating a kitchen is a great time to add a more consistent design to your space, turning cluttered counters and overflowing shelves into an organized haven.
Unfortunately, this often means less room for all those appliances and gadgets, including one essential item: a water filter. With natural water sources becoming more polluted due to population growth and climate change, treating drinking water at home has never been more worthwhile.
Many people upgrading their kitchen will conceal their refrigerator door to match their cabinets, meaning that there’s no more room for a water or ice dispenser. Others simply don’t want a cheap look plastic pitcher filter to offset their new luxury appliances.
To help, here are 5 convenient but subtle ways to integrate a water filter into your new, sleek kitchen design.
1.Faucet Filters
Having your kitchen tap produces a steady stream of filtered water is both a functional and aesthetically pleasing way to add a water filter.
For renters or those on a budget, a faucet filter is a cheap and convenient solution. These devices contain an activated charcoal cartridge and screw directly onto the end of the tap. When water passes through the filter, it’s then able to remove organic-based contaminants like chlorine and pesticides.
While faucet filters help keep countertops clear of appliances, they can reduce a tap’s flow rate, and some spray and other non-standard faucet endings aren’t compatible. They may also mess with the careful design of premium faucets.
A more premium form of faucet filter is a dual function tap, which is fed by both a regular water line and an under-sink filter. While more expensive, these taps are the ultimate way to sneakily add a filtered water option.
2.Premium Pitcher
Brita-style water filter pitchers are a classic piece of design that combines ergonomics with functionality. For a low price, they allow everybody to easily access cleaner water and can process a couple of liters of tap water within a couple of minutes.
However, there’s no doubt these often cheaply made, plastic pitchers can be an eyesore in the kitchen. They can clutter up counter space and can be difficult to fit into refrigerator shelves.
Recently, several companies have begun producing more premium-looking water filter pitchers for those who don’t want to sacrifice the design of their kitchen. While offering similar filtering power to standard filters, these products can work as the centerpiece of an island or dining table.
3.A Dedicated Faucet
For those planning a full renovation of their kitchen, a designated faucet for filtered water is worth considering. These taps can be much smaller than the standard kitchen faucet, are placed to the side of the sink, and are linked up to a filter mounted under the sink, or to the main water line.
Installing a second faucet is likely to need professional installation and may require alterations to the countertop. As this blog post from Remodeilsta shows, installation costs can quickly mount, however, the results can effective, especially when the faucets are matching.
4.Whole House Filter
An even more significant undertaking than installing an under-sink water filter is to invest in a whole house water filtration system. Using a whole house filter takes away any need to make adjustments in the kitchen, as every faucet in the house will produce clean, drinkable water.
Whole house filters connect to the water line where it enters the building, usually in a boiler room. They contain multiple stages to filter for different types of contaminants. Often, these stages will include a reverse osmosis component, which is capable of removing bacteria and heavy metals, as well as a granulated carbon block, which can filter out organic pollution.
5.Filtered Water Bottles
Finally, a simple solution to water filtering that doesn’t affect the design of your kitchen is to replace single-use plastic water bottles with more sustainable water bottle filters.
As interested in sustainable living and filtered water has grown, an increasing number of brands have begun developing water bottles that double as a filter. Some allow drinkers to scoop up water from potentially unsafe sources like laves and ponds, while others are designed to be light and packable.
These products are not only a great way to keep your kitchen tidy and help the environment, but they also encourage better hydration routines. Buy a water bottle filter for each member of your family, then have them store their bottle in the fridge and be responsible for drinking it throughout the day—convenient for checking how much water your kids are drinking.
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