People all over the globe choose to drink bottled water over tap water for a multitude of different reasons. The taste, the cleanliness and the accessibility of bottled water all enter the equation for peoples preference of bottled water, but we have decided to delve into some bottled water facts to see if you still think bottled water is better.

Bottled Water vs Tap Water

Water is made up of a collection atoms and is known as ultra-pure water and can actually do you harm! The water that we drink is packed full of small particles, salts, sugars and additives that means it can be absorbed by your cells, but also alters the way it tastes.

Most of the water that we drink from the tap comes from reservoirs, lakes, streams and other sources of surface water. This means it has to be purified in a very harsh way in order to remove the bad bacteria, but also some of those vital particles that help it to taste better. Then the water is pumped through a closed system of pipes, which means chlorine has to be added as this kills the bacteria that grows on the inside of water mains and storage tanks. Chlorine is a highly toxic substance, so even though there is not enough in the water to make you ill, that is what gives tap water its nasty taste.

Bottled water however is bottled under much more delicate conditions. The water that most bottled water suppliers use for example, comes from deep underground where the ground has already naturally filtered out most of the toxins. They then draw the water up through a borehole system before it then gets gently filtered and stored in specifically designed breathable stainless steel tanks. This means that bottled water in general retains loads more of those all-important flavour particles.

But why isn’t all water made this way?

The simple reason is down to the cost of this process. The harsher filtration methods and chlorination are cheap and easy methods for local councils to carry out. The reason you pay a premium for bottled water is down to the cost of making it, local councils simply wouldn’t be able to meet demand for the cost we pay for bulk tap water.

In the UK were are very lucky to have ‘safe’ drinking water along with most developed countries such as New Zealand, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Austria, France, Norway and Switzerland just to name a few. Safe drinking water is not a given for the vast majority of countries, and if travelling abroad – even if the water is deemed safe – it is always a good idea to drink bottled water as your body may not be used to local additives or surviving bacteria. Bottled Water is normally always safe due to the way it is made, just remember to check that the cap is security sealed before you consume it.