How to Imitate the Best Tasting Bottled Water at Home

Although there's nothing wrong with drinking hard water, you might miss being able to pour yourself a cool, clear glass that isn't thick with calcium and magnesium. Bottled water is an option, of course, but it's a pricey one. Drinking water is a necessity, after all, and the constant purchasing of bottled water can quickly drain your bank account and lead to an overload of empty plastic bottles that you have to deal with.

So what do you do if you want to imitate the best tasting bottled water, without the hassle and the cost of buying it? Well, if you have hard water, you will appreciate these tips in making your tap water taste as good as bottled.

1. Get a Point of Use Filter

This is the simplest, most cost-effective way to alter the taste of your tap water. There are also multiple water filter options, so getting the filter that works best for you will not be a problem.

The most common filters on the market, such as Brita, use activated charcoal to filter out excessive minerals and reduce the taste of chlorine in your water. This won't directly imitate most bottled waters, but it will improve the taste of your water at a low cost.

2. Infuse Your Water with Flavor

It's actually really easy, and fun, to add flavor to your water without adding unnecessary sugar or artificial sweetener. All you need is a pitcher of water and a couple of all-natural ingredients.

For example, take a few sprigs of mint and a couple of wedges of lemon and add them to a pitcher of ice water. Leave it for a few hours in your fridge. The water will be incredibly refreshing, with hints of mint and citrus that are not overpowering.

Coming up with ideas for flavoring your water can be a lot of fun. A few chunks of watermelon and some slices of jalapeno, for example, can give you water a sweet, slightly spicy kick. Orange slices leave a more mellow citrus flavor than lemon, and limes can be used if you want more tartness. Basil has a unique taste all its own that blends beautifully with a large number of fruits. Cucumbers, of course, are a long time favorite for making water taste more refreshing.

3. Get a Complete Home Water Refiner

If you want a more bottled water taste from your tap, try using a water refiner. A complete filtration system typically includes four separate filtration medias that work together to filter the minerals, chemicals and foul-tastes out of your home’s water. Bottled waters that don't come from springs go through this sort of filtration before bottling. The result is as clean and pure a tasting water as you can get from your tap. Schedule a free, in-home water quality test with Guardian Water Services to see how you can affordably imitate the best tasting bottled water at home.