"Water is life", you've heard. No doubt, it's precious. Water helps refresh and cleanse us. We can bathe and cook and water our plants with it. It keeps us safe, healthy, hydrated and regulates our body temperature. Now that we're living life mostly at home again (thanks, government), the water we get from our homes is extremely important. How do we ensure we are pouring down top quality, squeaky-clean, germ-free fluids down our throats all the time? Here are some home-friendly tips we can practice for optimum water quality and usage.
1. Use a high quality and functioning water filter
The water filter that comes with your home/hostel/apartment should be functioning and regularly changed. Check with the maintenance crew to see that everything is okay and you can use your water liberally, without anxiety. If something is wrong and you suspect the quality of your water is not up to standard, make a complaint, pronto. You shouldn't have to get a weird feeling in your stomach AFTER you take your first sip of morning coffee or slurp the first strand of instant noodles.
2. Regularly clean and change your water filter
If you own your own water filter, you must change it yourself. Check with the manufacturer or the company that produced your water filter to see how frequently you must change it. Most typical water filters have to be changed every month or so. Before changing, clean it out. Replace cartridges and other parts that need to be replaced. Do this not just when the quality of water has been affected, but when the pressure has changed, too.
3. Boil water before drinking
If you're using a public water filter and don't know how to fix it, get a kettle and boil the water from the filter before using it. Invest in a decent kettle that can hold up at least a litre of water for your personal use. Warm and hot water is good for drinking while cool water is for ordinary drinks. NEVER consume water directly from the filter, no matter how tempted or thirsty you are. Boil water in advance so you won't have to wait for it to cool down when you must use it.
4. Do not leave water exposed at room temperature
Storing water for later use (understandable in these times of broken pipes and drought)? Cover them so that nasty things don't get into them. After preparing a drink, consume it immediately (or at least don't forget about it). Remember, exposed contained water can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. You don't want those critters bringing in nasty little visitors into your home!
5. Clean up all glasses, cups, dispensers and containers
The utensils and kitchenware you use to drink and store your water must be clean, too. Got a few too many cups and mugs in your room that need a wash? Bring 'em ALL down and give 'em a good scrub. Got old tin cans, buckets and containers that are unused but haven’t been washed in a long time? Scrub ‘em, too. Things that are not fully dry can become a breeding ground for bacteria (they LOVE moisture!). So keep 'em clean.
