Category
What comes out of the tap, and what you can do about it.
Water
Step one is free: check the water quality report EPA requires your supplier to send each year. If it lists PFAS, or your home may have lead pipes or older brass fixtures, pick a certified filter: one clips onto your tap with no tools, and one fits under the sink if you can install it.
Our pick
No tools, renter-friendly: PUR PLUS faucet filter, vertical (FM2500V)
Unfiltered tap waterswap to Certified water filterTap water can carry lead from old pipes and faucets, and PFAS too, and you can’t see, taste or smell lead. EPA says there’s no known safe level of lead in a child’s blood. These swaps go in order of cost. First, read your water supplier’s yearly quality report, which names your water’s source and the contaminants it found. Second, follow EPA’s free advice: flush the pipes before drinking, and use only cold water for drinking, cooking and baby formula, because boiling doesn’t remove lead. Third, if you want a filter, choose one whose certificate names what you care about: NSF/ANSI 53 covers lead, while NSF/ANSI 42 covers only taste and odour. Our faucet-filter pick, for renters, is certified for lead and total PFAS; the under-sink pick, if you can install it, for lead and PFOA/PFOS.
