The Best Way to Remove Fluoride and Pesticides from Tap Water
One of our readers asked about a Fluoride Water Filter. She also wanted this filter to remove pesticides.
“I’m trying to upgrade from our Pur faucet mount and want to remove fluoride from our water with a new filter. But your app is pointing me to reverse osmosis, which I’ve read wastes a ton of water, so I’d like to find an alternative. We’re in farm country, so I want to be sure our filter takes out pesticides. Undersink is preferable, but we’ll do counter if it seems a better choice. I’m also interested in seeing the costs for replacement filters and how many gallons they’re good for. Thanks for your help! S.S.”
Best Way to Remove Fluoride & Pesticides from Drinking Water
Here’s our response about how to find and select the best fluoride water filter.
As you probably know, Fluoride is among a group of contaminants that is difficult to remove. Most water filters do not remove Fluoride. In fact, most water filters, especially the name brand water pitchers, only remove a handful of contaminants. If you want to drink the cleanest water, you need to look beyond the big box store brands.
Let’s take a look at several good options to remove fluoride and pesticides.
Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Carbon Water Filter System
Your first option is the Aquasana Reverse Osmosis & Carbon Filter system. A carbon filter alone will not remove fluoride and some other tough to remove contaminants, so you need the RO filter as well. We use this Aquasana system in our home. It’s one of the few that has three NSF certifications.
You may have read on our website that we only recommend water filters that have been tested by a certified third-party lab. This RO and Carbon Water Filter System passes that test with high marks. Remember to always read and compare the test results because even certified water filters perform at different levels.
The Aquasana RO system’s performance is impressive in terms of the % of contaminants removed, especially the % of fluoride it reduces. It compares favorably to other systems that may only reduce 50-70%. See the test results for this Aquasana water filter system.
It’s true that an RO system does waste some water, the equivalent of a couple of extra toilet flushes a day. The other concern many people raise is that an RO system strips out the good water minerals. However, with the Aquasana RO system, it has an added feature that remineralizes your water making that issue less of a concern to most people.
The annual cost of maintaining the RO system averages $177.
Propur Container Filters Remove Fluoride
Since you’re concerned about wasted water, you could choose one of the Propur container filters. These containers sit on your counter top. Just like a water filter pitcher, you fill the container with water and let gravity pull the water through the filter. The Propur container filters come in a variety of sizes from the Propur Water Pitcher Filter to the Propur Stainless Steel Water Filter Containers that range from 55 oz. to 4 gallons.
This is the only proven gravity filter we found that removes fluoride. Although Propur doesn’t have NSF certification, Propur’s filters were tested by a certified lab. They share their results on their site–not all water filter manufacturers choose to publish their test results. See the test results for the Propur Water Filter Containers.
We use the water filter pitcher when we travel and at the office. The only drawback is that it is slow! On the other hand, it’s removing as many contaminants as an RO/Carbon Filter, so it’s all a trade-off.
The other nice feature is that the Propur filter does not strip out healthy water minerals. Each filter lasts up to 6 months, so the annual filter cost is $80.
Propur ProMax Counter Top & Under Counter Water Filters Remove Fluoride – NEW Products!
Recently, Propur released an advanced filter that removes Fluoride and over 200 other contaminants. And, this filter exceeds expectations. It makes the RO and carbon filter systems obsolete.
The Propur ProMax Counter Top Water Filter attaches to any standard faucet without a pull-out sprayer. The Propur ProMax Under Counter Water Filter system installs under the counter taking up a fraction of the space that an RO system would occupy. The filter does not waste water, does not need electricity, and does not remove healthy water minerals.
These water filters reduce/remove a broad range of over 200 contaminants including VOCs, lead, fluoride, heavy metals, pesticides, SVCs, disinfectants, inorganic non-metallics, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, PFOA, PFOS, and micro-organisms.
Tested by a certified third-party lab to meet NSF 42, NSF 53, and NSF P231 standards. See the third-party lab results on this Propur ProMax Water Filter System.
The filters last about 9 months depending on usage, so the annual filter cost is $80.
Have a question for us? Contact us and Ask Pure Living Space. We’ll help research and provide answers.