My smart buy in 2023_part2 [EN/KR]

Korean tap water is known as one of the cleanest, but Koreans seldom drink it straight from the tap (only about 7% do so, as of 2017). This reluctance stems from a deep-seated distrust of the authorities, rooted in incidents like the heavy metal contamination scare of 1989 and the phenol crisis of 1991. Aggressive marketing by bottled water and water purifier companies in the late '90s significantly altered people's habits. I, too, have been buying bottled water, but the accumulating plastic bottles are no joke. Recycling them is a hassle, and it doesn't seem great for environmental protection. I considered water purifiers, but dropped the idea due to maintenance issues and the space they occupy. Moreover, there are expert opinions and experimental results suggesting that long-term consumption of water filtered through reverse osmosis, which removes even essential minerals, can be harmful.

So, in searching for an alternative, I chose Brita. While its ability to remove heavy metals may not be good as Reverse Osmosis purifiers, it excels in other areas, especially in terms of cost and waste generation. I just fill a jug with tap water, and that's it. I use two Brita filters for cooking and drinking water reserve.

-> Physical filtration for primary purification (Brita)
-> Boiling to remove any possible remaining bacteria.
-> Storage in a container.