You don’t need a tap water filter whilst you’re in London – but we would definitely recommend it.
London water really does taste different when compared to the tap water of other regions in the UK. There are a few reasons for this, which we will cover in this article.
You’ll often hear that London tap water tastes ‘unpleasant’ (the nice way of putting it).
New Londoners will often find themselves investing in water filter jugs to purify their tap water and ‘soften’ it. More experienced Londoners might be so used to the taste of the tap water that they don’t even think about it anymore.
Today, we’ll be assessing the reasons why you might want to invest in a water filter for your tap water whilst living or staying in London.
Why does London have hard water?
London is notorious for its hard tap water.
It is called hard water because of higher levels of dissolved minerals being present in it – like calcium and magnesium. This results in a different taste that can make for unpleasant drinking.
Whilst hard water might taste different, it won’t actually do you (or your insides) any harm.
However, drinking hard water has been known to result in dry skin or dry hair for some. You’ll notice this much more if you move to London from a region or country that has softer water.
For these reasons, Londoners often invest in water filter jugs for their tap water.
Where can I buy a water filter jug?
Brita Water Filter Jug XL – Buy on Amazon
My experience with a tap water filter jug
When I first moved to Balham, I used to bulk buy water bottles from the local Sainsbury’s to avoid drinking London tap water.
This inevitably resulted in spending copious amounts of money every week on water bottles – not to mention the plastic waste that I used to hoard.
This wasn’t a sustainable model. From finding places to store the water bottles, to the cost of buying them every few days, it just wasn’t working out.
For Christmas, our household received a Brita water filter jug. This was an absolute game-changer for us.
The water filter jug purifies the water – it looks crystal clear as it emerges from the filter housing – and makes the taste so much more pleasant.
It’s also a great little investment to ensure that limescale doesn’t build up excessively in your kettle.
All in all, it’s a must buy.
Final thoughts
Whilst hard water doesn’t carry any long-term health issues, your tastebuds will thank you for filtering your drinking water.
After drinking filtered tap water for a few weeks, try drinking a glass of normal London tap water again. You probably won’t be able to finish the glass. Trust me, I tried.
Drop any questions below and we’ll get back to you!