General Question

zensky's avatar

Do you drink bottled water?

Asked by zensky (13418points) October 20th, 2011

I was watching an interesting programme on it – and I would like to do a little research – please take an extra minute to write why, or why not – not just yes or no.

Thanks.

This is in General.

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39 Answers

tom_g's avatar

I carry a stainless steel Klean Kanteen filled with tap water nearly everywhere I go. Does that count?

rts486's avatar

Tap water is good enough for me, but I understand how in someplaces the tap water may not taste all that great.

jrpowell's avatar

If I am out I will buy one since I don’t drink soda. But we have really great tap water here so I wouldn’t buy it for consumption around the house.

jsc3791's avatar

The only time I drink bottled water is when there is no means of getting tap water where I am.

I am Catholic and usually give something up for Lent each year. Last year I gave up anything that came in a pastic bottle. It’s a life change I’ve sustained after Lent was over.

I only drink bottled water as a last resort.

As one of the countries in the world (USA) that has clean drinking water, it’s shameful not to take advantage of it. We should consider ourselves lucky to have it.

Spallybob1232's avatar

I do not drink water that often, but if I go somewhere and do physical activities I find myself bringing a bottle of water with me. Usually I drink juice in a washable cup or bottle.

flutherother's avatar

Water comes pure and fresh straight from the tap here and it would be foolish to pay extra to carry it home in a plastic bottle. I never buy bottled water unless I am on holiday.

ANef_is_Enuf's avatar

I drink tap water. I may drink bottled water when I’m out, but if tap water is available that’s what I drink.

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snowberry's avatar

In the place we used to live the water was terrible. It smelled so bad I hated to take a shower! I bought bottled water until we could afford to get an expensive water filter.

sydsydrox's avatar

No, I don’t drink water out of a bottle. I’m afraid to leave it somewhere. I have an older brother, and the last time I drunk out of a water bottle, he drunk out of it while I used the bathroom. GROSS. Plus, I heard that chemicals from the bottle can melt into the water if you leave it outside in the heat. So, I prefer tap water in glasses.

CaptainHarley's avatar

I use bottled water for my coffee every morning, since I’m a bit of a perfectionist, but seldom drink it otherwise.

Adirondackwannabe's avatar

Yes, I drink bottled water. I had the idea to refill one of my bottles from a water cooler in the building here one day. I just barely managed to not spit the result on the floor. Our municpal water is barely above cow piss.

Buttonstc's avatar

Where I’m currently living the water is SO loaded with minerals which are not removed by Brita or anything that it’s just awful. EVERYTHING gets so clogged up and crusted over as to be rendered useless, coffee makers, stainless pet bowls, steamers, Brita filter pitcher,etc etc.

All the glassware and dark coloredd dishes have a hazy film over them, pots get ruined. It’s absolutely awful. There is only so much that vinegar can do to keep up. Every few days? Good grief ! !

I’ve never seen anything like it in any other place I’ve lived and I just refuse to ruin every single appliance I own. And what does all that gunk do to one’s body systems ?

Prior to living here, I NEVER used bottled water. I used a Brita or just plain evaporation to get rid of the horrid chlorine taste and that was it.

I hate the idea of bottled water but it’s a necessary evil. I try to recycle the bottles for multiple uses (milk, juice, coffee etc) as much as I can.

Buying a a whole house filter is not an option (even if I were willing to endure the huge amts. of salt dumped into my system) since I don’t own the house.

So, bottled water is a stopgap measure until I move. Ugh.

wilma's avatar

I rarely drink bottle water. Our tap water is good. I usually only buy water in a bottle when I have no other option.

wonderingwhy's avatar

Pretty much tap only except when I’m traveling. I do keep a cold bottle of tap water in the fridge and we have a few (8 I think) cases on hand for emergencies though. Just don’t see the reason to pay for the extra expense. My wife on the other hand lives off the stuff (A habit from when she was a kid and couldn’t drink the water when she was a kid plus wanting to have a ready supply of water with her where ever she is) – which works well because it makes sure our stored stuff gets cycled. Though she is working on switching to filtered tap water.

JLeslie's avatar

Rarely. Once in a while I buy one out of a vending machine like I would buy a coke. At restaurants it varies. Sometimes tap sometimes bottled, depends where I am. At home we filter our tap water.

blueiiznh's avatar

No. Its a waste of resources. I use a Brita Dispenser

I drink about 60oz a day

Facade's avatar

No. We drink filtered tap water.

prasad's avatar

I drink tap water, filtered though.
In India, most people do drink tap water, often filtered. In rainy season, it is common that tap water doesn’t look clean; it looks like this (this is too much dusty. When we keep water in bottle, then dust sags down at the bottom). Then, we filter it first, then boil it and let it cool, then again filter or directly use it for drinking.
I buy bottled water, if I have forgotten to take water along-with.
Here is a portal I found on “Portal:Water, Sanitation & Hygiene” : http://www.grassrootswiki.org/index.php/Portal:Water,_Sanitation%26_Hygiene_

Simone_De_Beauvoir's avatar

Every once in awhile, yes. I do, however, know what the issues surrounding bottled water are so I try to carry steel bottle with me everywhere, I have like 7, one in each bag.

OpryLeigh's avatar

Rarely. I can get decent drinking water from my tap so, if I can help it, I don’t bother biuying it in a bottle. On occassion, if I am out and about and need to drink I will have bottled water but, even then, I will usually go for something a bit more interesting.

gr8teful's avatar

No.I think the same with many trendy health ideas-don’t you think Steve Jobs- a highly intelligent man-probably ate very healthily-probably had a water purifier and yet he suffered and died from pancreatic cancer.Bottled water is extremely expensive and unneccessary-great marketing in the 1980’s introduced bottled water as a trendy thing to drink.You are uncool or poor and working class if you don’t buy bottled water.
In Italy there are public water taps-because it is a hot Country-people drink from them-i think this is a Great idea in any Country-free water.

mrrich724's avatar

I drink bottled mainly for the convenience. It’s always cold.

But I also drink it because of the purity. My tap water, if left out to sit, will eventually have sediment at the bottom of the glass. Also, if you hold up a glass of my tap and a glass of my bottled, the tap water is “less clear,” very very very faintly tinged with yellow.

I live in S. Florida. I don’t like S.F’s tap. I also don’t like California tap, it’s disgusting. NY tap, and North Carolina tap, and even North Florida tap is very drinkable though, and I will usually bottle my own when in a location with tasty tap.

Hibernate's avatar

Sometimes but we have a good water source for the town [direct from the mountains and it’s filtrated] so I usually drink the water that I get from the sink.

nikipedia's avatar

Every once in a while I won’t have cash on me when I go to the farmer’s market, so I’ll go to the grocery store and buy a bottle of water to get cash back. I keep the water bottle around and take it on runs with me.

Or if I’m out somewhere and really thirsty. I had one of those metal bottles for a while but I lost it and haven’t bothered to replace it yet.

zenvelo's avatar

Only if I can’t get tap water. I have a stainless steel BpA free water bottle I use.

We have 5 gallon bottle bottled water in our office. The bottles are refillable. There’s no tap water in the building except the bathroom sink.

downtide's avatar

Very rarely, and only if I need some while I’m out. At home I drink plain old tapwater; our local water is very good.

Blueroses's avatar

I’m downstream from two huge oil refineries and the tap water tastes like a mouthful of Clorox. I just don’t really trust it. I have a 5 gallon water cooler at home and I take the bottles to refill out of town from a mountain spring source. I carry a reusable bottle that I fill from my cooler.

YARNLADY's avatar

We drink filtered water in the house, and purchase bottled water that is osmosis processed for the car and our pantry storage.

The filter we used is specifically designed to capture the particles and metals contained in our tapwater, per the water company analysis.

Bellatrix's avatar

I do buy bottled water, but only if I am out and about and need a drink and forgot to take a water bottle. I keep the bottles though and wash and refill them from the tap and use them again.

The only reason is I need a drink and forgot to take one. I avoid buying bottled water where possible. We have perfectly good tap water here and I don’t like to add to the plastic rubbish if I can avoid it.

AshLeigh's avatar

I usually drink bottled water.
The tap water from my house tastes like dirt. It’s gross.
Bottled water is also easier to be able to carry to school.

Berserker's avatar

Ah, no. I might buy one if I’m really thirsty, and don’t feel like having anything else. That’s if a tap is unavailable to me. I have a Brita thing though, which filters tap water, it’s pretty cool.

njnyjobs's avatar

Yes, I do drink bottled water. It’s a convenient way to take along on trips. I always have a few bottles in small coolers in all my vehicles for when the needs arises. When we consume bottled water, we make sure that we dispose of the empty bottle accordingly for recycling

At home, at work and even when dining out, tap water is what I go for.

rooeytoo's avatar

We have a filter at home but the filter itself must need to be replaced, the water suddenly tastes terrible and of course I have not found the time to locate a replacement filter yet. I checked out the price of having water delivered in the big bottles but it is prohibitive plus the bottles are plastic so what is the difference between that and small bottles. I have a stainless steel bottle but it is a pain to wash so I am embarrassed to admit at the moment I am drinking bottled water and contributing to the plastic pollution of the world. They are dirt cheap when bought by the case, very convenient and I don’t have to wash the damned things when they are empty.

I do not like the taste of chlorine in the local water and who knows what other chemicals etc. are in it.

Soon I will get a new filter though and go back to my stainless bottle. I promise!

Taz0007's avatar

Tap tastes awful in some areas, like chalky and bitty, so I would potentially if I lived somewhere like that…or just buy a filter…that would actually be more cost effective. I live where water from the tap is just fine so it’s a lot cheaper to drink that!
I saw a programme with Richard Hammond (top gear) a few years ago where he sold “bottled” water (which was actually from the tap in his home) as it was tested and met the measures it had to in order to be sold…can remember the ins and outs exactly but greatly demonstrated how the water you get in a bottle might not be all it’s cracked up to be! Take the Dasani controversy a few years back!

rooeytoo's avatar

@zensky – What horrible things did you hear about in the program? How quickly am I killing myself by drinking water from plastic bottles???

dk6hgsds9axe3's avatar

No, unless I’m thirsty and not near a convenient tap

Hacksawhawk's avatar

I used to drink like 6 to 7 plastic bottles of 2l a week at my dorm. You can imagine that being a lot of plastic waste. But I saw a documentary on what plastic does to the environment, so I switched to Brita filtered tap water.
I still have plastic bottles at my dorm, but those are only used for when the brita filter is quite inconvenient. At home home I also drink gallons of water, but that’s from glass bottles, so go me for being environmental friendly at home!

DiamondHouse's avatar

Yes, I came from Afghanistan and back then we drank from fossite and used our hands as a funnel . My province didn;t have bottled anything at the time. Therefore now living in the states, having the privilege to I chose to drink from bottled.

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