Content: TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids. It represents the total concentration of dissolved substances in water, which includes inorganic salts like calcium, magnesium, potassium (good minerals) and heavy metals like lead or arsenic (bad stuff).

The Myth: "Zero TDS is best." Not necessarily. Natural spring water has a high TDS because it is rich in minerals.

The Reality:

If you test your water and TDS is high (over 200ppm), you need to know what makes up that number.

A standard carbon filter will NOT lower your TDS reading (because it leaves the minerals in).

Only Reverse Osmosis will lower your TDS reading significantly.

Content: We filter drinking water to avoid the taste of chlorine, but we often forget about bathing in it.

Your skin is your largest organ. When you take a hot shower, your pores open up, and your skin absorbs chlorine. Additionally, the steam from hot showers contains vaporized chlorine which you inhale into your lungs.

Chlorine strips natural oils from your skin and hair, leading to:

Dry, itchy skin.

Brittle hair or dandruff.

Irritation for eczema sufferers.

Installing a shower filter or whole-house system can result in softer skin and shinier hair within weeks.

Content: A common mistake is waiting until the water stops flowing before changing filters. This is dangerous.

Filters work like a sponge. Once a sponge is full, it cannot absorb any more mess. In fact, if you leave a carbon filter too long (over 12 months), it can start dumping trapped bacteria back into your water—making the water worse than if you had no filter at all!

Rule of Thumb:

Sediment Filters: Change every 3-6 months (or when they look brown).

Carbon Blocks: Change every 6-12 months (even if water flows fast).

RO Membranes: Change every 2-3 years.

Content: Many people confuse standard water filters with Reverse Osmosis (RO) purifiers, but they do very different jobs.

Standard Filters (Carbon/Sediment): These act like a sieve. They reduce chlorine, bad tastes, odors, and larger particles. They keep the minerals in the water. They are great for municipal water that is safe but tastes bad.

Reverse Osmosis (Purification): This forces water through a semi-permeable membrane. It removes 95-99% of everything, including dissolved solids (TDS), heavy metals, bacteria, and viruses. It creates ultra-pure water.

Which do you need? If you have hard water or worry about heavy metals, go for RO. If you just want better taste, a standard filter is perfect.

Content: If you have just installed a new filter cartridge or a whole system, you might notice the water looks milky or cloudy. Do not panic! This is not dirt.

This is caused by millions of tiny air bubbles trapped inside the porous structure of the new carbon block. When water is flushed through for the first time, this air is pushed out.

The Test: Fill a glass with the "cloudy" water and set it on a table. Watch it for 60 seconds. You will see the bubbles rise to the top and the water will become crystal clear from the bottom up. This is proof it is just air. It will stop happening after a few days of use.