One of the topics I’d really like this blog to be known for, is my natural approach to treating my dogs. From supplements, to food, to medical treatments, I will always seek out a natural approach. Of course, there are times when the natural approach isn’t a good fit for whatever we have going on. Things like Tapeworms. UGH.
Do we have to talk about THAT again? You get one little worm and you never hear the end of it.
For a while now, I’ve been thinking about a series where I share with you, the ways I work to reduce my, and the dog’s exposures to toxins in our lives. Let’s face it, our environments, our world is filled with toxins. We are exposed to thousands of them every day, whether it’s in the air, our home, the products/food we use, or our water.
For years we’ve been told that bottled water is safe. But I recently read a post by the BBC where a report uncovered that almost all bottled water has particles of plastic in them, and while there was no evidence of harm posed by these small particles, I prefer to not ingest them. I also prefer my dogs don’t ingest them.
Of course, there are times and areas of the world, where you may well have to drink from plastic bottles, but whenever possible, I prefer to filter my water myself.
For the last 12 years, I’ve worked in the field of engineering. I learned a lot. One of those things was how our water is processed and treated. While I understand the need for the process, I don’t have to like it.
I would even suggest people with wells, also filter their water. There are all kinds of chemicals and toxins that seep into the ground through rain and natural processes, and it’s just better in my opinion to take as many precautions as you can.
We have city water. Turn on the faucet and you get a strong smell of chlorine, I like to eliminate that chlorine if possible, so I filter it.
Ways to Filter Your Water
Plumbed water filtration systems – We looked at water filtration systems that were plumbed right into the house. Our local home improvement store had two different kinds. One that filtered just the sink you were using and one that filtered all the water for the home. We ultimately did not go with either at the time, as we have too many projects on our plate, but my ideal would be a system for the whole house. That way, I’m reducing the toxins ON my body, as well as the toxins I’m putting IN my body.
Faucet Filters – Before we got our long-neck faucet, we had a Brita filter on the sink. I always had a pitcher of filtered water on the counter, so I could easily refill the dog’s water bowl when there was a need. Then I would refill the pitcher so it was ready the next time I needed it.
Filter Pitchers – With our long-neck faucet, the Brita filter no longer fits, so I bought a Brita pitcher instead. I keep the pitcher on the counter, just like before, and I also have a couple of one quart mason jars filled with water, right next to it. Whenever I fill the dog’s water bowl, I dump another quart into the Brita pitcher.
Rent a filtration system – There are also companies that rent water filtration systems. Where I work, we have a water ‘cooler’ plumbed into our line. It is always full, always filtered water. They will come out and change the filters or unit, once a year. My daughter also rented a system where the water came right out a faucet on the sink.
Boil your water – As for cooking, I do not filter water when I use it for cooking. Mostly because any large amount of water I use, would be boiled, and we all know, boiling water is a great way to sterilize it. SO, that being said, if you don’t have the means to filter your water another way, you could always boil it, and let it cool before drinking.
Today’s post is the first in a series of ways to reduce the toxins and chemicals you and your pet are exposed to.
Wonder what her next topic will be? Your guess is a good as mine.
Do you have any tips to reduce toxins in your life or are there any topics you’d like covered?
We have a rainwater tank and town water. We have to get the rain water straight from he tank as our tap doesn’t work because the house is too high up for the water to get from the tank to the house (stupid architects).
I do try to be natural as well. We used coconut oil for Merlin and it made his coat nice and shiney and silky, but hadn’t really been reducing his scratching and i stopped using it cos it was making his stools a bit loose (even though i was using a teaspoon per day).
Another way to reduce toxins is by buying/growing organically.
What do you use the rainwater for?
Yes, growing and buying organic is a good alternative. Over here, it’s not cheap though, and so many folks cannot afford it.
We use it mostly for drinking and cooking with.
Three out of our four indoor water bowls are bowls with filters in them, and they are our favorite ones to drink out of. The one that is not filtered is one we only occasionally like to drink from and outdoors is, well, outdoors. Fresh unfiltered water in the morning, topped off with more if we need it, also topped with rain, dirt, whatever lands in it, but we tend to still drink mostly from our filtered bowls inside.
Great topic, Jodi! We have a filtration system in our fridge/freezer. I love it, personally, even though it can get expensive replacing the filters. But, hey, at least the dogs (and we humans) have clean water to drink. And I use it to make our coffee in the morning. (Though while I was gone those 3-1/2 months, I know a certain other human was too lazy to take the extra steps to the freezer door to pour the filtered water. Grrrr) Oh well, I’m home now so things are getting done the way I want again.
We get our drinking water from a water machine. We have 10 one gallon jugs we reuse, and refill. Water bottles are wasteful, and in my opinion bad for you.
Oh, I’m going to love this series! We don’t filter our water though. I know what you’re saying, but we feel pretty safe with our well water living here in the country.
We had a whole house filter at our old house because there was so much grit in our water. My hubby hated it, because the filters clogged up so quickly and he was constantly having to change them. They weren’t cheap either.
It can also be a good idea to get your water tested if you don’t want to have to filter it, and then you’ll know (we haven’t done it but we should). The tests aren’t that expensive for homeowners I don’t think, at least not around here.
Love these tips! We use the Brita pitcher system. With all the plastic bottles I see pitched everywhere, I try not to ever buy water in plastic bottles; instead opting to carry a nice Hydroflask that keeps H2O nice and cool and I’m happy. It’s even large enough to keep the dogs well hydrated with me. Can’t wait for the next detox post!