If you’ve read our post about filtered water for the bathroom, you already know we’re pretty paranoid about water quality. That journey actually started with a bigger question: What’s really in our tap water? And more importantly—is our Brita filter doing enough to remove it all? After some digging, testing, and a few too many floaty particles in our glass, we decided: reverse osmosis filtered water was the best solution for our home.
Why We Ditched the Brita
There was one moment that really tipped us over the edge.
I had just replaced our Brita filter with a fresh cartridge, poured myself a glass, and noticed tiny particles floating in the water. That shouldn’t be happening, right? It got us thinking: if this is what we can see, what else is in there that we can’t?
We were already learning more about endocrine disruptors, hormone imbalances, and the impact of environmental toxins. The idea that unfiltered tap water could be a contributor pushed us to start researching—hard.
First Step: Check Your Tap Water Report
Before diving into buying a water filtration system, we visited the Environmental Working Group (EWG) website to check our local water quality. It’s an amazing resource. Just enter your zip code, and you get a full breakdown of the contaminants detected in your area—and how far off they are from safe guidelines.
Spoiler: We were way off. Definitely not comforting.
Still, we wanted to be sure this wasn’t just a city-wide issue, and that our apartment wasn’t somehow filtering better internally. So we moved on to step two.
Step Two: Test Your Water Yourself (It’s Easy)
We ordered a simple PPM water tester—a tool that measures Parts Per Million of dissolved solids like minerals, salts, and potentially harmful contaminants. They’re super cheap, easy to use, and highly recommended on Reddit, X, and YouTube.
We ran a test using our tap water and compared it to filtered water.
The results? Let’s just say we weren’t thrilled.
For reference, we also came across a helpful breakdown from http://watersmartsystems.com.com showing what reverse osmosis filters remove (and what they don’t). It became clear that RO filters are one of the most effective systems for getting truly clean water.
Finding the Right Reverse Osmosis Water Filter (For a Rental)
We knew we wanted an RO filter—but our next challenge was finding one that actually worked for a rental apartment. The standard systems we saw involved under-sink installations or bulky water tanks—things we couldn’t (and didn’t want to) deal with in a small space.
So we created a shortlist of our must-haves:
- No permanent installation
- Countertop-friendly and compact
- Easy to move if we changed apartments
- Simple to use and maintain
Our Pick: The Simpure Y7P
After comparing brands like Waterdrop, Bluevua, Ecoviva, and others, we landed on the Simpure Y7P. It checked all the boxes:
- No plumbing required
- Compact enough for our countertop
- Filters last several months
- Produces clean, great-tasting water with nearly zero PPM
And honestly, we love how low-maintenance it is.
Real Results: Tap Water vs. Reverse Osmosis Water
We tested our Simpure unit right after setup using our PPM meter. In one cup: our regular NYC tap water. In the other: the water straight from the RO filter.
The difference was massive.
I’ll post the photos below so you can see for yourself. Let’s just say—you won’t regret making the switch.
Tap water at 294 ppm
Reverse osmosis filtered water at 33 ppm
Final Thoughts
If you’re on a mission to detox your home—like we are—a reverse osmosis water filter is one of the best investments you can make. It’s simple, effective, and gives peace of mind every time you take a sip.
Whether you’re pregnant, have kids, or just want to avoid toxins, you deserve clean water. And this is the cleanest water we’ve found.
