There are a variety of home water purifiers on the market. Some of them remove chlorine and odor. Some remove additional chemicals and contaminants. It just makes sense to choose a water purifier that blocks everything possible. There is very little difference in price between the best water purifier and the worst, but there is a big difference in quality.

Water purification techniques have come a long way since we began adding chlorine to the water in the late 1800s. Public treatment facilities do not use chlorine because it is the safest or even the best way to disinfect the water. Some bacteria, particularly during the spore or cyst stage are resistant to chlorine disinfection.

Public water purification facilities use chlorine because it is the cheapest choice. The level of chlorine found in some tap water is higher than what is recommended as "safe" to swim in. The taste and smell of the tap water is so bad that many people have been using activated carbon water purifiers on their taps for years. But, many people turned to bottled water.

Water purification through chlorine disinfection creates by-products known as THMs. According to the Breast Cancer Fund, "one common factor among women with breast cancer is that they all have 50-60% higher levels of these THMs in their fat tissue than women without breast cancer." According to the American Journal of Public Health, "Up to two-thirds of the harmful effects of chlorine are due to inhalation and skin absorption while showering."

There are a number of problems with choosing bottled water over bottling your own with a home water purifier. First, there are no regulations regarding which water purification system a bottled water company must use. Almost all bottled water is simply tap water that has been run through water purifiers at the plant.

Recently one bottled water company was required to remove the words "spring water" from its label, since the water did not come from a pure mountain spring, as customers were led to believe. Depending on the location of the factory, the tap water could be of worse quality than what you have in your own home.

If you currently drink only bottled water, you are still showering in chlorinated water. The amount that is absorbed through you skin in the shower is hundreds of times higher than what you would get by drinking the same water. If you are going to shower in it, you may as well be drinking it. Neither option is safe.

You have more control over what you are drinking by choosing a high quality in home water purification system. You can get a single water purifier for the kitchen tap or you can have water purifiers all over the house. To save time and money, some people are choosing a whole house water purification system to provide non-chlorinated, chemical free water every where they go.

While just about any home water purifier can block chlorine, only the best home water purifiers attempt to remove THMs. It is in your best interest to find a home water purification system that successfully blocks THMs. It's just the safest thing to do.