Installing under-sink water filters is a quick, easy, and cost-effective way to ensure that your tap water is safe and delicious. And the improvement could be far more significant than you think: While the United States boasts some of the world’s safest drinking water, it is far from ideal. Lead-tainted tap water is a problem all around the country, not just in Flint, Michigan.
Because lead pipes and service lines connect up to 10 million American houses to water, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working to enhance its lead and copper rules. Then there’s the PFAS issue (short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). These so-called everlasting chemicals, which are employed in the making of various consumer products as well as firefighting foam, are poisoning groundwater supplies at an alarming rate, prompting the EPA to issue a health advisory.
What are the benefits of an under-sink water filter?
Even if your tap water is clear of contaminants, it may have an off-putting flavor since public water systems employ chlorine to eliminate disease-causing organisms like Salmonella and Campylobacter. That’s why the Good Housekeeping Institute’s specialists put all kinds of water filtration products to the test, from simple water filter pitchers to complex whole-house systems. While all of these choices have their place in the market, our experts believe that under-sink water filters are the best option for the majority of households.
Under-sink water filters, as the name implies, are put in the cabinet beneath the kitchen sink; the dispenser is usually located next to the main kitchen faucet. The best under-sink water filters, according to our engineers, do a good job of eliminating impurities without clogging. They do so in a non-obtrusive manner. “Under-sink water filters take up a little cabinet space, but they don’t clog the sink deck as countertop filters do, and they’re not as cumbersome as faucet-mounted filters,” explains Rachel Rothman, chief engineer at the Good Housekeeping Institute, which oversees our water filter reviews.
How we test under-sink water filters
Only water filters certified by NSF International, the group that establishes public health standards and certification procedures for the sector, were reviewed by our specialists to narrow the field. We’ve gone over a lot of data over the years, such as examining which NSF standard the filters are approved for (some standards cover only lead, like NSF 372, while others also include agricultural and industrial toxins, like NSF 401).
Stage Max Flow Claryum
Aquasana has earned a reputation as a leader in water filtering during the last quarter-century. Its revolutionary multi-filtration system, which is NSF-certified to collect 77 pollutants, including heavy metals, pesticides, medicines, and water treatment disinfectants, wins top marks from our engineers. It’s also one of the only filters approved to remove PFAS, which is one of the reasons why Birnur Aral, Ph.D., director of the GH Health, Beauty, Environment, and Sustainability Lab, installed one in her own house. Even though she uses it for everything from cooking to filling the coffee maker each morning — and, of course, plenty of hydration throughout the day — the gadget handles all that filtering without premature clogging or a decline in flow rate, as she attests.
- Filter types: Pre-filter, activated carbon and catalytic carbon with ion-exchange
- Filter capacity: 800 gallons
- Filter costs per year: $140
Why do we love it
- Filtration is excellent, including PFAS.
- Easy to install.
- Resists clogging
EZ-Change
While we haven’t tried this system, Culligan is a well-known name in water filtration with a track record backed up by previous Good Housekeeping reviews. Aside from the low initial cost, replacement filters are also inexpensive. It has been certified to catch a wide range of contaminants, including lead, mercury, and cysts, as well as to decrease chlorine taste and odor. However, its granular activated carbon filtration isn’t as good as some of the other top picks: The filter, for example, does not meet NSF standard 401, which addresses medicines, herbicides, and pesticides. Before needing to be replaced, the EZ-Change can filter 500 gallons. That’s decent for a low-cost filter, but it’s less than the 700 to 800 gallons that some versions can handle.
- Filter type: Granular activated carbon
- Filter capacity: 400 gallons
- Filter costs per year: $80
Why do we love it
- Excellent price
- Installation and filter replacement are both simple.
Aquaversa MP750
If you don’t have a lot of cabinet space in your kitchen, you’ll like MultiPure’s under-sink water filter’s small design. Our specialists discovered that the 5.8″ x 5.8″ x 8.5″ housing may be attached to a cabinet wall, leaving plenty of space under the sink for other items. It was simple to set up at first, and replacing the filter is similarly simple. The solid carbon block filter is certified to NSF standards 42, 53, and 401 and is effective at capturing a wide range of pollutants. Flow rate stays strong and stable even during the summer months, when home water use peaks, according to our tester, assuming the filter is serviced annually.
- Filter type: Solid carbon block
- Filter capacity: 750 gallons
- Filter costs per year: $96
Why do we love it
- Compact design
- Filtration is excellent.
- Resists clogging
Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System
The Waterdrop under-sink water filter is not inexpensive, but it is hundreds of dollars less than competing reverse osmosis (RO) systems. According to the manufacturer, its tankless design saves space and is also more water-efficient. While we haven’t tested the unit, previous reviews on RO technology have shown that it is effective at removing pollutants. The Waterdrop is NSF 58 certified, one of the highest standards, and can withstand heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and PFAS. The sophisticated design of the device, featuring the filter light indicator on the faucet and the smart monitoring panel, which tells you how much TDS (total dissolved solids) is being filtered out of your water, appeals to our engineers. One caveat: unlike the other filters in our roundup, the Waterdrop isn’t meant for well water since big particulates can block the filter.
- Filter type: Reverse osmosis
- Filter capacity: 400 gallons
- Filter costs per year: $130
Why do we love it
- Filtering of exceptional quality
- The design is small and tankless.
- Smart controls
