How to Alkalize Your Water; Safe Methods of Alkalizing

We’ve received a lot of feedback from you guys wanting to know how to alkalize your water. We often talk about using alkalized water for mixing with our Sea Moss.

Alkalized water is superior water to use with Sea Moss, but it is also a great alternative to regular drinking water, especially tap water.

There are a number of ways how you can alkalize your water which we will touch on shortly. There is something vital that needs to be clarified first.

How to Alkalize Your Water

You need to know the difference between alkaline water and alkalized water. While it may sound like they are the same thing, there is a major difference as only one of these two is healthy.

If you can remember back to your high school science classes, there is a scale for acidity and alkalinity. It is the pH scale.  Most acidic is a 0 and most alkaline is a 14 on the scale.

Your average water sits at a 7, which is called a basic and is right in the middle of the scale. Some tap and bottled water may lean towards a more acidic level due to added chemicals. Alkalized water usually sits somewhere between an 8 to 9.

Is there really a difference?

There certainly is! A brief outline of the two.

Alkaline water

Alkaline water is your generic water which is adjusted to have a pH level of 8 or above.

The process to get this water from a basic or acidic level is by adding chemicals such as Magnesium Chloride or Calcium Chloride.

While it does technically raise the pH to be in the alkaline levels, it is not a healthy way to consume alkaline level water.

The Chloride additives are not naturally occurring minerals. This means the alkaline water is not natural and has had chemicals added to it.

Fortunately, there is a much healthier alternative to consuming alkaline level water.

Alkalized water

Alkalized water can be completely natural or created using a few methods (still natural and safer than the alkaline method).

Alkalized water occurs in nature where a stream of water runs over rocks and collects minerals as it goes. This water is high in natural minerals, but should still not be consumed unless the river is a clean source of water.

Man-made and chemical-free alkalized water is very much a possibility in today’s day and age.

Fortunately, for people who do not have access to fresh, mountainous streams of water, you can create alkalized water in your home thanks to technology. We promise we will get to it shortly!

The sum of the difference

Alkalized water is similar to alkaline water as it has a pH level of 8 or above. The difference between the two is the process used to reach the pH level.

Alkalized water is a much healthier method and can carry a number of benefits with it depending on the method used

You can check out our in-depth write up on alkalized water here (click the link and read after this post, there’s a ton of great information)!

Finally, how to alkalize your water!

There are a couple of ways in which you can alkalize your water in a healthy way. The first two require you to use purified water however to get the best alkaline result:1

Add fruit to your water

You can alkalize your water using fruit. There are a number of different ways, but the most common is to use lemons or limes.

This can come as a surprise as these are some of the most acidic fruits available. In its natural state, lemon juice is a 2 on the pH scale. But once the body has metabolized the lemon juice it actually becomes alkaline, very alkaline in fact.

Depending on your lemon juice, it can reach anywhere in excess of a 7 ranging to 12 on the pH scale.

You can make alkalized water using this method by adding one whole lemon or lime to one liter of water.

The fruit needs to be cut up in half. Juice half the lemon into the water, and cut up the remaining half into smaller pieces or slices and place them in the water.

Use baking soda with water

This method is disputed as a healthy way to alkalize water. While baking soda certainly does change water to an alkaline pH level, it is disputed.

When putting in baking soda, you don’t have the added minerals alkalized water normally contains.

You can add 1/4 of a teaspoon to a glass of water to turn it alkaline.

The next two methods do not require purified water

The reason they don’t require purified water is that these units will do it for you. We’re talking about using countertop alkalizing kits or alkalizing pitchers.

These are units that have filter systems built into them and will both purify and alkalize the tap water passing through them.

When selecting a filter unit, you need to ensure that the unit also adds back in the beneficial minerals removed. Most units will alkalize your water but in the process remove some of the beneficial minerals.

Thankfully most units on the market will have some sort of process that adds back in vital minerals.

You need to be wary however, as the unit you decide to use needs to be able to filter out the chemicals and contaminants in your local water supply.

For example, in Melbourne’s water supply it can contain Chlorine and Fluoride as listed on a local council website. As a result, the alkalizing unit I use is suited to be able to remove these contaminants.

How to Alkalize Your Water - water

Alkaline water ionizers

An alkaline water ionizer is a more permanent fitting you can add to your kitchen sink. There are two types of ionizers, undersink units, and countertops units.

Undersink units are installed underneath your sink and out of sight. A separate faucet can be built into the sink or bench specifically to have direct access to fresh, alkalized water.

Counter-top units are more portable, in the sense that you can screw the fitting onto the end of your faucet and have the unit sit on your bench. Easy to install and remove if required.

They will generally have a fitting that allows you to swap between tap water and water being directed through the counter-top unit.

As mentioned above, this is the technological way that water can be alkalized. The process is done by the unit by using electrolysis to separate out harmful chemicals and add in healthy minerals such as magnesium or hydrogen gas (depending on the ionizer)

Ionizers are the most effective units on the market and generally have the longest filter life. This does come with the trade-off that your initial investment is going to be expensive compared to other methods.

They are also a lot harder to disconnect and take with you than other methods, meaning they are better for longer installation periods.

Water pitchers

An alkalizing water pitcher is a pitcher with a filtration system on top. You pour in tap water and let the filter drain the water into the pitcher below.

The filtration process will take out harmful chemicals and minerals, and alkalize the water, leaving you with clean water.

These pitchers can sometimes be slow to filter, but they will still produce the clean, alkalized water you are after. They are a much more cost-effective way to alkalize your water in the short term.

However, they may cost more overall due to their filter life being shorter than the filter life of an ionizer.

Summing up

There is a downside to alkalizing kits and pitchers, in that their filters will need to be replaced. You can check out which ionizers and pitchers we recommend, as we look to balance quality, longevity, and associated costs.

Some units are quite cheap to replace filters, while others can cost a reasonable sum.

Also see our article on the Best Alkaline Water Ionizers and the Best Alkaline Water Pitchers.

Purifying your tap water is a fantastic start to consuming healthier water. Alkalizing your water is a step further. There is a range of benefits to alkalized water that make alkalizing worthwhile.

Learning how to alkalize your water is a great step in learning to consume better-quality water.

Reference

  1. “Purified Water” – Science Direct Staff, Last checked 23 February 2024 [Science Direct] [Archive] ↩︎

Last Updated on 8 months by D&C Editorial Team

About the Author

Luke has a background in bodybuilding and martial arts. His fitness focus drove his interest in health. After learning about what a plant based diet can offer he began to transition from a carnivorous diet to one that comprised of more plants and wholefoods. A devotee of clean drinking water, and clean eating, Luke is on a life long path to fulfillment and understanding.

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