The Budget Savvy Travelers (@thebstravelers)

Our “Water Filtration Journey” actually began right here in Tucson. We have come full circle. 😅🚰 Our first real exposure to proper water filtration was when we stayed at an Airbnb here in Tucson, where our host provided a filtration system for her guests. She informed us that many Arizonans choose not to drink straight tap water because of concerns surrounding water quality, mineral content, and the overall taste of the water here. Arizona’s desert environment creates some unique water challenges. Much of the state relies on groundwater sources that naturally pick up dissolved minerals, which can contribute to higher TDS readings. Certain areas of Arizona have also had concerns with naturally occurring contaminants like arsenic, along with other water quality issues that make additional filtration a must for many households. After that stay in Tucson, and we moved on to Lake Havasu, where that Airbnb had a beautiful built-in reverse osmosis filtration system. So after that summer of having quality water filters, we've been full RO, all the way! 🛡️ This is our countertop unit. Works great for us as travelers --> https://amzn.to/4fac8LT #ad Here are our values for our current Tucson tap water, tested with our TDS meter as seen here: https://amzn.to/4wGZ2eO #ad Using our TDS water meter, we compared: 💧 Tucson tap water 595 (WOW) 😬 💧 Tucson refrigerator-filtered water 338 💧 Our countertop reverse osmosis system 55 (replacement filters are on their way!) While TDS doesn’t tell the entire story of water quality, it does show the amount of dissolved solids in the water and gives us a better understanding of why filtration has become such an important part of our daily lives.