I have been wanting to go plastic-free with our dishes and glasses for a while. I’ve thrown out the girls’ childish plastic plates (the now use our “adult” ceramic plates) and their plastic glasses (replaced with glass tumblers from One Kings Lane). The last thing we wanted to do was to have a plastic free water filter.
We’ve used a plastic filter for a very, very long time now and it was something that I just haven’t had a chance to change. When The Hubby and I were out for a date, we ate at this restaurant in TriBeCa that gave us water from a glass tumbler with a piece of dark wood in it. We didn’t know what it was, but all we new was that the water was cold, crisp, clear and tasted really good.
A few weeks after that, I was googling “glass pitchers”, “glass water pitchers with filters” and came across a forum where someone had mentioned Kishu Charcoals. I was intrigued and went on their website. What makes it work is that Kishu Charcoals are made up of the activated charcoals (made from 100% natural oak tree branches) that is actually what makes your plastic filter, well, a filter. In a nut-shell, Kishu Charcoals are:
1. The only completely plastic free water filter in the world
2. Made from the finest Japanese activated charcoal
3. Created by artisans using an ancient technique
4. Individually hand cut — every stick is different
5. Produces the most delicious tasting tap water
All you have to do is take the Kishu Charcoal out of its packaging and drop it into a glass pitcher and it begins working immediately. Every month, all you have to do is boil the Kishu in a shallow pan of water for 10 minutes, then let it dry for 30 minutes. It’s good for up to four months. They have three sizes: regular (for water pitchers), to go (for water bottles) and x-large (for gallons).
After four months, Kishu Charcoal can be used as a deodorizer in your refrigerator (instead of baking soda), smelly shoes, or in your garbage pail. You can even break it up and add it into your garden soil to help improve water absorption! Healthy and green all around!
We have tried it for the past several weeks and we truly love it! It puts my mind at east that the water we are drinking is not sitting in a plastic container 24-hours a day. I like that the Kishu filter itself is natural.
We went away for several days for a family vacation and came back to a somewhat-stinky fridge. Normally, our water would be affected by the smell, but I had a glass of the Kishu filtered water and it didn’t have any bad after-taste at all.
If you’re thinking of buying a plastic free water filter, I would seriously recommend Kishu Charcoal. We now have two glass pitchers using the Kishu Charcoal!
For more information, visit the Kishu Charcoal website.