Water filters come in a wide variety of sizes, from a compact attachment to your kitchen faucet to a countertop pitcher with a built-in filter, to robust systems that can be attached to your incoming home or office water line. But which one is right for you? Here’s a handy guide to help you decide which level of filtration is right for you.
First, you’ll want to consider your typical water needs, such as if this is just for nourishment or if you have concerns about cleaning, bathing, and even plumbing. You’ll also need to factor in your available space, and how many people in your household have water filtration needs.

Pitcher-sized filters work great when your primary concern is filtration for drinking purposes:
as long as you have enough counter space to accommodate one and don’t have considerations such as lifting a full pitcher of water, they can easily fill the most basic needs. Likewise, a small faucet attachment can take up even less space, plus can be useful if you have additional concerns about water quality when hand-washing dishes or utensils; under-sink models perform this function as well, and can often go longer without a filter change, though these require space to install.

For limited needs, a faucet filter and a separate shower filter can handle both kitchen and bathroom requirements. However, if you require a larger-scale filtering system that can affect all plumbing within your home, including washing machines and dishwashers, then a whole house system will be what you are looking for; while these require professional attachment to the main line, they can remain a permanent fixture to your home for virtually all of its future needs.