1. Forum News
    NEW SOFTWARE & SERVER IS COMING!
    Please click on the link below to get the most up to date information: CLICK HERE

Looking for a better solution than tap water

Discussion in 'Container Gardening' started by MrHappyDays, Dec 29, 2025.

  1. MrHappyDays

    MrHappyDays Gardener

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2024
    Messages:
    62
    Gender:
    Male
    Ratings:
    +30
    I know that collecting rain water to water indoor plants is the best option, compared to tap water. I am considering looking for alternatives to rainwater. I have been using bottled still mineral water in recent months.
    Is a Britax filter jug a good alternative? Are there any other suggestions?

    Thanks in advance. In fact, thank you for all your suggestions to my posts this year.
    Best wishes and happy 2026 growing!

    Bryan Happy Days

    PS: My plant project ( Facebook group: Charityplantsevesham has once again been a great success this year. The project itself will have raised around £1400 for Birmingham Childrens Hospital and Cotswold Riding for the Disabled. When pooled with my wife's crafts fundraising we are set to donate over £4000 to the two charities in January!)
     
    • Like Like x 6
    • Pete8

      Pete8 Total Gardener

      Joined:
      Aug 29, 2017
      Messages:
      1,113
      Gender:
      Male
      Occupation:
      Retired
      Location:
      Billericay, Essex
      Ratings:
      +2,734
      I use a Vyair reverse osmosis filter when I run out of rainwater for my blueberries.
      The company is no longer trading, but I'm sure you can find similar units elsewhere.
      Mine cost £45 about 10 years ago and I still use it yearly.
      It's not very eco-friendly as for about 4 gallons of tap water, you'll get about 1 gallon or so of RO water, the rest goes to waste, but I use it to water other plants, so it's not really wasted.
       
    • Plantminded

      Plantminded Total Gardener

      Joined:
      Mar 13, 2024
      Messages:
      3,018
      Gender:
      Male
      Occupation:
      Retired
      Location:
      Wirral
      Ratings:
      +9,898
      I use a Brita water filter but any filtered water would be better than unfiltered tap water, as long as you change the filter regularly. The few houseplants that I have are easy growers like a palm and various succulents and they're fine. I don't get any mineral deposits on the soil surface which might occur with unfiltered water. There are cheaper universal water filters that you can get from a supermarket or online.
       
      Last edited: Dec 29, 2025
    • john558

      john558 Total Gardener

      Joined:
      Feb 14, 2015
      Messages:
      2,848
      Gender:
      Male
      Occupation:
      Retired
      Location:
      Ramsgate, Kent
      Ratings:
      +10,447
      When I boil an Egg I save the water and use it for all my indoor plants
      and starting off seeds in my indoor Growhouse.
       
    • JennyJB

      JennyJB Total Gardener

      Joined:
      Mar 13, 2024
      Messages:
      1,872
      Gender:
      Female
      Location:
      Doncaster, South Yorkshire
      Ratings:
      +6,836
      We use a Brita filter jug for water that's going into the kettle and it does stop the kettle from getting limescale (kettles last longer and don't need descaling). I don't know whether it would also take out minerals that plants need though. I generally use straight tap water for my houseplants and it doesn't seem to do any harm.
       
    • Tidemark

      Tidemark Total Gardener

      Joined:
      Jun 5, 2024
      Messages:
      2,172
      Occupation:
      Long retired
      Location:
      Near Buxton
      Ratings:
      +5,918
      If you have a tumble dryer that collects water in a container the water that it collects is distilled.
       
      • Agree Agree x 1
      • Plantminded

        Plantminded Total Gardener

        Joined:
        Mar 13, 2024
        Messages:
        3,018
        Gender:
        Male
        Occupation:
        Retired
        Location:
        Wirral
        Ratings:
        +9,898
        Plants would obtain minerals from fresh compost or feed rather than tap water. I've never had to descale a kettle here when using filtered water. The water's not hard or soft, just a slight chemical aroma straight out of the tap!
         
        • Agree Agree x 1
        • Philippa

          Philippa Gardener

          Joined:
          Aug 3, 2019
          Messages:
          1,654
          Location:
          West Somerset
          Ratings:
          +3,361
          The only veg I actually boil is beetroot and I use that to water plants indoors or in the GH. I use a steamer for other veg and I use that water for plants too. Other than that, it is always rainwater. Not had any problems with this regime over the years.
           
        • JWK

          JWK Gardener Staff Member

          Joined:
          Jun 3, 2008
          Messages:
          34,577
          Gender:
          Male
          Location:
          Surrey
          Ratings:
          +55,533
          Why not rainwater? it's so much easier and natural and free
           
          • Agree Agree x 2
          • pete

            pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

            Joined:
            Jan 9, 2005
            Messages:
            57,989
            Gender:
            Male
            Occupation:
            Retired
            Location:
            Mid Kent
            Ratings:
            +114,956
            I just use tap water on container plants when the rainwater runs out, which it does frequently during summer.
            If you are worried about chlorine just let it stand for 24hrs, brings it to room temperature as well.

            I'm in a hard water area but never found the need to descale anything other than the coffee machine that brings up a warning light for some reason, probably just based on how many times its been used.
             
            • Agree Agree x 1
            • Alisa

              Alisa Super Gardener

              Joined:
              Apr 21, 2014
              Messages:
              828
              Gender:
              Female
              Location:
              Portsmouth, Hampshire
              Ratings:
              +2,440
              We have ro filter for drinking water, I use it for watering houseplants too.
               
            • ricky101

              ricky101 Total Gardener

              Joined:
              Jun 15, 2016
              Messages:
              3,739
              Gender:
              Male
              Location:
              Sheffield
              Ratings:
              +4,654
              If you are in a hard water area, then a Brita or a cheaper Aqua Optima filter jug should work ok as they remove chlorine plus other nasties and reduce limescale.
              However would suggest for the best water with these filters also use the soft water treatment as well, though only for watering plants.

              If in a soft water area then probalby just using one of these types of treatment which neutralises chlorine almost instantly, but importanly also Chloramines which standard carbon will not do.
              Amazon.co.uk

              Chloramines are used by many water companies, refer to your local water company site to check yours.

              "Chloramines are disinfection byproducts formed from chlorine reacting with ammonia or nitrogenous compounds, used in water treatment for long-lasting residual disinfection"
               
              • Agree Agree x 1
              • JennyJB

                JennyJB Total Gardener

                Joined:
                Mar 13, 2024
                Messages:
                1,872
                Gender:
                Female
                Location:
                Doncaster, South Yorkshire
                Ratings:
                +6,836
                I originally got the water filter jug when our tap water started to have a noticeable chlorine taste. When I asked Yorkshire Water whether there was anything they could do, they said it was because they'd changed how they treated it "to make it safer". The fact that the filter also removes the type of hardness that furs up the kettle was a happy side-effect.
                 
              • Plantminded

                Plantminded Total Gardener

                Joined:
                Mar 13, 2024
                Messages:
                3,018
                Gender:
                Male
                Occupation:
                Retired
                Location:
                Wirral
                Ratings:
                +9,898
                Filtered water definitely tastes better than unfiltered water, but that won’t be a concern for houseplants :biggrin:.
                 
              • JWK

                JWK Gardener Staff Member

                Joined:
                Jun 3, 2008
                Messages:
                34,577
                Gender:
                Male
                Location:
                Surrey
                Ratings:
                +55,533

                Well done @MrHappyDays !
                 
                • Agree Agree x 3
                Loading...

                Share This Page

                1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
                  By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
                  Dismiss Notice