Spring Water vs. Purified Water: What’s Better For You?

Buying bottled water at the store can feel surprisingly overwhelming. With labels like spring, mineral, deionized, purified, and distilled, it’s easy to wonder what all these terms really mean—and which type of water is right for you.

Understanding the difference between spring and purified water starts with how each is sourced and filtered. According to the FDA, bottled water typically falls into one of three regulated categories:

Let’s break down the key differences between the most common options: spring water and purified water.

In order to be classified as natural spring water, the FDA requires that water must come from an underground well or spring.  Once water has been collected from the spring, it must also be filtered before being bottled and made available for consumers. Most filtration systems for spring water are designed to allow most of the naturally occurring minerals that can make spring water so appealing to remain in the water — so you can enjoy the benefits of mineral rich spring water without having to worry about potentially harmful contaminants.

By contrast, purified water is much more ‘pure’ in composition and has generally undergone more rigorous filtration.

To be classified as purified water, the FDA requires that water to have gone through one of three purification processes: deionization, reverse osmosis, or distillation.

In all of these forms of filtration, water undergoes a process that removes all but the most basic water molecules, so you end up with water at its most elemental, or pure, form. So when you’re looking at bottled water labels and see terms like “deionized water” or “reverse osmosis water” those are generally clues the water is purified according to FDA standards for bottled drinking water.

Deciding between spring water and purified water often comes down to personal preference, as well as your own body’s needs. For example, people looking to add beneficial minerals to their routine would be wise to consider spring water rather than other types of bottled water. Or it may be that your preference is for a more clean taste, in which case you might opt for simpler, purified water.

The minerals present in spring water slow down and complicate the process of most water-based devices.

If you need dependable water all over your home, filtered, purified water can be a great choice to make sure all of your water appliances are running at peak efficiency, and that your water tastes great, too. A point-of-entry water filtration system, like our whole home water filters, can also eliminate reliance on bottled water, since it turns your tap water into great-tasting, high quality drinking water, no matter what kind of water you rely on from your municipal system.

If you’re relying on bottled water every day, it may be time to upgrade how you access clean, great-tasting water—right from the tap.

Culligan’s water filtration solutions make it easy to ditch the bottle and still get reliable, high-quality water at home. Here are a few ways we help:

Our systems are tailored to your local water conditions and backed by decades of expertise in water science. Plus, you can start with a free in-home water test to learn exactly what’s in your water.