I have this love-hate relationship with my Brita pitcher. On the one hand, the jug of refreshing cold water straight from the fridge totally reminds me of my grandparents' house. The only catch is that I can never remember to fill the stupid thing. I need to paste a friendly reminder to the fridge: Refill every time you pour a glass!
When you have a freshly-filled water-filtering pitcher, the world is your oyster. It gives you glass after glass of cool, fresh water without any of your city's water build-up inside. Then, suddenly, the magic comes to an end when you're faced with thirst and an empty pitcher — and waiting for the water to trickle back through the filter.
So this is just a friendly reminder to refill your pitcher before you even take it out of the fridge — fill your glass with tap water, and pour it into the pitcher. Only then pour cold, filtered water into your glass.
Yes, you will have to pay attention so you don't mix the filtered and unfiltered water when you pour, but it means that you'll always have a full pitcher and the previously cold water will quickly chill down the water you're adding back in. Never wait for cold water again!
It might sound like a simple tip, but as the days get longer and things heat up, it's a good idea to keep your cold water always topped up.
• Read More: Avoid The Dreaded Empty Brita Pitcher from Reddit
Related: Dinner Party Reminder: Put a Pitcher of Water on the Table
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Wait. So you're telling me to use a glass full of tap water, pour it into the pitcher, and refill it from the filtered water in the pitcher.
*headdesk*
Let me just say: I am 38 years old, have owned various filter pitchers for a good 20 years now, and I have NEVER ONCE THOUGHT OF THIS. That has got to be an easier solution than threatening to spit in family members' food if they don't fill it back up.
Thanks, Mom.
Yes!! Everytime!!
The other day....I openeed my Brita pitcher...and there was some kind of green mildew in it!! Eww!!! I bleached it and ran it through the dishwasher w/ some vinegar and it cleaned it out...but stil...anyone else experience this??
DD Lizzy, this was my plan! I should do this at work since that's where the refilling is forgotten most. It would be a great habit to get others into!
Operator, how often do you clean your pitcher? where do you keep it normally?
Nice idea, but this totally would take the fun out of writing passive aggressive notes to your roommates. :)
If you fill it before you pour, you have to be really careful and/or give it a few minutes to filter first! In my little office of 3, we've lost track of the number of times we've had to sop up giant puddles after one person has filled up the Pur pitcher, and another person unwittingly pours a glass before the water is filtered down, causing the lid to fly off and water to go everywhere.
Not only am I fighting the losing battle of refilling the pitcher, but also putting it back into the fridge. We have a second brita on the counter for the kuerig, and half the time not only is the kuerig empty, but so are both britas. Boys.
#firstworldproblems
Indeed!
Two things come to mind:
The charcoal filter in the Brita pitcher should always be wet, i.e. the water level should never be below the bottom of the filter. A dry filter is ineffective (or something like that).
Doesn't everyone thoroughly wash every part of the pitcher when changing out the filters? Otherwise, that's just gross!
If I was willing to drink less than completely cold water, I wouldn't bother with keeping it in the fridge in the first place. So no, I will not pour a glass of warm water into my pitcher of cold water right BEFORE I pour myself a glass.
I fill the pitcher every night after I finish the dishes so that it has all night to get cold before I start drinking out of it again. I don't drink more than a pitcher's worth each day, so that works fine.
I pour myself a glass first before refill the pitcher. I add at least 6 cubes of ice. I don't want the next person to get uncold water.
This tip is terrible because it doesnt work. If there is water in the top portion it will come out when you pour it - in every pitcher I've ever owned. There is no "be careful". I've always enjoyed laughing at/with my girlfriend when I see her impatiently waiting for the pitcher to filter itself because she decided to top it off BEFORE pouring.
I'm with Joey C. Why not pour yourself a cold drink, *then* stick the pitcher back under the tap for a couple of secs before putting it back in the fridge?
I refill the pitcher after I pour out what I need, so I have a full pitcher ready to go....
i like room temp water. if i refill before i pour, it pours all over the counter!
Or you could just take it out of the fridge and fill it up since you need to take it out of the fridge anyway to pour yourself a glass.
i live with a child. it's not uncommon for me to want a glass of water only to find the empty pitcher in the fridge. threats of bodily harm or being sold to gypsies have no effect.
I clean my pitcher regularly! And I keep it in the fridge! I've never had that happen before until just this last time. I wonder if the filter was bad...
Seriously? You pour out what you want, fill the pitcher from the tap and put it in the fridge. How is that difficult to remember?
Jerks like my brothers never fill up. They also don't refill the ice tray, change toilet paper roll or throw away emptied milk cartons.
I have resolved to using personal drinking bottles even at home. A one-litre bottle that I take to the gym, I top it up in the morning before they wake up and keep it in the fridge.
it called get a water cooler....much easier.
My Brita got algae on the bottom too when it was in a sunny part of the kitchen. We leave ours on the counter and now put it in a dark part of the kitchen, problem solved.
Or, you can have 2 pitchers, if there's room in your fridge. The smaller, thin ones would fit about anywhere.
Pouring a glass of water after refilling it seems to be a good way to make a mess.
If your filtered water pitcher keeps going dry, consider a water bottle purifier designed to be drank from after just refilling.
i had no idea ppl had problems doing this.
*shaking head*
I have an under sink water filtration system and I never have to remember to refill any pitchers. Or you could get one of those attachments for your faucet - they never run out and they never spill.
I used Brita for many many years.. finally got tired of the never ending pitcher filling process.. got myself one of those faucet filter from PUR. much better..
Or you could just drink tap water...
I have a large filter container in my fridge, it's not a pitcher. I almost never take it out of the fridge. First thing in the morning when I get my glass of cold water, I grab a glass pitcher and fill it then pour into the filtered water container in the fridge. Same idea, but I fill the entire upper reservoir each time and sometimes twice a day because I drink like a fish!
I don't take it out of the fridge because I LOVE cold water. My husband always takes it out, sets it in the sink to fill, waits for the water to drain down and refill again, but he NEVER puts it back. Then, it's warm and I dont like it warm and we don't always have ice handy. :) This is why I keep it in the fridge at all times and just refill there!
Anal... I know.
@SteveThreePO I try to tell my boyfriend the exact same thing. Our city water has been voted cleanest, and best tasting numerous times, so I never see the harm in drinking the tap water. Besides, we fill up our ice cube trays with tap water so its seems a little pointless to fill up a glass of unfiltered ice cubes with filtered water.
Curious, has anyone tried this Design Within Reach pitcher?
Here's another awesome tip. I'm sure I'm not the only one whose thought of this but this idea came to me this summer and it's been working like a charm ever since. It's been a life-saver to me because I'm almost 8 months pregnant and it's the end of July so I drink plenty of water to keep cool and hydrated.
In addition to remembering to add more water each time you take a glass, fill the top of the Brita pitcher with ice cubes (where you refill it with water). When you go to add more water, the water will filter through the ice before going through the filter and it will be nice and cold right away instead of just tap-water cold. Another bonus about this idea is eventually the ice cubes melt when the Brita is in the fridge so it's almost as if it refills on it's own.
:D