6 Ways to Improve Water Quality in Your Tiny Home

by Beth Rush

Tiny home owners know all about quality. They choose everything with Marie Kondo precision because everything in their living quarters better spark joy when they confine themselves to 400 square feet. That exquisite taste extends to their drinking water.

They’re also sustainability experts. They know that water is a precious resource, and they treat it with reverence, knowing that great taste and eco-friendliness can go hand in hand.

If you’re among the tiny living crowd, you want the stuff that flows from your tap to have the clean, crisp taste of a mountain stream, even if you don’t set up off-grid. What should you consider? Here are six ways to improve water quality in your tiny home.

Where Does Tiny Home Water Come From?

Improving water quality in your tiny home starts by knowing the source. If you’re set up in one of the few residential housing developments, you probably get it from the same pipes as any other homeowner. Ditto if you’re living in a mother-in-law pad behind a larger single-family home.

Tiny home water comes from one of three sources:

• A standard residential water company
• A private or shared well
• Service at a campsite or RV park

The first two pertain to folks who go with a traditional tiny home fixed to a set location. The last one only concerns you if you went with a tiny home on wheels (THOW) design. The right inline or sediment filter is a must, especially if you stay at campsites with gritty wells. Doing so improves water efficiency in your tiny home by keeping your pipes clearer.

Improving Water Quality in Your Tiny Home

Here’s how you can improve the water quality in your tiny home. Although many of these tips work best for traditional tiny homes in a fixed location,

1. Start With a Test

What’s in your drinking water? Those who choose a traditional tiny home on a fixed site should start with a test to determine their unique risks.

Tests for PFAs and dangerous compounds like arsenic and lead can cost several hundred dollars but are musts for those on wells. However, it’s also wise to test your municipal supply if you have the extra cash. Understanding the quantity of contaminants you face will help you choose the correct level of filtration system for your needs.

2. Install a Filtration System

While there are several types of water filtration systems, RO systems reign supreme for tiny home folks. Why? They contain a semi-permeable membrane that also removes impurities. For example, some advanced countertop systems can produce up to 100 gallons of contaminant-pure water per day. Such versions require zero installation, making them simple for folks who lack DIY savvy.

One fabulous feature of RO systems is their compact design makes them perfect for tiny homes. Countertop models are also usable in most RVs, making them a viable option if you chose a THOW and drive your lodging from place to place.

3. Minimize Chemical Use

Chemicals can leak into groundwater supplies, contaminating them with various substances. Although many people who choose tiny home living do so with sustainability in mind, they may reside in rural, agricultural areas and have little control over what practices nearby farmers use.

Fortunately, the right RO filter removes contaminants like nitrates, nitrites and arsenic from municipal and well supplies. You can further protect the groundwater supply by using only organic practices on your lawn and garden, which also preserves soil quality.

4. Keep It Separate

An easy and affordable solution to instantly improve how your drinking water tastes is to keep it in a separate, chilled container and add a bit of fruit or natural sweetener like monk fruit syrup to give it flavor. You can find pitchers for less than $10. Add a bit of fizz from a device like a Sodastream if carbonation settles your belly more than flat water.

Improving Drinking Water Efficiency in Tiny Homes

You already know one way to improve your drinking water efficiency if you have a THOW. However, those affixed to conventional homesites can do the same with these tips.

5. Flushing Your Pipes

Experts often recommend running the faucet for a few seconds to clear any sediment stuck in your pipes. The problem is, this practice is wasteful. However, it doesn’t have to be. The water that goes down your drains — anything that isn’t flushed down your toilet — becomes graywater. Although it doesn’t contain waste, it may still harbor bacteria, oil, grease and hair, making it unfit to drink.

What can you do instead of letting it go down the drain? Save and recycle the graywater in your tiny home to improve drinking water efficiency. You can use this treated water to irrigate your landscaping or wash your clothes.

Pro-tip: You can now do the same with your RV’s graywater. Instead of dumping that resource on the ground, invest in a graywater recycling tank for your rig. It’s especially useful if you only move your tiny home between two or three campsites over the course of the year, snowbird style.

6. Use Nature’s Supply

Another way to improve the drinking water efficiency in your tiny home is to harvest rainwater to save more of your freshwater stash for consumption. You can easily rig a collection system to your gutters, using it to irrigate your garden. It’s a great secondary backup, as running it through a countertop RO system will remove sufficient contaminants to make it tasty for drinking.

Another idea? Although you shouldn’t drink untreated rainwater because of the risk of contaminants, you can certainly shower with it — after all, you get wet in the rain. Set up a small outdoor shower, using solar power to keep it toasty or enjoying the benefits of a cold one before dashing back inside and warming yourself by the woodstove. It’s a sensory experience that leaves your hair shiny and might even burn a few calories.

Improve Water Quality and Efficiency in Your Tiny Home

You went tiny because you value quality over quantity, including in your drinking water. Use the above tips to improve the water quality in your tiny home and enjoy tastier hydration.

Many of the above tips also improve drinking water efficiency in your tiny home, whether you chose a fixed installation or a THOW. Begin with a test, choose the right purification system and install the right peripherals for water, water, everywhere and plenty of drops to drink.