Reverse osmosis is considered one of the most effective forms of water treatment today . No matter what types of contaminants you're looking to filter out of your drinking water, it's likely that reverse osmosis can help you achieve the results you're looking for.

Most commonly, reverse osmosis units are installed underneath a kitchen sink and are known as under-sink reverse osmosis filters .

Read on to learn the 5 biggest benefits of using an under-sink reverse osmosis system in your home or business.

Removes the Most Contaminants

If you're looking for the most thorough contaminant removal, you won't get any better than a reverse osmosis system.

Compared to other filtration solutions, such as pitchers, countertop filters and even whole-home filters, reverse osmosis is the standout water treatment process because of the sheer number of contaminants it removes.

A typical reverse osmosis membrane can remove between 95% and 99% of inorganic material . While most filters are capable of removing common contaminants like lead, chlorine, and various chemicals, reverse osmosis can also remove contaminants that are notoriously difficult to eliminate from drinking water, including fluoride, nitrate, arsenic, and hard water minerals.

The multiple stages of filtration in a reverse osmosis filter make it much more thorough than systems with only one or two filtration stages. And because particles larger than water simply can't pass through the RO membrane, there's no chance that they can slip through the cracks, as they may do in carbon filters

Purified Water is Always Available

Some water filters, such as filter pitchers, don't give you immediate access to water. If you'd rather not wait for your water to filter before drinking, a reverse osmosis system can provide the fastest results.

Many under-sink reverse osmosis filters have a storage tank, which stores filtered RO water to be used at your disposal. When this tank empties, it'll refill at a constant rate, so you'll never have to give the tank time to refill before you can access water from your faucet.

Because reverse osmosis filters are directly connected up to your waterline, you can also benefit from never having to add more water to the machine manually, as it'll use water as automatically as your home's other water-based appliances.

Lower Price Point

You might have noticed a new reverse osmosis product popping up in recent years: on-demand tankless systems. While these systems have their benefits, they're a lot more expensive than traditional under sink systems.

If you want access to clean, pure water and you're on a budget, you'll be best suited to a traditional under-sink reverse osmosis system with a tank. This type of system is typically priced between $200 and $400, making it a more feasible water filtration system for the general population.

When it comes to replacing the filters, most cost less than $50 for all three filter stages purchased together. Considering you'll only need to make that purchase every 6 months at the most, it's a pretty good deal. Reverse osmosis membranes cost around $20 to $50, and only need to be replaced every year or so.

Easy to Maintain

There's virtually no effort that goes into reverse osmosis maintenance. You don't need to clean the filters, and they only need changing after six months, minimum (the reverse osmosis membrane even lasts for 2 years or longer).

Once you've installed an under-sink reverse osmosis system , the only thing to remember is to change the filters. Unlike some countertop filter options, the best under-counter reverse osmosis filters are made from high-quality durable components that are designed to stand the test of time.

This type of system usually lasts for between 10 and 15 years, so you'll get plenty of life out of it before you need to think about buying new parts or purchasing an upgrade.

Saves Money & Reduces Plastic Waste

Reverse osmosis systems are cheaper and more environmentally friendly than buying bottled water . Rather than getting through hundreds of single-use water bottles a month, using water from a reverse osmosis system will help you to do your bit for the environment.

If you want to see how much you could save from a reverse osmosis system, take a look at your weekly grocery bill and see how much you spend on bottled water alone. Then multiply that figure by 52 (the number of weeks in a year). That will give you a rough idea of how much you currently spend per year on bottled water.

When you compare the yearly cost of bottled water to the upfront cost of an under-sink reverse osmosis system, you can see that it usually pays for itself within a couple of years. Not only can you save money , but you also have the convenience of being able to get clean water directly from your kitchen faucet.