If you're interested in switching to an alkaline diet that includes drinking alkaline water, you may be stumped over how to find water with the right pH. It's easy to switch to alkaline foods since those are readily available, but you're at the mercy of your local water supply when it comes to the pH of your water. Buying bottles of alkaline water is an expensive option and results in plastic waste. A better option might be to buy a water ionizer for your home. Here's how they work.

An Ionizer Attaches To Your Kitchen Sink

An ionizer is a small appliance that sits on the countertop near your kitchen sink. It can attach directly to your faucet or you can attach the ionizer to the cold water line under your sink. Cold water routes through the ionizer before coming out of the faucet. The water is treated and separated into alkaline and acidic components. Alkaline water comes out of one spout and acidic water comes out of another.

Alkaline Water Is Filtered First

An ionizer has a filter built in so the water is purified before it passes into the electrolysis chamber. This helps ensure your water is as clean as possible by removing contaminants from well or city water. This also means you need to change the filter on your ionizer regularly. Your ionizer may have an alert system built in that tells you when it's time to change the filter. The frequency depends on how much water you use, but a filter should last for several months.

Alkaline Water Is Made Through Electrolysis

Once the water passes through the filter, it flows past a series of electrodes. Some have a negative charge and others have a positive charge. These charges pull acidic and alkaline minerals toward them to create two streams of water with one being acidic and the other alkaline. Some ionizers let you dial in the pH you want to achieve so you get just the right level for making high pH water, daily drinking water, or to use in cooking. These water ionizers have a computer that controls the process and digital displays that make it easy to operate and understand.

Acidic Water Has A Use Too

The acidic water that's left over after making alkaline water doesn't have to go to waste, although you can drain it down the sink if you don't need it. Since the water has a lower pH than regular tap water, you may find it effective at cleaning and disinfecting your home. You may want to use it to wash vegetables, do dishes, make a green cleaner, or to wash your hands.