How to…. Filter Water Naturally
With the current extreme water shortage in Cape Town you may have noticed that your water isn’t tasting quite “right”.
I have certainly picked up a more “earthy” taste to the water coming out of the tap of late and have heard a few friends and acquaintances bemoaning the odd taste and how the tap water has been starting to make them feel ill….
With that in mind I recently started using a new-to-SA natural water filtration system, Kuro-Bō
Kuro-Bō is a handcrafted, sustainable, organic and cartridge free water filtration product that provides clean, good quality water.The product is actually a piece of hardwood charcoal that naturally mineralises and purifies your water by absorbing toxins, balancing pH and releasing beneficial minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, for a cleaner, more refreshing taste.
The concept is based on the ancient Binchotan method used in Japan. The process, known as pyrolysis, carbonises and activates the microporous wood, enlarging its pore structure and increasing the charcoal’s internal surface. This process enables greater toxin adsorption.
Activated charcoal significantly reduces levels of lead, copper, mercury, iron, aluminium, manganese and all traces of chlorine from water. Further recent testing has proved that KURO-Bō removes bacteria, E.coli in particular, in only an hour. At the same time, it uniquely naturally enriches the water with beneficial minerals such as calcium and magnesium. It also balances pH of tap water.
To be honest, at first I was a bit skeptical… how could a piece of “braaied wood” make my water cleaner???
I left it on the shelf for a few days…
And then, finally, I decided to give it a go by following the instruction leaflet.
Step 1:
I removed the KURO-Bō stick from its packaging and boiled it in a shallow pan of tap water for 10 minutes. Then allowed it to cool. (The boiling allows the pores of the charcoal to open and these are the filtration system.)
Step 2:
Once the KURO-Bō stick had cooled, I popped it into my glass carafe (preferably use glass) along with two litres of tap water. (While the KURO-Bō stick does begin to work immediately, I left it for a few hours at room temperature to allow it to start it’s filtration work.)
Step 3:
During the month there is no need to remove the stick at any stage from the glass carafe so now I just top up the water in the vessel as often as needed. I tend to do this each night before bed and then leave it overnight at room temperature. You can also keep the carafe in the fridge or even pop a stick directly into the cold water filtration on your fridge. After one month of daily use, it’s advisable to boil your KURO-Bō stick for 10 minutes, again allow it to cool, and reuse as before. You can do this for 3 months, keeping track on the handy enclosed schedule.
KURO-Bō works through the process of adsorption, not absorption. This means that the toxins it removes accumulate on only its pore surface rather than penetrating it. It is highly efficient in this regard because KURO-Bō is microporous, with one gram having an approximate surface area of 1500 square metres. This also makes KURO-Bō, very long-lasting, with 35-40 grams remaining effective for up to three months, depending the volume and quality of the water.
We’ve been using our Kuro-Bō system now for a week and as I mentioned I had expected no real results… except I’ve been proved wrong! The water in my glass carafe definitely tastes smoother, cleaner and feels more refreshing (even at room temperature!) And I’m not just saying that! To make sure it wasn’t my imagination I asked my kids and husband to see if they could taste a difference. They could. Then my kids tested their cousins… and we asked some of our own friends… and they all could pick up a difference!
We’ve all been drinking far more water than usual and it’s become an easy option to just pour a glass of delicious, fresh water rather than opting for other unhealthy alternatives. I’m quite excited to see my kids actually drinking water for a change, without a fuss!
In fact, friends of ours are shortly moving to Chad (yes, Chad – Google it!) and I decided to gift them one of my Kuro-Bō sticks just in case the water in that part of the world isn’t great! At the moment they live in Zambia and their water is yellow or white, so I’m intrigued to see what difference the Kuro-Bō stick will make?!
So now I’ll just have to buy myself a new stick when my current one runs out in 3 months time. Fortunately it’s far easier for me to get my hands on one living in SA. They are available to purchase online via the KURO-Bō website, Faithful to Nature and Wellness Warehouse who all deliver within SA, but I doubt any of them deliver to Chad! If this system works for them they may have to order in bulk on their trips down to SA! One stick retails at R215 (ex VAT and shipping)
A few useful ways to recycle your used KURO-Bō Activated Charcoal stick:
- Dehumidify your bathroom
- Use as an organic air purifier
- Keep it in your fridge or cupboards to keep them odour free
- Break the stick up and put into your pet litter tray to remove odours
- Add it to your aquarium to neutralise the pH of the water
- Put it in your vegetable drawer to keep your veggies fresher for longer, or put into the fruit bowl to keep fruit from ripening too soon
- Keep flowers fresher for longer
- Break up your stick and bury it in your garden to balance the pH and remineralise your soil
- Burn it on your braai
- Use it in your bath for some well-deserved pampering (the charcoal mineralise, removes impurities from the water, and stimulates blood flow)
- Deflect/absorb electromagnetic and radio waves from computers, mobile phones and even microwaves in your home or at work
About KURO-Bō Activated Charcoal
Centuries ago, artisans in the Japanese region of Wakayama, perfected the art of creating Binchōtan – a unique activated charcoal. Involving a meticulous production process, Binchotan is still highly prized today across the US, Europe and Asia as a highly effective air and water purifier, as well as a clean burning, high temperature fuel for cooking and an organic soil enricher.
Faithful to the ancient Japanese process, KURO-Bō Activated Charcoal is derived from sustainably-sourced, high quality hardwood which is baked in a special kiln, and then hand-cut. Unlike other water purification systems, KURO-Bō Activated Charcoal does not aggressively strip the water, removing both the good with the bad. Tests have shown that the charcoal significantly reduces levels of lead, copper, mercury, iron, aluminium, manganese and all traces of chlorine from tap water. At the same time, it uniquely and naturally enriches the water with beneficial minerals, that other leading filtration systems remove entirely.