LifeStraw Go Review -- Turn Dirty Water Clean!

LifeStraw Go (from Eartheasy)

What is LifeStraw?

LifeStraw is part of a line of other water-filtering/survival products, created (by Vestergaard Frandsen) to make clean water available at any time --removing  99.9999% of waterborne bacteria and 99.9% waterborne protozoa, you could get water from virtually anywhere!  

(Such a noble product that it's even been nominated for the LifeStraw creator won an Index Awards!)

LifeStraw Go includes a cup (with its own awesome qualities, to be mentioned later) with a built-in "LifeStraw," which means you can fill up your bottle with any water and drink it right away. As the name suggests, the "straw" is also a filter to filter away the impurities and bacteria and loads of other junk that may be found in water. Genius. Purely genius!

How to Use

Even better, it requires no knowledge to use (right up my alley!) You simply scoop up your water from any pond, stream or river & screw the lid/straw back on and drink away! After each drinking "session," unscrew lid & blow through straw to expel dirty water.

Back-side with instructions, information about LifeStraw Go

Note:  LifeStraw has a natural "brake" on the flow of water -- as a controlled flow between 100 ml to 150 ml per minute is needed to get the maximum benefit of the bacteria killing effect.

Also, as expected with any carbon type filtering, you will have tiny black flecks in the water. It's just the carbon, which is harmless, and if you've ever used a filter at home that uses this technology (most all do), then you'll be familiar with it. Simply spit out the first couple of swigs. 

Why I wanted a Life-Straw Go
I'm an avid water-filtering kind of girl, which may be obvious considering I've reviewed various water-filtering products (including one for pets, for Pete's sake!) here in the past. I take my clean water seriously! In fact I haven't drank a drop of tap water in years because I know all too well what's in it.
 

I used the typical filters that you find in Wal-Mart. Not to mention the cupboard full of random water filtering bottles I've purchased -- yes, I've got them all. 

But the difference between those and LifeStraw Go is that those "leading brands" do not remove bacteria, but only some minerals, chlorine, etc, (and even that has been under question.) But I could not ever, under any sane circumstances fill up any of those filters/bottles with just any water and be able to consume it without big health risks.

LifeStraw, on the other hand, was created with a lot more power (and safety, health for that matter) in mind. 

However, LifeStraw will not remove heavy metals, fluoride, iron, arsenic and possibly other heavy metals.

If it were possible for LifeStraw to have any downside to it whatsoever, this would be it -- that it doesn't remove heavy metals and fluoride. I only say that because I'd love to use LifeStraw Go every day, just for daily use and fluoride is in drinking water (even if you filter it. Unless you use reverse osmosis or a water source that does not have added fluoride). I've been trying to get as much fluoride out of my entire life as possible. However, this cannot be considered a downside to this product because it was intended for drastic situations, to save lives.

But, it makes me think if the creator of LifeStraw were to ever consider making a product for daily, house-hold use, to filter our tap, then I am positive it would be loved & I'm positive they would want it to be as great as possible at removing all harmful things.

LifeStraw is more suitable because again, it's created to keep you hydrated through drastic situations where the only water nearby is lake or something. Yes, my dear preppers -- it is like a dream come true!

Let me elaborate on just how incredibly fantastic LifeStraw Go is...

Its filtering capacity is 264 gallons (1000 liters) is incredible! Note: Saline water through the LifeStraw would reduce effective life to 350 litres.

 I could use it even when I'm not in a dire situation, but feel like the water available isn't as clean as it could be.  It truly is a life-saving product that can be well, life-saving in many events.


"LifeStraw GO filters water down to 0.2 microns without the use of chemicals. When the filter has reached capacity (264 gallons) it will stop taking in water. Since the water filter is detachable, you can simply purchase a replacement filter when the filter has reached capacity.  The bottle can be reused indefinitely, saving waste from disposable plastic water bottles."

Features/Fantastic Qualities

LifeStraw Removes most micro-organisms that are common causes of waterborne disease.  

 LifeStraw kills disease-causing micro organisms which spread diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid, and Cholera. 

The Following Bacteria & Protozoa are removed from Water using LifeStraw:

Bacteria:
Escherichia coli
    Campylobacter
    Vibrio cholerae
    Pseudomonas aeruginosa
    Shigella
    Salmonella

Protozoa:
    Giardia lamblia (Beaver Fever)
    Cryptosporidium Parvum
    Entamoeba histolytica

LifeStraw has been rigorously tested to surpass EPA standards for removing E. Coli, Giardia and Cryptosporidium oocysts, and many other waterborne contaminants.

How Does LifeStraw do All of This?

Note the silicone mouth straw.

 LifeStraw uses something called PuroTech (patented) Disinfecting Resin (PDR) to kill bacteria on contact. 

(If you're like me & never heard of this 'technology and are severely fascinated with how it works, you can read all about it here.)

A view of the bottom of the "straw" tube. This is the visible part of the filter. The other end which attaches to the lid is the same.

On top of that awesome PDR stuff, LifeStraw also uses Textile pre-filters, which  remove particles up to 15 microns. And also the typical and useful active carbon, which traps and holds particles such as parasites.

Other Features:

• Filters up to 264 gallons or 1000 liters of water down to 0.2 microns

• LifeStraw Go (the straw tube inside the water bottle) comes with a carabiner attached so you can carry it on a belt-loop or wherever.

• Holds 23 oz.

• Zero aftertaste as it contains no chemicals or iodine

• The geniuses who created LifeStraw products really have health-consciousness because the bottle is BPA-free tritan. The mouth straw is made of food grade silicone, which is nice and squishy (meaning it is comfortable and I admit, kind of fun) to use and won't clank against my teeth. 

Food grade silicone is one of the safest materials around as it is non-porous and will not harbor bacteria and is safe to use internally (that doesn't mean you can swallow the silicone mouth piece, though!)

• It's truly leak-proof! I can carry it around in my purse and not have spillage.

Even more details:

LifeStraw expires one year after the usage start date. That's based on a calculation of 2 liters (or 700 liters total) of water daily.

However, amazingly enough, "usage beyond that date will not deteriorate existing water quality."

Fall in love with the manufacturers of LifeStraw even more:

For each LifeStraw you buy, one school kid in Africa receives clean water for a whole school year.

In the review world, I'd give the LifeStraw products a 10 on 1-10 rating scale, if not more! This is because the products were designed with reality and actual safety in mind. This product is saving lives, it's affordable and it can allow a year's worth of drinking water consumption for one person (per straw.) This is a life-changing and life-saving product, and it warms my heart to see the company providing this handy tool to those in need (like the kids in Africa.) This is a genuine company who have hearts. I'm in love.

AVP Pet Water Filtering Fountain

The whole shebang -- The brochure featuring AVP products and the actual fountain, in its box shown in photo

 

For my pet-lovin' readers (and I know most of you are), I've reviewed this awesome water fountain system called Nature Spa Pet water fountain from AVP Pet (American Valley Pet). 

 This fountain is so exciting to me that I have done a 2-part video showing you a few things -- how it's setup, what it looks like in-use)! Oh, the only reason the video is a 2-part is because my camera died in the middle of filming... Yea.. I'm not a good video-reviewer just yet.

 P.S. The video above is "Part 1." 

Below is "Part 2" of the Pet Fountain review (thanks to a dying camera battery). In Part one, I talk about setting up the filtering system and in part two, I discuss the complication I ran into and what the fountain looks like in-use, which is pretty fabulous, I must say. 

So I hope ya'll take a few minutes to watch those. Further down is the "written review" where I go into more detail about the product, company and how my pets are liking the fountain, etc.

How much Waer does the Basic Nature Spa hold?

The "Basic Nature Spa Pet fountain and the Nature Spa that comes with a UV sterilization light both hold 1.8 quarts.

I have 3 pets -- a weiner dog, and 2 cats. Obviously, they're all pretty small. Well, Fuzz is chubby.. But, being that they're small, they don't drink a whole crazy amount of water, so the "Nature SPA Basic" was a great size for them.

If I fill the NatureSPA up completely, it will last my pets for around 3-4 days, sometimes longer. It only lasts about 2 when I get the urge to stick my water bottle under the stream. Hey, what can I say, I get thirsty at inopportune times.

For someone who had large dogs, you'd probably need more water to keep from having to re-fill it multiple times a day. The Nature SPAs come in different sizes -- and as I said, mine's the "basic," so it's the smallest. However, you can purchase an "Extra capacity reservoir" for $12.99 to get  double the water space. 

This would be really handy if you were going out of town and wanted to make sure the fountain would stay filled for at least several days, or if you just have large pets who drink a lot.

On the other hand, there's also a UV sterlilization NatureSpa!I think that's just awesome that the UV light sterilizes the water and definitely see myself "upgrading" to that one eventually.

 Aside from the different Nature Spas you can get, AVP Pet also has something called a "spill mat" that you place the entire shenangian in and it catches any spills. When I first filled the Nature Spa up, and moved it onto the floor, it spilled water all over the place and I was sure I'd need one of those mats. 

On the other hand, I'm happy that the Pet Fountain "Nature Spa" doesn't leak water as one of my older pet watter bottles did. It was one of those you get at Wal-Mart that was shaped like the water containers you see in some stores where you can fill up a paper cup, and tipped upside down, placed into the bowl-thing. It had a tendency to leak all over the floor.

Thankfully, there aren't even little dribbes that leak from the Nature Spa. 

If your cat likes to play in the water, though, then something like the mat might be useful. Our youngest cat went through a phase where she'd sit at her water bottle (the one I explained that holds like 3 cups of water at once and just flows out as they drink) and use her paws to scoop out all the water! It would soak the kitchen floor. She'd spend hours doing this.

BPA-Free  Materials

I love that the company AVP Pet kept animals' health in mind throughout the entire design-process, as the container is BPA-free, which is obviously important to you if the cleanliness of your pets' water is. 

The Nature Spa is made of ABS plastic. ABS is dishwasher safe and non-porous, which is important because that means it will not harbor bacteria over time. 

The "UL listed Transformer" is low-voltage and considered "energy saving."

 Are the Pets Afraid of The Water Fountain?

Mine are not.  They were curious at first and all of them except the dog slowly approached it, sniffed, backed away, and then  drank  it in seconds.

The dog caught on instantly. 

What's cute is one of my cats licks straight from the stream! 

Note: If your pets have a tendency to chew on cords, you'll want to be very cautious, and perhaps do a good job of somehow concealing the cord on the Nature Spa, if you use it. This problem didn't occur to me until my grandmother saw it and said her dog would elecrocute herself because she chews cords.

Ya'll know I couldn't resist showing pictures of Fuzz drinking from it!

Look! You can even see what I call her "water beard," the water drip on her little chin! I've yet to snap one of the other pets drinking. They get suspicious when I watch them drink.

Oh, and as for noise, the description on the AVP Pet site, and the Nautre Spa's box was right -- it's virtually silent, which made me wonder if it was shut off when I first got it. I kept expecting to hear a sound while it runs, but it's noiseless. Every once in a while, if it's dead quiet, I'll hear a splash.

However, while your pet drinks, it may be loud! It depends if your pet is a loud drinker. Not that the fountain makes them drink any louder than normal.

The youngest cat drinks so loudly that it wakes me up. I think  it's because she lets the stream hit her tongue rather than drinking right out of the bowl area like the rest.  

What do the Charcoal Filters do?

As per AVP Pet: "the filter traps bad tastes and  odors while spout constantly aerates the water increasing  oxygen levels which enhances
pet health."

Basically, to put it briefly and simply, charcoal filters, due to the charcoal's porous nature, filters out impurities in water.  These mostly filter out chlorine and organic impurities and not things like heavy metals (lead, or sodium fluoride, etc.).

This produces a different tasting water -- one with less of a metallic or chlorine taste.

 How long do the Charcoal Filters Last?

Just like with our own charcoal water filter-systems, the Nature Spa pet fountain also uses a charcoal filter that requires replacement after so long. 

AVP Pet recommends changing it every 3-4 weeks.

The replacement filters come 4 to a pack (the fountain comes with one) and can be found and purchased for $9.99 here. 

I am not a specialist, doctor or any kind of expert. Content on this blog is not intended to be taken as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or advice of any sort. 

I'm simply sharing information about my own experiences (or my pets') and results from use of a product or activity in hopes of providing useful information/suggestions to readers, not to be taken as a patient/medical adviser/vet relationship. I am not responsible for what readers or pets choose to do after viewing the content here. 

Furthermore, I do not hold an "exceptional" or other special relationship with the company mentioned. I'm simply a consumer who worked with the company for a review that is in compliance with FTTC's guidelines. That means, everything you read here is my own words, not anything of the company's. I was not provided monetary compensation for my review. All information posted has been done so with complete honesty. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication (I'm not to be held responsible.) Readers or pets who rely on the information in this blog to replace the advise of an appropriate health care provider assume all risks of such behavior.

 All reviews, including this one are in compliance with the FTC guidelines. I recieve no monetary compensation, but my pet may receive prouct in exchange for a completely honest review (that part's done by me, not the pets, just FYI). Each review is my honest opinion.  See my disclosure page and honesty pledge for more info on sponsored reviews!