Refreshing Hacks: How to Make Water Taste Better at Work

Last updated: August 10, 2023

A hydrated workforce is essential to keeping performance and productivity high — not to mention ensuring your employees, guests, and customers are happy, healthy, and feeling their best. However, if your organization offers tap water or drinking water that doesn’t taste great, then there’s a good chance your workplace water supply isn’t doing enough to support your teams, which impacts your bottom line. 

We’re taking a closer look at strategies to make water taste better at work and the benefits an upgraded water supply can bring to your business. 

Where Does Water Taste Come From, and What Causes Water To Taste Bad?

Technically, “plain” water does have a taste, but not all water tastes the same. 

What Gives Water Its Taste?

The taste of water is subjective, but, there are a few factors that most significantly impact how your water tastes, including:

• The type of water you offer: Different types of water have unique tastes. For example, your employees may have a preference for plain water or sparkling water.
• The source of the water: Where your water comes from (e.g., mineral water, alkaline water, or spring water) impacts the final flavor.
• The temperature of water: Whether you offer hot water or cold water can affect its taste. Hot water tends to be sweeter and more acidic — especially when unfiltered. Cold water, on the other hand, suppresses the sensitivity of our taste buds and quells impurities for a less distinct taste.
• How your water is cleaned or filtered: Water can be cleaned in a variety of ways, and if you currently offer tap water, you’re trusting the purification process set forth by municipalities. Because of this, organizations are increasingly using filtration systems to guarantee a water supply free from contaminants.
• Your local water quality: Local water quality varies across the country and can even differ from zip code to zip code, significantly impacting the taste of your workplace drinking water.
• The presence of minerals: Healthline reports the most significant element that affects taste has to do with the particular dissolved minerals in the water.

What Causes Water to Taste Bad?

There are typically four main causes attributed to bad-tasting water. 

1. Chlorine
2. Algae and bacteria
3. Dissolved metals
4. Neglected water filtration equipment

If your workplace water has a bad taste, there’s a good chance you need better hydration systems that are cleaner, more convenient, less costly, and an overall boon to the company. 

Strategies to Make Water Taste Better

It’s likely your organization is in pursuit of the best-tasting water around. But, providing tap water or bottled water at work means you might not always get the delicious and clean taste you’re looking for. 

The Problem With Bottled Water

Bottled water has been a traditional choice for providing water at work over the years, however, a water bottle isn’t as clean as many assume. In fact, a study published in Frontiers in Chemistry found signs of microplastic contamination in 93% of bottled water tested. What’s more, the water tested contained, on average, nearly twice as much microplastic contamination as was found in tap water in a previous study. The risk of microplastic contamination — in combination with the considerable hassle, delivery and replacement costs, and environmental repercussions of bottled water — is quickly making this a much less appealing option. 

Tips for Delicious-Tasting Water

Consider the following best practices to boost the taste of your workplace water supply:

1. Add Flavor

Enhance the water drinking experience for your employees by infusing it with natural flavors. By keeping slices of fresh fruit available in the office, such as lemons, berries, or even refreshing cucumbers, workers can transform plain water into a delicious treat. Not only does this practice make hydration more enjoyable, but it’s also a great way to ensure team members are getting the essential vitamins and nutrients they need to feel healthy and vibrant.

2. Add Ice

Elevate your hydration options with a simple yet effective trick — adding ice. The coolness of ice makes for a crisp water-drinking experience that quells the taste of impurities. This is an ideal solution if you provide tap water to employees, reducing any lingering aftertaste and masking the flavor of minerals in hard water. Implementing a high-quality ice machine ensures your teams can access ice cubes on demand for refreshing, chilled water that makes staying hydrated easy. 

3. Use a Filtration System

Leverage a water filter to significantly reduce the possibility of contaminants entering your workplace water supply. This way, you can offer pure water year-round and actively support the well-being of employees. 

With top-tier water service providers like Quench, your business can utilize a filter that gives your employees, guests, and customers more than just access to clean water: quenchWATER+ is the Quench-branded, mineral-infused, and electrolyte-enhanced alkaline water that provides all of the hydration solutions you need in one bottleless cooler. With advanced filtration technology, sediments, contaminants, and bad tastes are removed while adding back minerals and electrolytes — to create clean water that tastes great and supports optimum hydration. 

Key Advantages of a Tastier Workplace Water Supply

Helping employees enjoy great-tasting water at work fosters valuable benefits that companies should keep in mind, such as:

• Encouraging hydration throughout their workforce.
• Supporting employee wellness, including kidney function and digestion.
• Keeping employees away from soda or other sugary drinks.
• Boosting employee satisfaction and morale.
• Regulating team members’ moods.
• Increasing energy levels and mental focus.
• Decreasing absenteeism.
• Improving employee engagement and productivity.

Introduce Advanced Filtration With a Bottleless Water Dispenser From Quench

With Quench, you can explore a broad array of bottleless water dispensers that use advanced filtration technology to give your employees easy access to an endless supply of clean and tasty water. Or, if your employees and customers prefer water with an extra pizzazz, we offer a range of sparkling and flavored water dispensers. 

Every business is different — which means your water needs are likely different as well. Quench not only provides state-of-the-art bottleless water coolers with advanced filtration, but also access to local water experts, qualified technicians, and a responsive support team to ensure your water needs are always met.

Ready to bring your water supply to the next level? Try our product finder to find the machine that’s the right fit for your business, or get a free quote today.