Sodastream has been available online and in Europe for several years now but only recently began selling at US retail stores this holiday. I’ve been using the system for well over a year now and find it a healthier and cheaper alternative to bottles and cans at the store.

The Sodastream system consists of simply a bottle of carbon dioxide and a contraption to connect the bottle of water. No moving parts, no electricity. The catch is that its a proprietary system – you need to use their carbonation bottles and their water bottles. The carbonation bottles require a small deposit (included in the initial price) but are easy to swap out.

For soda pop lovers, Sodastream also offers a variety of mixes that can be used after the water is carbonated. I’ve tried many of the diet and regular varieties which are all high quality and comparable to big name brands. An added benefit for diet drinkers – no aspartame – Sodastream uses sucralose.

Pricing is controlled pretty tight, so you’ll probably find the same costs at your local retailer as you would online. The Sodastream site has the largest selection of carbonation bottles and mixers plus offers a point program which can be used for discounts (save $10 with the code “BESTFRIENDS”).

Related Reviews:

• Sparkling Water at Home with Sodastream
• ahhNatural Update: Tips to Keep Your Spa Clean

Make carbonated water or soda at home

For about $1 per liter, the Sodastream carbonated water and soda maker is a super simple, convenient and “no trash” way to get on demand sparkling water or flavored soda at home. And it you’re a big soda drinker, it’s a great alternative to sugary and artificial sweetened sodas. Or simply add your own Sodastream flavoring to the mix.

I never really considered this being a good buy for at home  use, but it really has been one of our best purchases ever. Instead of drinking diet soda with dinner, I drink sparkling water – a cheaper, healthier and no waste alternative.

If you like flavored sodas, the Sodastream gives you many mixes you can easily add to your water for what would cost about 15 cents per can.

The hardest part about buying a Sodastream is deciding which model to buy – they offer four from about $100 to $200. Basically, the big difference is construction material (plastic vs metal) and aesthetic (plain Jane to fancy penguin with glass carafe).

The Sodastream is a simple device – there is no electric or moving parts. You simply insert the pressurized carbonation tank into the unit to “power it”. Insert or screw in the bottle with cold water (the directions suggest using refrigerated water, which I’ve found does yield maximum carbonation). Hit the carbonate  button a few times and you’re done. Once the carbonation tank is empty (appx 40 liters), you simply purchase a replacement tank for about $35 and ship back the old one.

I’ve only found a few minor drawbacks to Sodastream: you should carbonate the water when you need it. Like any bottled carbonated beverage, it will lose its carbonation over time after opened. At the time of publishing, the Sodastream units were hard to find, even online. Finally, with the basic model, you must screw the bottle into the unit at a strange angle, making it cumbersome to use. All that aside, the Sodastream has a been a great purchase.

Related Reviews:

• Carbonated Seltzer, Soda Water at Home
• ahhNatural Update: Tips to Keep Your Spa Clean

Unlike traditional hot tubs which essentially chemical bomb the water, you should enter an ahhNatural tub clean. If it becomes overwhelmed with oil and bacteria, you may need to resort to chlorine to get it back to clean state. I have resorted to using chlorine on a few occasions, but only to get my water back to “normal”. When I do this, I remove the ahhNatural bag from the tub until most of the chlorine has dissipated.

ahhNatural specifies using hydrogen peroxide to shock the tub and keep it clean. I usually do this after refilling the tub. Over the course of using the tub, I use “MPS” – monopersulfate. There are a few forms of this compound on the market, which most pool supply stores will carry at least one. Essentially this uses oxygen, like peroxide, to keep the tub clean. You should experiment with various MPS brands. SpaDepot offers an MPS I have used consistently. However, I have found that when the water gets really dirty, you may eventually go through a large quantity of MPS. What I have noticed is that in large quantities, MPS will break down into some cloudy material. This may give you the impression that your water is dirty. It will eventually get filtered out, but you may need to resort to chlorine to get the tub back to normal. Too much MPS can wreak havoc with your pH too.

The biggest tip is that pH is critical. It is true that your ahhNatural water will stabilize to its preferred pH, which will likely differ greatly from the standard spa pH level. I have also lived in two areas where the water is quite different and can impact how easy it is to maintain your pH.

Related Reviews:

• Update: ahhNatural Dependent on pH
• Natural Hot Tub System That Works

Related Reviews:

• ahhNatural Update: Tips to Keep Your Spa Clean
• Natural Hot Tub System That Works

Hot Sulphur Springs is also one of the more expensive of Hot Springs we have visited – $15 per person – but well worth it.

Related Reviews:

• Carbonated Seltzer, Soda Water at Home
• Sparkling Water at Home with Sodastream