There are many different water filters available to help clean and soften the water for drinking, irrigation, aquariums, and swimming pools. Each of these water filters uses a different method for cleaning the water and removing pollutants and other chemicals from the water because they each have a different purpose and goal. Learning about these different water filters will enable you to find the right one for your particular function and use.

Here are some terms to help you better understand some of the approaches used in various parts of the world.

* Charcoal, or carbon, water filters are the most common water filtering system that you see in homes today. You can buy them in one of two styles: activated and solid-block. This method employs charcoal, often made of coconut husks, to absorb, or bind, the contaminants from the water to make it safer for you to drink and use.

Activated carbon removes many gases, chemicals and micro-organisms from municipal water. Solid-block carbon removes those items, as well as pathogens, coliform and organic impurties. Because of the granular nature of activated carbon, it's not as efficient at removing all you want filtered from water as the solid-block carbon models are. And because of the tendency to channel, activated carbon filters can introduce more problems into your water than they fixed if you aren't careful to clean or replace them frequently. Pay attention to the micron rating because that helps you know how effective any filter will be in removing parasites and viruses.

If you find a charcoal filter that is enhanced by silver, then you are giving yourself and your family added antibacterial protection. This water filter is inexpensive, easy to install, and it can last up to nine months. These are just some of the reasons it has become such a popular method of filtering water.

* A media filter is composed of a bed of sand, crushed granite, or other material that is used to filter water used for drinking and other uses. This filter uses layers of materials of different sizes to help filter out different impurities in each layer. The layers get finer to help remove many sizes of pollutants from large to minuscule.

* A screen filtering system employs a rigid or flexible screen that removes the impurities and larger particulates from the water. The screens separate sand, plants and other particulates from the water to help make the water cleaner. These screens work fine for a small quantity of particulates, but they do not work well if there is a large quantity of particulates that need to be removed.

* A disk filter is used mostly for irrigation. It works in much the same way as a screen filter, but it uses a stack of disk filters that work together to screen the water and remove impurities.

* Cloth filters are used primarily in India to help make water safe for drinking. This cost-effective filtering system helps to remove a great number of pathogens, or chemicals for that matter, from the water, but it does not make the water safe enough. For the poverty-stricken people of India, this is a way that they can help protect themselves from many of the impurities that are in their water at a very low cost.

* Ceramic water filters pass water through tiny pores of ceramic material. In this method of water filtration, it is important to clean the or change the filter regularly or you could increase the likelihood of bacteria getting into your water where you can ingest it.

Many different impurities are found in water before it is processed through one of the many water filters or undergoes a chemical treatment. Water treatment plants employ many different water filters and chemical treatments, but you can also find water filters for your home use to attach to your tap or use with a pitcher to help make your drinking water safe and clean. They are readily available at your neighborhood stores.

Water filters are a great tool to help combat the effect of pollution on our water sources. Of course, the most effective way to combat water pollution is to find ways to keep the pollution from getting into the water in the first place. There is only so much that water filters can do to help keep our water safe for the environment and our health.