This post is by Bernie Carr, apartmentprepper.com
Although I like an occasional glass of Coke, I prefer a glass of sparkling water with a twist of lemon or lime. La Croix Sparkling Water was a regular item on the grocery list. Until we spotted the Soda Stream and started to calculate whether it would save us money. After adding up what we spend on sparkling water, we figured we’d recoup the cost of the Soda Stream in four months. I won’t go into the calculation, as your mileage may vary depending on how much soda you buy in your household. (This is not an ad for Soda Stream-we have no relationship or affiliation.)
For anyone who has wondered about this, here is how it works. Soda Stream comes with a unit, proprietary C02 canister that fits within the unit, and bottle. The starter pack also came with small flavoring samples.
- Fill the bottle with plain water. We like to chill the water before using.
- Remove the cap off the bottle and screw it on the Soda Stream unit. The newer models no longer have to be screwed on, but we have the older model so that is what I will describe.
- Push the top button 4-5 times until you hear a buzz. (The instructions say about 2-3 times but that did not make it fizzy enough.)
Remove the bottle and add your flavoring. I like a squeeze of lime or lemon. We tried out the sample flavors that came with it – I personally only liked the root beer flavor, but did not care for the cola or lemon lime. We’ve also tried adding a bit of apple or orange juice and that worked well.
Advantages:
- Less waste than buying soda or sparkling water weekly
- You control how much sugar you are drinking.
- Much cheaper than store bought soda
- No need to run to the store!
Disadvantages:
- The C02 canister refill runs about $15 if you return the old canister. We’ve traded ours in at the Walmart Customer Service center. We use the unit once a day, and one canister lasts us about 2-3 months.
- You cannot carbonate anything besides water. I’m fine with this, as I even like just plain fizzy water.
I know there are alternatives to the Soda Stream, but for the space that we have, and the rate of consumption, it suits us just fine for now.
But if you are interested in those alternatives, here are a couple:
Brew Better Soda at Home I may try this one next.
How to Force Carbonate at Home This sounds more cost effective, although it has a higher upfront cost, but I don’t have the space for a large unit like this yet.
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