This Sparkling Water Maker Finally Got Me To Drink My 8 Glasses a Day—and Cut My Can Consumption

2020 will go down as a lot of things for a lot of people, but for me it was the year that I became intimately aware of my waste. I moved to an apartment where outside the window, I could see my cans stack up and my cardboard boxes pile high. When I started deconstructing my garbage to see where I was consuming the most goods, it became clear that A) I do not need a rotting plastic box of greens in my fridge at all times and B) I drink a lot of seltzer. However, in doing some internet research, I learned that with the Aarke Sparkling Water Maker ($249), I could ditch my can-slash-bottle habit once and for all.

Aarke Sparkling Water Maker — $249.00

The Aarke Sparkling Water Maker isn’t unlike a Soda Stream or other carbonators on the market in how it functions; however, it definitely stands apart because the luxe design of the machine looks closer to a KitchenAid than a Keurig. It comes in six colors—matte black, black chrome, stainless steel, copper, gold, and white—and in addition to these full-time finishes, there is currently a Nordstrom exclusive color called “sand,” a matte cream, which is my personal favorite (and the one pictured above). It’s also a part of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, which is happening from July 28 to August 8.

When you order, you should plan on just signing up for the Soda Stream X Amazon CO2 dispenser Exchange Program ($65), which is also the canister that the Aarke uses. You order two CO2 cylinders and when you finish them, you can mail them in for a $15 gift card for your next CO2 purchase (or whatever you happen to be shopping for on Amazon that day). This genius incentive makes it super easy to manage the upkeep of the machine, and prevents you from reverting back to any wasteful purchasing habits of your past while you wait for the new CO2 to arrive.

Ready to make the switch, I set the machine up on my counter. It’s surprisingly easy to use. You tilt the machine over and screw in the gas canister then prop it back up. I have a basic Britta filter ($26) that I keep in the fridge, so I used that to fill up the bottle and screwed the bottle into the machine’s nozzle. I pushed the lever and listened for the noise to let me know that I’d carbonated my water enough. If you like your water extra bubbly—Topo Chico lovers, listen up!—you can keep carbonating the H2O to your liking.

I’m pretty good about drinking water, but upping my intake with help from this machine has definitely meant that I reach my daily goals without problem. As a reminder, “seltzer is just carbonated water,” Keri Glassman, RDpreviously told Well+Good. “Club soda often has sodium added to carbonated water which is how it differs from seltzer.” This is really only an important distinction to make if you’re looking to switch from drinking club soda to drinking the fizzy water made from the Aarke. “If you are lacking sodium, the club soda may actually help hydrate you, but if you have adequate sodium in your diet, then club soda will be simply as hydrating as drinking seltzer or water.”

Another aspect of the Aarke that I thoroughly enjoy is that I can flavor my water using real fruits and herbs. In addition to the deliciously fresh flavor, I’m not tempted to buy bottles of (exceedingly heavy) soda from the grocery store. I simply tear off a few springs of rosemary or put in a bit of lemon to keep things freshhhh.

If you, too, are ready to do the can-can right of the grocery story without a 12 pack, this carbonator won’t disappoint. In fact, it (quite literally) pays for itself.

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