The water cooler is an indispensable appliance in the typical Chinese home, especially as drinking tap water is completely off limits. But how do you know which brand of water to purchase? How can you choose the best product of something that, ideally, has no taste?

For the first time ever, the Shenzhen Consumer Council has published a list ranking brands of water cooler drinking water available to consumers, reports Nandu.

Tests were carried out on 18 brands of water by the Shenzhen Bureau of Quality Inspection, which measured the water against national standards. The brands were separated into three categories: pure, mineral, and natural water.

These are the results, with five being the highest score:

Pure Water

Watsons

5

 

Wahaha

5

 

McBebe, also known as “mabo”

4.7

 

Smile

4.6

 

C’estbon

4.4

 

Ganten

4.4

Robust

4.4

 

Mineral Spring Water

Daneng Yili

4.7

 

Qiniang Shan (Seven Maiden Mountain)

4.5

 

Ganten

4.4

Idea

4.2

 

Wutong Spring (Parasol Tree Spring)

4.2

 

Caitian

did not meet standards

 

Natural Water

Wutong Xianquan

4.7

 

Nongfu Spring

4.5

 

Yibi (Jade Advantage)

4.4

 

Shanzhijun (Melody of the Mountain)

did not meet standards

 

Shenming Zhi Yuan (Source of Life)  

did not meet standards

 

Regardless of brand, bacteria will grow within an opened drinking water bottle five to seven days after opening. After that, water should be boiled before drinking.

People are also reminded to check the water container for its date of production and an intact seal of quality, to boil water if used with baby formula, and to clean the water cooler every three months.

Here’s the original infographic in Chinese:

Photos: free 11994, Nandu, gdzq315, Watsons, Wahaha, Mabo, Smile, C’estbon, Ganten, Robust, Daneng Yili, Qiniangshan, Idea, Caitian, Wutong Xianquan, Nongfu Springs, Shanzhijun, Shengmingzhiyuan