Somer Evans (@somersavesyou) is a mom who primarily posts money-saving tips on social media. In a viral clip that’s accrued over 124,000 views on TikTok, she urged followers to avoid paying for gas station bottled water.
The TikToker’s clip begins with her standing in front of a refrigerator at a gas station convenience store. “Stop buying waters at gas stations and do THIS instead!” Evans writes in an on-screen caption.
Next, she delineates exactly what this money-saving tip is. Evans walks away from the drinks section and, instead, high-tails it directly to the soda fountain machine. Following this, she places a reusable cup beneath the fountain and taps the “water” trigger.
The machine begins dispensing water into the cup as country music plays, and the clip comes to an end.
Commenters were not on board
Several people expressed that they weren’t fans of this “hack” due to perceptions about soda fountain cleanliness. One wrote, “They don’t clean those machines. full of mold. I won’t even drink soda lol.”
Another said that they weren’t partial to the flavor of water that comes from these machines. “That water does NOT taste the same,” they wrote.
Someone else echoed the aforementioned sentiment, writing, “Nope. I only drink purified water. I drink a lot of water and can’t stand it having any taste. Purified is the only one, that to me, doesn’t have a weird taste.”
Meanwhile, another stated that they didn’t think it was a practical solution for home water consumption. “Um, how many times a day should I go fill my water? That’s senseless, wasting more gas instead of spending the $5 for a case of 40.”
Evans explained that they weren’t espousing that people drive to a gas station every time they’re thirsty. “This is really only for when you are traveling. I would just drink water at home vs. buying bottled water when at home.”
And this viewer said that doing this just seemed wrong. “Why does that feel illegal even though it’s not,” they questioned.
Soda fountain cleanliness
As noted by one of the aforementioned TikTok viewers, soda fountain machine cleanliness may be a cause for concern. If you’re a fan of grabbing a 64-ounce humdinger of Diet Mountain Dew spiked with cherry flavoring, don’t read this study.
United Fast Food penned an article citing analytics from the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) regarding soda fountains. The NSF examined several of these apparatuses at various fast-food and quick-service restaurants. The findings were disheartening, to say the least.
According to the research group, these drink dispensing devices were in the “top six germiest places” in eating establishments. In a separate study, 50 percent of tested machines were found to contain “coliform bacteria.” And the reason why this is so “alarming” is because it’s a distinct sign of “fecal contamination.” I.e., this research says it’s a coin toss as to whether or not there’s rat poop in or around your soda machine.
@somersavesyou Water bottles are a waste of money! Water. Is. Free. #creatorsearchinsights #trip #roadtrip #travel #cheap #cheaptravel #hacks #tips ♬ She’s Gone – Jeddy Knox
Filtered? Tap?
According to soda machine companies SC Beverage and Donastar, soda machines typically use tap water. So, whatever quality of water a region has running through its faucets is the same type of water in machines.
Different cities run their water processing facilities differently. If the source of an area’s water is well water, then it’s usually untreated and unfiltered. However, according to water treatment company Culligan, many municipalities treat water at processing plants. Oftentimes, filters are implemented as part of this methodology.
Additionally, Disboards users have stated that soda machines at restaurants often have their own installed filters. So, if tap water is treated and filtered, it’ll be filtered again in one of these machines. Other online commenters in the Straight Dope Message Board also mentioned that soda gun machines sport filters.
What does seem to be a cause for concern among these users, however, were conversations pertaining to filter location. This appears to pertain to soda guns at bars, however. One person recommended checking the location of C02 tanks, which is where he found, in his experience, filters are installed in this type of setup.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Evans via TikTok comment for further information.
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