BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Jan. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- It's easy to remember to stay hydrated during the warm summer months, but just because temperatures have dropped, doesn't mean your water intake should. Whether you've chosen a new winter sport as part of your New Year's resolutions, or if you simply have decided you would like to be a "better you" this year, staying hydrated is key. Fuel all your winter activities with filtered water, and don't forget it's the perfect way to make warm beverages—starting with fresh, filtered water will result in truer tasting coffee or peppermint tea. With the new year here, now is the perfect time to get in the habit of treating your body well and drinking plenty of filtered water to fuel you through your day.

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January marks national Change Your Refrigerator Water Filter month, which reminds you of the importance of changing your refrigerator water filter twice a year to ensure contaminant reduction from filtered tap water that could occur at home. Properly maintaining your water filter is crucial, as tap water may travel through miles and miles of infrastructure before making its way into your home, and may pick up contaminants along the way. Therefore, many appliance manufacturers recommend changing the water filter every six months, or more often depending on usage, in order to enjoy filtered drinking and cooking water and ice.

"Staying hydrated is critical for people to stay energized and feel good. It is essential that the water they are drinking is filtered of potential contaminants," said Jeremy Earles, category manager, Whirlpool water filtration. "If you plan on making 2011 the year for an active lifestyle, be sure to include drinking more filtered water as a one of your New Year's resolutions."

If your family drinks filtered water in place of bottled water, you could help protect the environment by preventing the disposal of over 3,000 plastic bottles a year and save over $600 for yourself.(1) In addition to cost savings, drinking filtered water is also environmentally responsible as there are an estimated 38 billion water bottles thrown in the trash each year.(2)

This every-six-month habit is also convenient since many refrigerators have an easy access system, located conveniently at the bottom in the grille or just inside the refrigerator. Plus for added convenience, Whirlpool Corporation provides an automatic water filter replacement program that sends filters right to consumers' homes, with no cost for shipping. To take advantage of this great offer, enter the promo code "FREESHIP" when ordering filters online throughout the month of January.

To help make drinking filtered water part of your life, one lucky consumer will win a Whirlpool® side-by-side refrigerator (model number GSS26C4XXY) and a lifetime worth of water filters.(3) A winner will be chosen at random from eligible participants. Consumers can enter to win in one of two ways – they can log onto the Institute of Kitchen Science Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/InstituteofKitchenScience ) and enter to win on our Contest Tab or they follow @kitchensci on Twitter to enter the contest. For official rules, please visit Facebook.

For more information on replacing your filter for any Whirlpool portfolio product, visit http://www.whirlpool.com/everysixmonths.

About Whirlpool Brand

Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $17 billion in 2009, 67,000 employees and 67 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. Whirlpool brand recognizes that consumers lead busy, active lives and continues to create solutions that help consumers optimize productivity and efficiency in the home. In addition to designing appliance solutions based on consumer insight, Whirlpool brand is dedicated to creating ENERGY STAR qualified appliances like the Resource Saver side-by-side refrigerator which recently was rated the #1 brand for side-by-side refrigerators.(4) Whirlpool is one of Habitat for Humanity's largest corporate partners, donating a refrigerator and range to every new Habitat for Humanity home built in North America. For more information on Whirlpool brand, please visit www.whirlpool.com. Additional information about the company can be found at www.whirlpoolcorp.com.

(1)Based on average use of two 6-month 200 gallon water filters versus purchasing the same amount of a leading brand of bottled water.

(2)According to www.dailygreen.com.

(3)Based on 2 filters per year with a 10 year refrigerator life.

(4)Based on rating of Whirlpool Gold model GS5VHAXW by a leading consumer magazine.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation