The Kangen machines need regular cleaning every week or two.  I didn't actually read my manual when I first got my machine and didn't catch that part.  After a while the water started tasting bad so I asked what was going on with the machine and found out you really need to clean the machine regularly.  It's actually very simple.  Here's a short video that will walk you through it step by step.  The written instructions come with the machine as well but this video is great!        How to Use the Different Waters the Kangen Machines Can Produce CLICK HERE To View The Operational Chart   Obviously for Drinking and Alkalizing Your Body According to Dr. Robert O. Young in his pH Miracle series of books, he advises drinking 1 liter for every 40 pounds of body weight per day.  To hydrate properly, flush out acids and get your body to the ideal alkalinity (7.365) this is his recommendation for the amount of water per day everyone should be drinking.  That's a lot of water for some people!  To start off I would recommend at least 1/2 of your body weight in ounces.  So, for example, if you weigh 160 lbs. then you would drink 80 oz. which would be 10 glasses per day.  Once you get comfortable with 1/2 your body weight in oz. per day then you can increase it if you like. Please Note: The Kangen water loses its ionization and antioxidant power within 24 hours so it's best to drink the water fresh from the machine. Also to get the most benefit of the high alkalinity in the water for raising your body's pH level you should drink the water on an empty stomach...meaning at least 1/2 hour before eating and at least 1 - 2 hours after eating depending on how small or large the meal was and how heavy to digest the food was. When you eat food the stomach produces hydrochloric acid to start breaking down your food so you can digest it. There is only a small amount of acid in the stomach when it is empty, and this can be easily overcome when alkaline electron-rich water is consumed. Water consumed between meals will very quickly pass through the stomach and the GI tract. If you drink the alkaline water right after eating the stomach acid will dilute the alkaline pH level of the water and the alkaline water would dilute the stomach acid and interfere with proper digestion so drink it on an empty stomach for the alkaline benefit of the water. Here Are Some of the Benefits of Drinking Kangen Alkaline Water: Flushes toxins Disarms free radicals Restores alkalinity in your body Increases stable oxygen in your body Enhances delivery of nutrients Cooking with alkaline water improves the nutritional value and the taste of food and drinks. It makes acidic foods and drinks more alkaline. Animals and Pets: Can be used in drinking water to maintain their health. (Most pets should be given the 8.5 pH) Less odor and feces. Dying Garments:  Results in vivid colors. Flowers: Healthier Live longer Need less water Won't need pesticides Extends the life of cut flowers  Cooking With Alkaline Water: Alkaline water brings out the real taste in food because it doesn't break down like acid water. Vegetables:  The green color is brought out because the chlorophyll doesn't break down.  It also neutralizes acidic components in the vegetables, removing the harsh taste. When Cooking Grains:  Wash the grains gently in weak alkaline water and soak them in strong alkaline water for 10 to 30 minutes.  Steam the grain in the strong alkaline water you used.  The taste is soft and moist and much more flavorful. When Cooking Meat and Astringent Tasting Vegetables:  Soak them in alkaline water for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking and you will experience a whole new level of taste with less odor and more savor.  Cooking with alkaline water removes the pungent and acrid tastes of those vegetables, while enriching their natural flavors and aroma.  Alkaline water removes odor from fish, while making them more tender and juicy. Soups and Stews: Alkaline water draws out the flavor of ingredients so they become more tender and juicy.  Less seasoning such as salt and soy sauce are needed and is perfect for people trying to reduce their salt intake. Fruits and Vegetables:  Clean and store fruits and vegetables in alkaline water for longer lasting freshness. Acidic water is NOT for drinking as you are trying to get more alkaline internally - not more acidic - but it does have some great uses outside of the body. Beauty Water Acidic water in the 4.0 - 6.0 range is known to effectively tone your skin. It helps to tone your skin after a bath or shower, and to help close your pores after washing your face. You don't need to spend money anymore on expensive toners when you can make your own with a push of a button. For Cleaning Water You can remove stains on dishes, cups, glasses, and tiles more easily. When taking medication or in baby formula Clean water is pure, filtered, neutral (7pH) un-restructured water. When the water gets restructured into a smaller molecule cluster it enhances the potency of substances it interacts with. That may be great for food flavor and nutrition and nutritional supplements but if taken with medication it would also enhance the potency of the medication which is the same as upping the dosage, which could cause problems if your doctor has you on a specific dosage of a particular medication. So when taking any medication you should use clean neutral water instead of the Kangen restructured water. Both strong Kangen (meaning highly alkaline - 11.5pH) and strong acidic (2.5pH) are NOT suitable for drinking. To make either water you would simply press the strong acid button and the strong Kangen water will come out of the main hose and the strong acidic water will come out of the secondary hose. Here are the fantastic uses and applications for the Strong Kangen and Strong Acidic water: Cleaning - Strong Kangen water has the power to dissolve tough stains and break down oils and grease and has the cleaning effect of a detergent. Strong Kangen water also has the ability to soften things in a short period of time and has strong ability to dissolve and remove various materials. Use Strong Kangen water in the kitchen for cleaning grease stains and grime. You can use it to remove tough grease stains from the vent of your overhead range and in your oven and to take away the oily film from your cutting board, knives, and dishes. Also great for yellow toilet stains, wiping counters, cleaning floors, drains, and other cleaning implements. Now ideally you should only be using organic produce with no pesticides on it but if you have non-organic produce the pesticides are in an oil base to keep the rain and water from washing the pesticides off of the produce. The Strong Kangen water will dissolve the oil based pesticide and make it easier to clean your produce. You can also use Strong Kangen water to wash meats, vegetables and fish before cooking. You can use Strong Kangen water in the laundry to to boost the effectivness of your laundry detergent or even cut down on the amount of laundry detergent needed so you can use less and save money. Strong Kangen water is a safe, non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaner that you can feel safe about using around the house with no toxic fumes to breath in and no toxic chemical residue that can be absorbed into the skin by walking on or touching surfaces used with traditional toxic cleaning solutions. This is a great way to make sure you, your family and pets stay safe and healthy and you can make it yourself right from your own faucet. Disinfecting and Sanitizing - Strong acidic water has extraordinary disinfecting properties. Strong Acidic water was accepted for food product disinfections in June of 2002 in Japan. It is used to disinfect food items, washing and cleaning of food production facilities, among a wide number of other uses. You can use Strong Acidic water as a safe means of general sanitation. In order to kill off 99.99% of all pathogens, viruses, germs and bacteria, strong acid water below 2.6 pH must be used. There is only one water ionizer machine that produces the Strong Acidic water below 2.6 pH and that is the Kangen Water machine that creates 2.5 pH Acidic Water. The Kangen Water machine is able to do this through the electrolysis enhancer tank. That simply means that a sodium chloride solution is added to the water automatically when producing Strong Acidic water. The end result is 2.5 pH Strong Acidic water that kills 99.99% of viruses, germs, bacteria, salmonella, etc. In the kitchen Strong Acidic water can be used for cleaning cutting boards, knives and wash rags. It kills germs that are normally spread easily around your kitchen. Please note though that Strong Acidic water is corrosive if it is left on metal items, so wipe metal items like knives and utensils with a dry towel after cleaning. You can use Strong Acidic water for washing hands and sanitation. It is powerful in killing germs. There are also numerous other uses such as cleaning toothbrushes, brushing your teeth, washing your skin, and gargling for example. In addition to uses around the home Strong Acidic water can be use in places such as Beauty Salons, Barber Shops, Restaurants, Food Processing Facilities, Agriculture/Greenhouses, Nursery Schools, Kindergartens, Nursing Homes, Elderly Homes, Pet Shops etc. Strong Acidic water is a safe, non-toxic, disinfecting and sanitizing solution that you can easily make with the push of a button at your own faucet saving you lots of money while at the same time protecting you, your family and your pets from coming in contact with toxic chemicals found in traditional disinfecting and sanitizing products on the market.