How To Tell If Your Tap Water Is Ok To Drink

This is a collaborative post.

Water is the healthiest drink you can put in your body. There’s a real problem in modern times with water usage and plastic bottles. People know they should drink water, but this tends to require using plastic water bottles all the time. Yes, reusable bottles exist – but how do you fill them up with water? You’d need to keep buying a big bottle to fill up your reusable one, and the problem persists. Unless your tap water is good, that is.

Ideally, you can solve this issue by drinking water from your faucet. Unfortunately, the water in your home might not be suitable to drink. If you drink it, you could be filling yourself with potentially harmful substances that can cause health problems. How do you know if your tap water is drinkable? It’s a simple case of following these steps:

Check that the water is clear

Cloudy water is not safe to drink. Clean drinking water will be clear, and you should be able to see straight through it. This is the easiest way of instantly knowing if your water is bad or not – if it’s cloudy, put it down and don’t drink it. Also, if it’s a strange colour, obviously don’t even think about drinking it!

Smell the water

Water should not have a distinct smell at all. If you sniff your water and it smells really strange, then that’s a warning sign. It is likely full of substances or chemicals that are causing the odour. The same goes for the taste; it should be pretty tasteless, if it tastes metallic or weird, stop drinking it right away. 

Look for strange deposits

Do you notice white slimy deposits around your sink and faucet? When you wash your hands, can you almost feel something on them? If so, it could indicate that you have hard water in your home. This basically means that certain metals have built up in the water, and they have been calcified. You really shouldn’t drink water like this!

Can you make your tap water safe to drink?

What happens if you spot any of the problems spoken about above, and you realize your water isn’t safe to drink? Does this mean you’re doomed to buying bottled water for the rest of your life? No, there are a few things you can do to make your water safe to drink. 

• Water treatment – This is a service that can be provided by a local plumber, and it’s basically the process of chemically treating your water. It can help to remove harmful substances and clean your water pipes, making it safer to drink from your tap. 

• Boiling water – Another idea is to boil your water and then let it cool in the fridge. Not the most convenient option, but boiling will kill harmful substances or bacteria in the water. 

• Water filters – Arguably the best option, you can install filters to your taps to prevent large substances from passing through. Or, you can get a standalone filtration system that you add water to, clean it, and are presented with clean and clear water to drink. 

If you manage to have clean drinking water at home, it will be so beneficial for your health, bank balance, and the environment! Test your water to see if it’s drinkable, then make the necessary adjustments if it isn’t.