It’s shocking how many homeowners in America drink water from public treatment without checking its quality. Research shows that the human body’s weight is more than 50% water. Water is essential for the body because it helps in eliminating waste through the process of sweating and urination. Human beings cannot last more than five days without water. That’s why you must meet the daily requirement for water intake, which is at least eight glasses a day.
How Does Water Get Contaminated?
Water can get contaminated in so many ways. People use various contaminants every day and most of these can find their way into the lakes, rivers, and aquifers. The contaminants include pharmaceuticals, solvents, cleaning agents, pesticides, weed killers, etc. Unfortunately, many people don’t know that these contaminants can end up in the water supply.
Contaminated water may have a color, an unpleasant smell, and a salty taste. Many people don’t think about the water they drink, they simply turn on the tap, fill their glass with water, and drink. Water is necessary for maintaining body temperature; that’s why it’s critical to test the quality of the water you drink to see if it is free from contaminants. The good news is that there are pure testing methods to help you determine whether or not the water you drink at home is safe.
The following are some of the methods you can use to test the quality of your water.
- Get the Local Municipality‘s Water Quality Report
The law states that the local water municipality must perform regular checks on the quality of the water in the community. The results are then made available to the public every year in the form of the Consumer Confidence Report [CCR]. The Consumer Confidence Report is published by the US EPA. This is one of the easiest ways to know whether or not the water you are using at home is safe.
- Use a Home Water Test Kit
As mentioned above, it is crucial to know what you’re testing for. If you are using this method, you must understand the various chemicals or contaminants that the water is exposed to. Each test kit has a set of instructions to guide you.
The home water test kit has a number of strips that contain reactants. This is the best way to test your water at home since it’s fast, cheap, and effective. You can grab your home water test kit from a home improvement store or superstore near you. You can also purchase them online. When testing your water, make sure that the water is at room temperature. All you have to do is to expose the strips to the water you use at home and submerge them for about five seconds while moving them gently back and forth.
- Get Your Water Tested in a Lab
Although this method is quite expensive, it is a very accurate way of knowing whether or not the water you are drinking at home is safe. The lab results may take a few days to come back, but the figures you will be provided with will be complete and accurate.