Do you ever take a sip of water and wonder why it doesn’t taste very good? Chances are, the reason your tap water doesn’t taste great is because of its mineral content or the presence of chemicals or other additives.
But you don’t have to settle for the unsatisfying H2O currently coming from your faucets. In this blog post, we’ll explore the reasons behind that odd flavor, whether your home’s water supply is safe to drink, and ways that you can make your tap water taste better.
What Makes Water Have a Taste?
Everything that you drink contains elements, minerals, and chemicals that can change the taste of your water. In tap water, these are likely to be calcium, magnesium, or bicarbonates. There may also be chlorine in the water if it has recently been treated with a disinfectant at a water treatment plant. These things are quite normal and don’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with your tap water; they just give it an odd flavor.
Some areas across the United States also report a rotten egg smell or taste in tap water supplies. That’s due to the presence of hydrogen sulfide, an odor-causing gas often caused by organic material in the water.
In addition to naturally occurring compounds, other additives or contaminants might be present in your drinking water. Pesticides from agricultural runoff can make their way into public reservoirs and end up in our taps after being treated for safety reasons. Or there could even be trace amounts of lead leaching into the water from old plumbing. Although this is much less common, recent lead contamination cases in places like Flint and Benton Harbor show that outdated, potentially dangerous piping is still an issue for many Americans.
Is It Safe to Drink Water with a Strange Taste?
The good news is that tap water with a strange taste is usually still safe to drink and won’t give you any health problems. In fact, tap water from municipal sources is put through some pretty strict safety checks before it is declared fit for public consumption.
The bad news is that having to chug down flavorless or off-tasting water every day isn’t very pleasant. And with some harmful contaminants potentially lurking, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Checking Your Water’s Safety
If you’re worried about the safety of your tap water, it’s a good idea to contact your local public health department or water provider. They should be able to provide information on tests they’ve done on your drinking water and let you know if there’s anything that needs to be addressed.
You can also buy at-home water testing kits or contact local water professionals for a second opinion. Some servicers, like the pros at The Science of Water, even provide free testing and recommendations to ensure that your water is both delicious and safe to consume.
Managing the Quality of Well Water
Water from municipal supplies is subject to a lot of oversight. But in some areas, private wells are the source of drinking water. If you’re one of the many Americans that rely on a well for their water supply, it’s important to keep an eye out for any changes in color, taste, odor, or texture. These can be signs that contamination has infiltrated your supply and needs to be addressed.
How to Make Tap Water Taste Better
Fortunately, there are several things that you can do to make your tap water taste better.
Water Mix-Ins
In a pinch, you can distract from strange-tasting water by giving it some other tastes to play with. Plus, some people just don’t like the plain flavor of H2O. In this case, adding something to your drinking water can provide a more enticing taste. Lemon juice, berries, cucumber slices, or herbs like mint are all great options for sprucing up your tap water. Plus, they can provide an extra nutritional boost while encouraging you to stay hydrated.
Home Water Filtration
If your tap water has a consistently strange or unpleasant flavor, you can use an at-home filtration system to reduce the number of minerals and chemicals and give your water a more pure and refreshing finish. Carbon filters are particularly effective at removing chlorine from tap water, which can give it a strange taste or smell.
Your filtration options include localized methods like filtered pitchers or faucet attachments, or whole-home filtration systems that protect your home’s entire water supply.
Benefits of Whole-Home Filtration
Since whole-home water filtration systems remove impurities from all of the water entering your home, they offer some advantages over localized solutions. For one thing, you don’t have to worry about refilling pitchers or setting up faucet attachments; they work automatically and continuously to protect your entire supply of drinking water.
Whole-home systems are also cost-effective over time. By providing cleaner water through every tap and appliance hookup, they reduce wear and tear on your plumbing, fixtures, and water-using appliances like the dishwasher and laundry machine. They can even help your clothes last longer despite repeated washings and promote better skin and hair by removing irritating water impurities.
Finally, whole-home systems are environmentally friendly. Some households with strange-tasting tap water turn to bottled water as a solution. But with thoroughly filtered water at your fingertips, you can enjoy the quality of bottled water without spending money on plastic bottles that will end up in landfills.
Get Cleaner Water with The Science of Water
If you’re serious about improving the taste of your tap water and getting healthier H2O into your home, then investing in some sort of filtration system is the easiest, most comprehensive way to ensure water quality.
The Science of Water can provide tap water filtration solutions for any type of water source. As purveyors of whole-home water filtration systems, we understand what it takes to guarantee fresh, clean water that’s both safe and affordable. Whether you are looking for a simple under-sink filter or an advanced filtration system, we have the tools and expertise to help make your tap water safe and delicious to drink. And with free water testing and recommendations, our team of experts can help you choose the best option for your needs.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can keep your drinking water safe and clean!