My tap water tastes, smells, or looks off
Metallic taste, a chlorine or rotten-egg smell, or cloudy or colored water.
Changes in taste, smell, or color can point to metals (including lead and copper), bacteria, chlorine byproducts, or hardness. The dependable next step is a drinking-water test. A certified mail-in lab test gives results you can act on; an at-home strip kit is a quick first screen. Once you know what is present, you can match a filter to that specific contaminant.
What to do
- Test your drinking water, starting with lead, copper, bacteria, and a general panel.
- For results you can rely on, use a certified mail-in lab and confirm it is accredited.
- Match a filter to the specific contaminant found, not a generic one.
Where to go next
Mail-in and at-home kits plus certified labs to test drinking and well water for PFAS, lead, bacteria, nitrate, hardness, and more.
Official locators for accredited labs. The national ones (EPA, NELAP, A2LA, AIHA) let you search any state, plus selected state programs.
Filters and treatment systems matched to specific contaminants, for after your results come back.
General information to help you find the right test and an accredited lab. This is not medical, legal, or safety advice. For a confirmed exposure or a health concern, talk to a qualified professional, and always confirm a lab's current accreditation with the certifying body.
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