To help you find the best solution for your needs, here are the best water testing kits available now. If you’re concerned about the safety of your drinking water, a water testing kit is an easy way to find out if there are contaminants in the water. According to the National Sanitation Foundation’s International’s Global Water Program, the primary contaminants found in drinking water are lead, arsenic, bacteria (coliform), cysts and viruses, chlorine, chloramine, chromium, fluoride, nitrates and nitrites, PFOA and PFOS, Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). For one of the most comprehensive water testing kits on the market, consider the Ultimate kit from Safe Home. This mail-in water testing kit will screen your sample for over 200 contaminants and provide in-depth results. The kit tests for 6 in-organic substances, 12 physical properties, 32 toxic metals, 20 semi-volatile organic compounds, and 130 volatile organic compounds. It also includes an at-home test for coliform (bacteria) and instructions on how to complete it. The parent company to Safe Home is Environmental Laboratories, which is one of the largest EPA-certified drinking water labs in North America. So when you mail your sample in, you can have confidence in the quality of analysis performed. And while everyone loves instant results, most people receive their results within ten days of submission. This kit is on the pricey side, but it provides the in-depth testing that you can rely on when making big decisions about the safety of your water supply and what type of home water filters to invest in. Price at time of publish: $380 Approved Use: Drinking | Tests For: Over 200 Contaminants (6 in-organic substances, 12 physical properties, 32 toxic metals, 20 semi-volatile organic compounds, and 130 volatile organic compounds) | Time Until Results: Under 10 Days This water testing kit for lead, mercury, copper, and iron takes under 15 minutes to complete. While there is one lead test included in the kit, you can test for the other three metals twice and receive quantified results for the presence of these metals. For lead, the test is of a pass/fail nature, which is the case for virtually all at-home lead water testing kits. The EPA has set a limit of 15 ppb for lead in municipal water supplies and this testing kit will indicate whether your water contains lead above or below the 15 ppb threshold. According to users, the test kit is easy to use and provides peace of mind if your lead is below the EPA limit. If not, it’s a small investment to make in order to know that you need to have a more in-depth analysis done and implement steps to improve your water quality and reduce exposure to lead. Approved Use: Drinking | Tests For: Lead, Mercury, Copper, and Iron | Time Until Results: Under 15 Minutes This test kit is simple, straightforward, and provides users with laboratory-grade results. Providing results in just five minutes, it also takes less time to process compared to other test kits on this list. Approved Use: Well Water For Drinking | Tests For: Bacteria, Nitrates and Nitrites, Manganese, Hydrogen Sulfide, Total Alkalinity, Total Hardness, and pH | Time Until Results: 5 Minutes Using this kit is simple and fast, as it comes with easy-to-read strips that provide ranges for each tested contaminant. Since the results are provided within a range only, it is not as specific as laboratory testing. Price at time of publish: $30 Approved Use: Well Water For Drinking | Tests For: 10 Different Contaminants (Lead, Pesticides, Bacteria, and Hardness) | Time Until Results: 10 Minutes A major benefit of the Tap Score water testing kit is the fact that your analysis includes water treatment advice and the support of a team of water engineers and experts. The company states that it is not affiliated with any water treatment companies and provides objective advice on how to tackle troublesome contaminants or improve the general quality of your water for drinking, cooking, bathing, laundry, and more. Price at time of publish: $265 Approved Use: Drinking, Cooking, Bathing, Laundry, and More | Tests For: Over 100 Contaminants | Time Until Results: Within 5 Days Some people have critiqued the chlorine test for making it difficult to determine free chlorine versus total chlorine. This kit contains the essentials you need to affordably monitor your pool chemicals in between trips to the pool store for more in-depth testing. Price at time of publish: $17 Approved Use: Pools | Tests For: Chlorine, Bromine, pH, Acid Demand, and Total Alkalinity | Time Until Results: 5 to 10 Minutes Use AquaChek Salt Water Swimming Pool Test Strips to ensure that your system is functioning properly and your pool has the proper salinity. Just be sure that you follow the directions and only immerse the strip in 1 inch of water. Price at time of publish: $10 Approved Use: Pools | Tests For: Any Issues Salt-Chlorine Generators, Sodium Chloride | Time Until Results: Under 5 Minutes Price at time of publish: $15 Approved Use: Dishwasher, Hot Water Heater, and More | Tests For: Hardness | Time Until Results: Under 5 Minutes
Testing Procedure
You’ll also want to consider the testing procedure when purchasing a water testing kit. If time isn’t a concern, consider a kit that you send out to a testing facility, as those options are often more comprehensive. However, if you want the results quickly, an at-home kit will give you answers immediately.
Contaminants
Some water testing kits can detect a wide variety of common contaminants, such as lead, chlorine, copper, iron, and more. Others just test for one or two contaminants and are usually less expensive. If you know what substance you’re testing for, you may want to go with the latter option, but if you want to know generally what’s in your water, a broader kit is probably the way to go.
Why Trust The Spruce?
This roundup was written by Erica Puisis, who has been researching strategies to improve everyday life and health, including water testing and filtration options, for more than three years. A purveyor of one of life’s most essential elements, Erica has tried reverse osmosis systems, water ionizers, and gravity filtration pitchers to stay hydrated and keep healthy. To make this list, she considered each kit’s water source, testing procedure, and contaminants (or lack thereof).
