How to improve your tap water quality without any equipment

Tap water in Ireland is regarded as very high quality and as a result a lot of Irish citizens drink tap water daily. However with any water source there are impurities and chemicals left in the water when it reaches your house. It can often be annoying hearing people say how unhealthy those contaminants are when you have no special equipment or means to improve the quality of your tap water.

Luckily we at H2oLabcheck have devised a list of four simple techniques that you may use to increase the quality and safety of your tap water at home.  Here they are:

The twenty second wait:

When water sits in pipes overnight, there is much more time for chemicals to leach into it from the pipes. This is typically true for water faucets as a lot of them contain lead. As a result it is advisable when using a tap that has not been used for a while, run the tap for about 20 seconds before using the water for drinking or cooking. In doing this you ensure that you get the freshest water available. Remember also to turn on the tap gradually then wait, if you turn on the tap very suddenly then it can cause loose contaminants to dislodge and form in the water.

Open air 

When you get mains water from a public tap, it is almost certain that this water will contain levels of chlorine in it from the disinfection process.   The chlorine in the water however is volatile and it will evaporate easily in air. Allowing your water to stand in a container with a wide mouth for a few hours will ensure that all of the residual chlorine in the water will have a chance to evaporate.

Boiling your water:

Boiling water for ten minutes is a great way to disinfect it. It removes any remaining chlorine or any other volatile pollutants in the water.  It is safest to boil your water in a glass, porcelain or stainless steel utensil. Many people also prefer the taste of cool boiled water.

Stirring:

Stirring the water at a low speed will cause all of the volatile pollutants to evaporate. If you used a blender for this ensure the top is off to allow a chance for these pollutants to evaporate off the water. This works much in the same way as boiling your water.

These are a few methods to ensure your tap water is of a higher quality. Keep in mind however that these methods cannot remove all potential pollutants and it is very important to known that your water is safe before treating it with these methods. It is of the utmost importance that your get your drinking water tested regularly by an accredited facility.