Water quality is a growing concern among Americans nationwide. Today’s news is filled with stories of urban, suburban and rural communities alike each battling water contamination issues from a wide range of sources. Meanwhile, legislators at the national and state levels are increasingly trying to address the growing problem. But what about you? You might be wondering what you can do to be sure your drinking water is safe. The best way to learn about what’s flowing out of your tap and how it might impact your health is to buy a water test.

There are two primary water testing options available on the market today: (1) At-home Test Strips and (2) Lab Testing Kits.

At-home, do-it-yourself water testing kits are popular thanks to their low cost and rapid results. You can find dozens of them for sale on Amazon. But while you’ll have your results shortly after taking your samples, what you’ll see will be limited in both accuracy and information (there’s a reason professional lab equipment costs millions of dollars).

Lab water testing kits are more expensive and require waiting several days for results. But those results are considerably more accurate, capable, and detailed. While you can buy a number of lab testing kits on Amazon, the majority of laboratory testing options are ordered directly through their providers. Typically, your purchase includes a sampling kit with (1) a set of materials and detailed instructions for collecting samples, and (2) a prepaid return shipping label to mail your sample to the lab. Several days after the laboratory receives your kit, you receive a rigorous analysis, or lab report, emailed directly to you.

While both options will provide you with information about your water, the cost, range and precision of results vary widely.

The vast majority of do-it-yourself tests feature chemical strips that change color depending on the amount of a particular contaminant present in the water sample (metals, chemicals, pesticides, coliform). After dipping the strip into your sample and waiting a specified time, the strip’s color is compared to a color chart usually included with the strip’s paperwork. By comparing your test strip to the color chart you can deduce the approximate level of a particular contaminant or parameter.

Pros of Test Strips:

Cons of Test Strips:

Bottom Line: If you want instant results for simple concerns, test strips are an affordable do-it-yourself option.

Laboratory test kits offer you a much wider range of contaminants to test for along with increased accuracy and comprehensiveness. Each kit should contain all the materials and instructions necessary to collect a sample of your water. Before ordering your lab test kit, you should make sure the lab test kit includes the following:

Pros of Lab Tests:

Cons of Lab Tests:

Bottom Line: Lab test kits allow you to test for thousands of specific contaminants with cutting edge accuracy and detail, but results will take a bit longer.

Important Reminder: Water tests are snapshots in time. Keeping an eye on changes in your local water supply, as well as routine maintenance and upkeep on any and all water treatment systems are all just as important as testing.

For the vast majority of contaminants, professional in-lab analysis offers the highest level of accuracy. A handful of parameters, however, are highly volatile and/or are prone to changing rapidly. As such, the parameters below are almost always best measured with a rapid on-site test strip or a digital sensor.

If you’re testing for any of the following, at-home test kits could come in handy:

No matter where you live or where you source it, testing your water is always a good move. The more you know, the better you’ll feel about trusting your tap.

But wait—what about a CCR? Your utility must provide a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) once a year to summarize water quality. The drawback is that the data is very limited and inherently an average of water quality leaving the treatment plant—not at your tap. A lot can change in miles of underground plumbing!

While at-home water testing strips are easy to use and affordable, they’re really only useful when it comes to simple checks: like pH, chlorine, or TDS levels.

Lab testing is the best way to get an accurate reading of your water—and the peace of mind that goes with comprehensive analysis. For any of the more complex contaminants, the methods and expertise required for accurate readings just aren’t available at home, not with messy strips and color gradients. Lastly, keep an eye out for exaggerated claims and hidden costs—if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is!