Do You Need a Water Test? What Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho Homeowners Should Know

As we enter the winter season, we also enter soup, hot cocoa, and apple cider season. It is common practice to cook with kitchen tap water, but did you know your tap water may not be safe to consume? According to the water reports made by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), Idaho’s water contains 24 contaminants above health guidelines, and Washington has 41 water contaminants above health guidelines.

Signs of Hard Water

If you’re experiencing hard water, it would be in your best interest to receive a water test. How do you know if you have hard or contaminated water? According to the Water Quality Association (WQA), you may have hard water if you experience the following:

• Stiff, dingy laundry
• Mineral deposits on dishes and glassware 
• High soap usage & need for fabric softeners 
• Extra work to remove soap curd on bathtubs & shower stalls 
• High energy costs, possibly due to scale build-up in pipes and on appliances
• Scale build-up in sinks, tubs, faucets & appliances

Signs of Water Contamination

Water contamination can be tricky to detect. Many contaminants don’t have a color, taste, or odor in water. That’s why it is important to test your water if you have concerns about specific contaminants. Signs of some water contaminants include:

Iron Bacteria

• Swampy, musty, oil-like, petroleum, sewage or rotten vegetation taste or smell (PSU)
• red, yellow, brown, or gray deposits (PSU)
• orange or opaque slimy strands in plumbing appliances or orange water (PSU)

Aluminum

• Grayish tint or metallic taste of water (WQA)

Copper

• Metallic taste (WQA)
• Blue/green tint (WQA)

Ammonia

• Strong fishy taste or smell (CDC)

FREE In-Home Water Test

If you are a homeowner in Eastern Washington or Northern Idaho, we offer complimentary, no obligation, in-home water testing. You can also order certified mail-in testing from our website, RealH2oSolutions.com

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “Ammonia.” 6 Sept. 2024, www.cdc.gov/chemical-emergencies/chemical-fact-sheets/ammonia.html

Environmental Working Group (EWG) “EWG’s Tap Water Database: What’s in Your Drinking Water?” 2024, www.ewg.org/tapwater/state.php?stab=ID.

Penn State Extension (PSU) “Iron and Sulfur Bacteria: A Slimy Problem.” Psu.edu, 2024, extension.psu.edu/iron-and-sulfur-bacteria-a-slimy-problem

Water Quality Association (WQA) “Aluminum Fact Sheet.” wqa.org/resources/aluminum/

Water Quality Association (WQA)  “Copper Fact Sheet.” 8 Nov. 2022, wqa.org/resources/copper/

Water Quality Association (WQA) “Scale Deposits.” wqa.org/learn-about-water/perceptible-issues/scale-deposits/

Published on: 11/6/2025

Last updated on: 11/6/2025