How to Test for Hard or Soft Water

If you have any doubt about the condition of your home’s water, we recommend testing your raw and treated water for hardness levels. These steps will also help you identify if your water is soft.

Before you start: Make sure that the faucet you are using and temperature of the water (either hot or cold) is coming from the water softener. 

Here's a breakdown of the most common testing options:

1. Hardness Test Strip

You can request a free hard water test strip from us, or find packs of strips at your local hardware store, or online.

*Instructions on back*

Dip Strip in water for 3 seconds, remove. Do not shake. Wait 20 seconds, then match with closest color block on chart. Colors are stable for 1 minute. 

2. Soap Test

Fill a bottle one-third full with water from your faucet, and add a few drops of pure liquid soap. Shake vigorously for a few seconds and watch for fluffy bubbles to form. If your water is soft, you should have a lot of bubbles. If there is a lack of bubbles, your water may be hard.

TDS Meter - Not a valid test for hardness

Keep in mind that TDS meters will not show you the degree in which your water softener is performing. These meters are testing for all dissolved solids, and your water softener does not reduce the amount of solid minerals in the water - it exchanges hardness minerals for sodium or potassium minerals. If you perform this test, you'll likely see a similar reading on both raw and treated water.