Water improves digestion, removes toxins. Meanwhile, not all water is good for the body. For example, we all know from childhood that you should never drink tap water. But this is not entirely true – the quality of the water depends on many reasons. We will tell you how to make sure the quality of water at home. The easiest way to determine the quality of the water and its appearance and taste. The ideal sample is clear, free of sediment, chemical or any other odor.
To the taste
The easiest way to test the water is by heating it to 20 or 60 degrees Celsius. In the first case, the liquid should be completely tasteless. In the second variant, a slight aftertaste is allowed. If the water is sweetish, it contains gypsum, bitter – magnesium salts, tart – iron salts, brackish – a mixture of various salts. Metallic taste indicates iron, astringent – about dissolved oxygen, and putrid – about the content of hydrogen sulfide.
Transparency
To determine the transparency, pour 2 cm of water into the glass and, looking through the glass, read the text on the paper. If you did an excellent job, the water is clear.
Chromaticity
Place a white sheet of paper under a glass and view the liquid in the light from different angles. Nothing should float in it, and the sheet should remain white. Decaying organic matter gives the water its dark color.
Foreign matter
Apply a drop of water to a transparent surface. If it evaporates without leaving a trace, you can drink. Do you have an aquarium? Take care of its inhabitants and take a closer look at the walls. Most fish and frogs are very sensitive to water quality.
Hardness
The easiest way is to boil the kettle and check the bottom for sediment. The more it is, the harder the water. You can also try to foam powder or soap in the water – if it is tough, you will not be able to beat a lot of foam. Soft water is healthier for the body.
Smell
Another indicator of water quality is smell. Warm up the sample again, first to 20, and then to 60 degrees Celsius. If you smell the putrid aroma, the water contains a lot of hydrogen sulfide, and you shouldn’t drink it.
silver spoon
To purify the water from parasites, our grandmothers threw a silver spoon into the container. It would seem that the ancestors can be trusted. But no matter how it is. Silver is a noble metal and hardly reacts with water.
But in large quantities, silver is more likely to harm our body. That is why it is not advisable to drink water with silver ions. They simply kill bacteria in water – both harmful and beneficial. And sterile liquid is of no benefit to the body. By the way, in Russia, up to 0,05 mg of silver per liter is permissible in water. Anything more is poison.
Boiling
The easiest and most proven way to purify water is to boil it. Just heat the water to 95 degrees Celsius. So you will kill a good part of harmful microorganisms. True, you cannot get rid of stiffness and harmful microelements like that. To do this, it is better to pass the water through a charcoal filter.
Ozonation
Ozonation of water is the most effective and expensive option. However, to do this, you will have to seek professional help: ozone is a toxic gas and it is dangerous to work with it. But ozonation kills all harmful substances and any microorganisms, however, only for a few hours.