Frequently Asked Questions

Your kit ships through USPS and is usually delivered within 7 to 10 days. We'll send you a tracking number as soon as it's on its way, so you'll always know where it is.

Not yet. Right now, we ship to all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Our kits need to get back to our certified lab within a specific window to make sure your results are valid, and international shipping makes that timeline tough to guarantee. We're working on expanding, but for now, we're U.S. only.

Shipping is included in the price of the kit. We cover delivery to your door and the prepaid return label to send your sample back to our partner lab. There are no extra costs at checkout.

You should collect your sample after water has been sitting in your pipes for at least 6 hours, but not longer than 24 hours. Most people take their sample first thing in the morning before anyone runs the tap. This is called a "first draw" sample.

If your sample falls outside the 6 to 24 hour window, someone from our team will reach out to confirm whether you'd still like the sample analyzed.

We suggest testing from the faucet you drink from the most, which is usually the kitchen sink. That said, you can sample from any faucet in your home, or even outside. Test wherever it matters most to you.

Your kit shows up in the mail with everything you need: a sample bottle, step-by-step instructions, a chain of custody form, and a prepaid return label. The process is simple:

1. Let your water sit for at least 6 hours (no running taps, no flushing).
2. Fill the bottle from your faucet of choice.
3. Complete the Chain of Custody form.
4. Put the bottle and completed form back in the box. Peel the prepaid return label and stick it over the original shipping label.
5. Place the kit in your mailbox or take it to the nearest post office.

If you need any help with sampling, reach out to us via email. We're happy to walk you through the process.

A Chain of Custody (COC) is a document that travels with your sample to the lab. It captures the details the lab needs to process your results, like when you collected your sample, which faucet you used, and your signature. The lab won't process your sample without a completed COC, so make sure you fill it out before sending anything back.

If there's an issue with your COC, our team will reach out to help correct it before analysis is started.

As soon as you can, ideally the same day. Water samples have a limited window for valid analysis, so the faster your sample gets to our certified partner lab, the more confident you can be in your results. If you can get your sample kit in the mail within 3 days, you should be in good shape.

Lead gets into drinking water through metal faucets, interior plumbing, or the service line connecting your home to the water main in the street. You can't see it, taste it, or smell it.

High levels of lead are particularly harmful for infants, children, and pregnant mothers, and can cause delays in physical and mental development, along with problems with attention and learning. In adults, lead exposure has been linked to kidney issues and high blood pressure.

EPA maximum contaminant level: 0.015 mg/L

Arsenic in drinking water usually comes from agricultural or industrial runoff, and it's a known carcinogen. Like lead, it has no smell, taste, or color, even at high concentrations. The only reliable way to know if it's in your water is lab testing.

Long-term exposure to elevated arsenic levels has been linked to increased risk of skin, bladder, kidney, prostate, and lung cancer.

EPA maximum contaminant level: 0.010 mg/L

pH measures how acidic or basic your water is, on a scale from 0 to 14. A pH of 7.0 is neutral. Below that is acidic, above that is basic.

Water that falls too far outside the neutral range can signal other quality issues. Low pH water, for example, can pull toxic metals like lead out of your pipes. High pH may indicate high salt content. Think of pH as a useful early indicator that something else might be going on with your water.

Recommended range: 6.5 – 8.5

Your results will walk you through exactly what was found in your water and what it means. If anything comes back above EPA maximum contaminant levels, we'll include recommendations from the CDC and other credible resources, so you're not left interpreting results on your own.

You'll get your results via email within 3 weeks of your sample arriving at the lab. If you haven't heard anything after that window, reach out to us and we'll look into it. You can also contact us at any time to check the status of your sample.

We'll give you clear, actionable recommendations based on CDC guidelines and other trusted resources. Depending on your results, that might include additional testing or pointing you toward trusted third-party vendors for next steps. Your local water utility or health department can also be a helpful resource for follow-up questions.

Email us. We're here to help you understand what your results mean and figure out what to do next.

Drinking water standards define acceptable levels of contaminants in your water. These are set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) based on the best available research. The EPA sets standards for contaminants that are known to show up in water, can be detected through testing, and pose a health or aesthetic concern.

Primary standards cover contaminants that can cause real health problems, things like illness, disease, or cancer. Public water systems are required to meet these standards. For private wells and other private systems, they're voluntary, but still worth paying attention to. You'll often hear primary standards referred to as Maximum Contaminant Levels, or MCLs.

Secondary standards cover contaminants that affect things like taste, color, or smell, not necessarily health risks, but things you'd definitely notice. These have traditionally been voluntary guidelines, though some community water systems are now required to meet certain secondary standards. You may see these called Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels (SMCLs) or Recommended Maximum Contaminant Levels (RMCLs).

The Safe Drinking Water Act was originally passed by Congress in 1974 to regulate the nation's public drinking water supply. Under the SDWA, the EPA is responsible for setting the standards that protect our tap water.