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Home water test strips or mail-to-lab test kits? - BLG158
Water Science

Lab Tests vs. Test Strips: What’s the Best Home Water Test in 2026?

Home water tests or mail-to-lab testing kits—is one really better than the other? Learn all about water test strips and lab testing kits for drinking water.

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Most Recent Articles

Tap Score and Lab Certifications - BLG153

Why Tap Score Uses Certified Labs for Every Test

Learn about lab certifications in the water quality industry: accreditation standards, certified testing bodies, and how to find out if your lab is certified

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Quick Guide to Certified Water Filters for Arsenic - BLG175

Quick Guide to Certified Water Filters for Arsenic

Learn which NSF certified water filters reduce arsenic. Understand NSF/ANSI standards, why certification matters, and why testing your water comes first.

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Parents Guide to Tap Water Testing - BLG029

Is Tap Water Safe for My Child? New Parents’ Guide

Protect your baby with safer tap water. Learn which contaminants to watch for during pregnancy and infancy, when to test, and how to filter effectively.

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What do drinking water standards mean? - BLG013

HGL vs MCLG vs MCL: What Drinking Water Standards Mean

Learn the difference between EPA MCLs, MCLGs, and Tap Score HGLs and how each standard affects your water quality and health.

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Water Testing Laboratory Equipment - BLG130

How Drinking Water Contaminants Are Tested in Professional Laboratories

Learn how labs test drinking water using ICP-MS, GC-MS, and LC-MS to detect lead, VOCs, PFAS, bacteria, and more.

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Volatile Organic Compounds in Drinking Water - BLG137

Are VOCs in My Water? VOCs in Drinking Water Explained

Learn what VOCs are, how they get into drinking water, and how to test accurately (mail‑in lab vs screening). Includes standards context and next steps.

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Are cheap water tests any good? - BLG007

Ultimate Guide to Cheap and Free Water Tests

A clear guide to cheap and free water tests—what they measure, what they miss, and when certified lab testing is worth it.

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What to do if there's an animal in your well - BLG191

What to Do If There’s a Dead Animal in Your Well

Suspect a dead animal in your well? Learn how to test for coliform bacteria and what to do to disinfect before use.

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Shop our most
popular tests

  • I Have City Water
  • City Water
  • I Have Well Water
  • Well Water
Core Kit

Essential City Water Test

49 Analytes Tested

Basic test panel for water utility customers primarily concerned by metals, aging pipes, and infrastructure.

$189.00
$209.00 $189.00
5 Days in Lab
Core Kit

Advanced City Water Test

111 Analytes Tested

Ideal baseline for testing tap water provided by a local water utility–including metals, minerals, and chlorine-related byproducts.

$299.00
$325.00 $299.00
5 Days in Lab
MOST POPULAR
Core Kit

Extended City Water Test

120 Analytes Tested

Comprehensive testing for the core concerns impacting utility-provided tap water, plus analysis of radioactive particles and additional disinfection byproducts.

$815.00
$869.00 $815.00
12 Days in Lab