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Honest Water Company of Lubbock

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Honest Water Company of Lubbock

Honest Water Company of LubbockHonest Water Company of LubbockHonest Water Company of Lubbock
  • Home
  • What is Hard Water
  • Water Cost for Appliances
  • Free Water Test
  • FAQs

Minerals in Your Water

What Minerals and Elements Affect How Your Water Tastes, Smells, and Feels?

Even though your water may look clean, it can contain natural minerals and additives that change its taste, smell, and texture. Below are the most common culprits — especially in places like Lubbock, Texas, where groundwater hardness is high. 

🪨 Calcium & Magnesium

🧫 Sulfur (Hydrogen Sulfide Gas)

🪨 Calcium & Magnesium

What They Are: Natural minerals from rocks and soil — they make water “hard.”
Effects:

  • Feel: Leaves skin dry or itchy and hair dull or brittle.
     
  • Taste: Slightly bitter or chalky.
     
  • Other Signs: White spots on dishes, cloudy glassware, soap scum, and scale buildup on fixtures and appliances.
    Solution: A water softener removes these minerals through ion exchange, making water feel smoother and cleaner.

🧂 Iron

🧫 Sulfur (Hydrogen Sulfide Gas)

🪨 Calcium & Magnesium

What It Is: A metal naturally found in soil and pipes.
Effects:

  • Taste: Metallic, rusty, or blood-like taste.
     
  • Smell: Sometimes gives water an earthy or musty odor.
     
  • Other Signs: Orange or brown stains in sinks, toilets, and laundry.
    Solution: A filtration system or iron filter paired with a water softener can remove excess iron.

🧫 Sulfur (Hydrogen Sulfide Gas)

🧫 Sulfur (Hydrogen Sulfide Gas)

🧫 Sulfur (Hydrogen Sulfide Gas)

What It Is: A naturally occurring gas sometimes found in well water or certain groundwater supplies.
Effects:

  • Smell: Strong “rotten egg” odor.
     
  • Taste: Metallic or foul.
     
  • Other Signs: Odor especially noticeable from hot water taps.
    Solution: Activated carbon filters or specialized sulfur-removal systems eliminate the smell and gas.

🧴 Chlorine & Chloramine

🧊 Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

🧫 Sulfur (Hydrogen Sulfide Gas)

What They Are: Chemicals added by municipalities to disinfect city water.
Effects:

  • Taste: Chemical or bleach-like.
     
  • Smell: Swimming pool odor.
     
  • Feel: Can cause dry skin, irritated eyes, and flat-tasting coffee or tea.
    Solution: A carbon filter or reverse osmosis system removes chlorine and improves taste and smell.

⚙️ Manganese

🧊 Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

🧊 Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

What It Is: A metal similar to iron, often found in well water.
Effects:

  • Taste: Bitter or metallic.
     
  • Smell: Musty or oily.
     
  • Other Signs: Black or dark brown stains on plumbing fixtures and laundry.
    Solution: Filtration combined with a softener or oxidizing filter system.

🧊 Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

🧊 Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

🧊 Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

What It Is: The total amount of minerals and salts dissolved in water — includes calcium, sodium, potassium, and others.
Effects:

  • Taste: Flat, salty, or mineral-heavy.
     
  • Smell: Occasionally earthy or stale.
     
  • Other Signs: White residue on faucets, spots on dishes.
    Solution: A reverse osmosis system dramatically reduces TDS, giving you crisp, clean, bottled-water-quality taste.

🪶 Sodium

🌿 Organic Compounds (from Decay or Algae)

🌿 Organic Compounds (from Decay or Algae)

What It Is: Naturally occurring salt in some water sources or added through softening.
Effects:

  • Taste: Slightly salty if levels are high.
     
  • Feel: Makes softened water feel slick or silky.
    Solution: For drinking water, use reverse osmosis to remove excess sodium while keeping your whole-home water soft.

🌿 Organic Compounds (from Decay or Algae)

🌿 Organic Compounds (from Decay or Algae)

🌿 Organic Compounds (from Decay or Algae)

What They Are: Naturally occurring organic materials in lakes, rivers, or reservoirs.
Effects:

  • Taste/Smell: Musty, earthy, or swampy.
     
  • Feel: No noticeable feel change, but can affect coffee or tea flavor.
    Solution: Carbon filtration removes these organic compounds and improves taste.

🥤Styrene

🌿 Organic Compounds (from Decay or Algae)

🥤Styrene

What They Are:  A chemical from plastics manufacturing  

Effects:

  • Taste/Smell: Tastes/smells like plastic or chemical.
     
  • Feel: Oily or slick feel; may leave a chemical residue on skin.
    Solution: Carbon filtration removes these organic compounds and improves taste.

🔫Lead

🪨Nitrates

🥤Styrene

What They Are:  Toxic metal from old pipes.  

Effects:

  • Taste/Smell: Tasteless but dangerous.
     
  • Feel: Usually undetectable by touch; dissolved lead in water feels normal.
    Solution: Reverse Osmosis or specialized lead filter removes these organic compounds and improves taste.

☢️Arsenic

🪨Nitrates

🪨Nitrates

What They Are:  Natural toxic element.  

Effects:

  • Taste/Smell: No taste or smell.
     
  • Feel: No distinct feel; dissolved arsenic feels just like regular water.
    Solution: Reverse Osmosis removes these organic compounds and improves taste.

🪨Nitrates

🪨Nitrates

🪨Nitrates

What They Are:  From fertilizer runoff.  

Effects:

  • Taste/Smell: No taste or smell.
     
  • Feel: No texture change; feels like normal water.
    Solution: Reverse Osmosis removes these organic compounds and improves taste.

If you see, hear, smell, or feel the following...

Problem

How We can Fix

Likely Cause

Dry Skin

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Rusty taste or stains

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Rotten egg smell

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Chlorine smell or taste

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Salty or flat taste

Likely Cause

How We can Fix

Likely Cause

Hard Water (Calcium & Magnesium)

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Iron

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Sulfur

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Chlorine/Chloramine

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High TDS or Sodium

How We can Fix

How We can Fix

How We can Fix

Water Softener

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Reverse Osmosis and Water Softener

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Reverse Osmosis or Water Softener

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Reverse Osmosis

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Reverse Osmosis

Think Your Water Might Be Causing These Problems?

 You don’t have to guess — Honest Water Company of Lubbock offers a free in-home water test to show you exactly what’s in your water and how to fix it. 

Schedule Your Free Water Test

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806-805-2417

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