Sometimes water smells like a handful of old pennies. Or like you just licked a metal railing. That’s usually iron or manganese in the water. These minerals come from the ground. They’re harmless, but they taste gross.
Iron can also stain your laundry. You know that orangey-brown sink? Yeah, that’s iron. It’s not rust from your pipes, necessarily. It’s just nature’s way of reminding you you’re a creature living on a rocky planet.
What to do? A water softener or a specific iron filter will fix it. But for a quick fix, let the water run for a bit and use cold water for drinking. Cold water picks up less metal from the pipes. Science!
Quick Test
Fill a glass. Walk to another room. Smell it again. If the smell went away, it’s probably your sink drain, not the water itself. Sometimes the source is right under your nose, literally.
| Water Sparks®
