Check water quality
Water seems the same everywhere, but its composition varies by region and even by household. Limescale causes white deposits on your tap, shower screen, and appliances; dissolved substances affect the taste of your coffee and tea; and anyone wanting pure drinking water primarily wants peace of mind. The simplest way to gain that certainty? Measure it yourself with a TDS meter.
TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids: the total amount of dissolved substances in your water, such as lime, salts, and metals. A digital TDS meter shows you within three seconds how much of these are in your tap water, expressed in ppm (parts per million, comparable to milligrams per liter). This way, you immediately know whether your water is very pure, average, or on the high side.
Test your water in 3 steps
- Fill a glass with tap water. Simply draw a glass of water from the tap you want to test.
- Hold the TDS meter in the water. Immerse the meter in the glass for a few seconds; you don't need any prior knowledge.
- Read the value. The TDS value in ppm will appear on the display. Compare it with the table below.
Tip: try measuring before and after using a water filter — this allows you to see exactly what filtration does. You can use the same meter to test filtered water or to monitor the effect of your water softener.
What does your TDS value mean?
| TDS value (ppm) | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 – 50 | Very pure — typical for water from a reverse osmosis system |
| 50 – 150 | Low — soft water with few dissolved substances |
| 150 – 300 | Average Dutch tap water |
| 300 – 500 | High — often noticeable through limescale and taste |
| 500+ | Very high — consider a filtration solution |
Good to know: the meter measures the electrical conductivity of the water. Dissolved substances conduct electricity — the more particles in your water, the higher the value on the display.
Order the TDS meter for €5.95 (includes free shipping) — it fits right through your letterbox.
Measured a high value?
A high TDS value means there are many dissolved substances in your water. What you do about it depends on what you want to achieve:
- Pure drinking water from the tap? View our drinking water filter systems. These filter dissolved substances out of your tap water, and you will taste the difference immediately.
- Trouble with limescale? A water softener tackles hard water, so your tap, shower screen, and appliances suffer less wear.
Would you rather not do the installation yourself? Then choose a complete water filter system with installation service — the system will be professionally installed for you.
This is how you easily check water quality yourself with TDS measurements, discover what healthy values are, and see why pure water is important for your health and household. To measure is to know — and with the €5.95 TDS meter, taking that first step is easy.
