FAQ
Questions & Answers
Everything you need to know before you order. Want the deep dive on our method? Read how it works.
About the Test
What does the test actually measure?
We count and size microplastic particles in your tap water using Nile Red fluorescence — a peer-reviewed lab method published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters (2022). You'll get a particle count, size breakdown, and a tier showing how your sample compares to other tests we've processed.
How is this different from an $800 lab test?
The expensive tests use instruments that cost $200K+ to identify the exact type of plastic (polyethylene vs polypropylene, etc.). Our test tells you how many particles are in your water and how big they are — which is what actually matters if you're trying to decide whether to get a filter. Same particles detected, fraction of the price.
Why is this only $50?
No lab. No shipping samples back and forth. No middleman. You run the test yourself at home using the same peer-reviewed Nile Red fluorescence method used in research labs. We just packaged it into a kit anyone can use.
Is this hard to do?
Not at all. If you can fill a glass with water and follow simple instructions, you can do this. The kit comes with everything you need — digestion solution, fluorescent stain, filter membranes, applicator, blue LED light — and clear step-by-step directions. Just use any glass container you have at home. Two complete tests included.
What about contamination?
The kit uses glass vials (not plastic) so the container can't contaminate the sample. Nile Red physically cannot stain minerals or dissolved salts — it's hydrophobic, so it only binds to plastic-like particles. The included instructions explain how to minimize airborne contamination during testing.
Can dust or airborne particles mess up my results?
Nile Red is selective — it only binds to hydrophobic particles like plastics. It physically cannot stain minerals, salts, or most dust. For the most accurate results, test in a clean area and follow the instructions. The visual difference between a contaminated tap sample and a clean filtered sample will be obvious.
What about false positives?
Nile Red can pick up some non-plastic hydrophobic organics (like coal particles or carbon black), but the H2O2 digestion step eliminates most of these. No consumer-level test is 100% perfect — our method is based on a published peer-reviewed protocol (Leonard et al., 2022), but the kit itself has not been independently validated by an accredited lab. See the methodology page for what we've done and what's still open.
What can't the test detect?
Particles smaller than 10 microns (nanoplastics) and certain hydrophilic plastics. No consumer test on the market detects nanoplastics — that requires equipment that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. Our test captures the same particle range as most research-grade methods.
Understanding Your Results
Is one test enough?
A single test is a snapshot of your water on that day. It's a strong starting point — especially if your count is high. For a more complete picture, two tests about 30 days apart gives you a reliable baseline. If you're installing a filter, testing before and after is the move.
Why might my neighbor get a different result than me?
Even on the same municipal supply, results vary house to house. Pipe age, plumbing material (plastic pipes leech particles), whether you have a whole-home system, and even time of day all affect your count. That's actually the whole point — municipal averages don't tell you what's coming out of YOUR faucet.
What does my particle count tier mean?
Each sample is placed in a tier based on particle count and size distribution relative to other tests we've processed. A higher tier means your sample had more or larger particles than the average sample in our dataset — nothing more. The tiers are descriptive, not diagnostic, and are not health thresholds.
Is The Water Map based on one test per location?
Right now, each pin represents an individual test result. As we collect more data, we'll layer in averages and confidence levels per area. Think of early pins as: "Here's what one household found." The map gets smarter with every test.
Should I test again after installing a filter?
Absolutely — that's one of the most valuable things you can do. A before/after comparison shows you exactly what your filter is (and isn't) catching. Some filters that claim to remove microplastics don't perform as advertised.
About Us
What's the mission here?
Empowering the people, one water test at a time. There's no affordable way for a normal person to find out what's in their tap water — especially for microplastics, which aren't covered by any federal standard. We built the kit we wanted to exist. $50, at home, in your hands.
Why is this an interesting thing to test?
Microplastics have been documented across the environment and in a wide range of human tissues in peer-reviewed studies (e.g. New England Journal of Medicine, 2024; Science Advances, 2025). Research into what this means for human health is ongoing. We don't make health claims and this kit is not a diagnostic device — we just give you a count of plastic-like particles caught on your filter so you can see what's in your water.
Is there a government standard for microplastics in water?
Not yet. The EPA has no enforceable limits. But California passed SB 1422, which requires major utilities to start testing treated tap water by Fall 2026. New Jersey, Virginia, and Illinois have passed similar laws. Regulation is coming — we let you get ahead of it.
Are you affiliated with any universities or research institutions?
No. Our protocol is adapted from a peer-reviewed paper (Leonard et al., Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters, 2022) — we cite that paper because that's where the method comes from. The authors and their institution have not endorsed, reviewed, or validated this kit. We'd love to run an independent split-sample comparison against an ELAP-accredited FTIR/Raman lab and publish the chart, but we haven't lined up a partner lab yet.
What do you do with my data?
Your individual results are private. Anonymized, location-level data feeds The Water Map — a free public tool showing microplastic contamination by neighborhood. The more people test, the more useful the map becomes for everyone.