Normal water has a pH of about 7. That’s the sweet spot—neutral, like Switzerland if it were a liquid. Pure water, straight out of a chemistry lab, will hit a perfect 7.0 every time. But guess what? You’ll never drink that. Your tap water is a messy cocktail of minerals, gases, and sometimes a little bit of whatever fell into the reservoir last Tuesday.
So, what’s “normal” for the stuff you actually run through your Brita filter? Typically, drinking water falls between 6.5 and 8.5 on the pH scale. That’s a range wide enough to park a parade float, but the EPA says it’s totally fine. Unless your water tastes like a battery, you’re probably good.
Why pH matters (or why you should care at all)
Think of pH as the temper of your water. Low pH (below 7) means water is acidic—think lemon juice but less fun. High pH (above 7) means it’s basic or alkaline, which sounds like a wellness influencer’s dream but is really just water that’s been hanging out with rocks too long. Acidic water can corrode your pipes and leave a metallic taste in your mouth, like you licked a penny at the county fair.
Alkaline water, on the other hand, is the celebrity of the pH world. People pay crazy money for bottles that promise to “balance your body” or “make you an Olympic athlete.” Spoiler: your stomach acid is pH 2—it’s going to laugh at that fancy alkaline water and turn it into neutral mush in about 10 seconds. Your body is a master negotiator of pH, thank you very much.
