The cheapest fix is also the most boring one: flush your pipes. If water has been sitting in the pipes for more than six hours (like overnight or while you’re at work), it’s got the highest lead concentration. Run your cold water for a minute or two until it feels noticeably colder—that means fresh water from the main line has arrived. Yes, it wastes water. But it’s cheaper than a medical bill.
Pro tip: never, ever use hot tap water for drinking or cooking. Hot water dissolves lead way faster. Boiling lead water does not remove it—in fact, it concentrates the lead as steam escapes. Sorry, that’s a busted myth.
