- Buy a lead test kit from your local home improvement store. There are inexpensive brands available, and most seal the test kits in a plastic pack to avoid contamination. These kits come with instructions on how to conduct the lead test. In most cases, you will place about four drops of tap water on the test pad supplied using the dropper from the kit; you can read the results based on the instructions provided. This is an easy and inexpensive way to test lead in water.
- Hire a lead inspector to do a detailed and professional lead testing. A lead inspector is a certified individual who performs a thorough investigation and provides a written report with detailed results about the source of lead in your water and different options to reduce the water's lead content. Talk to your homeowner's insurance agent to check if the company covers the test cost. Contact your state's department of environment, or similar government office, for a list of certified lead inspectors.
- If you want to know the lead content in your drinking water, contact your water supplier directly. The water supplier will be able to provide you with the company's annual water quality report, which gives you the information on where your water comes from and what is in it. If you want to do additional tests on your drinking water, you could use laboratories certified by your state for a reasonable price. See Resources below for a list of certified labs in the United States.