So Expensive You Refuse To Buy It

Yes it’s just TDS to my knowledge, I misunderstood the depth of what you wanted to test? The filter does remove the PFAS but does not test for it.

Doesn’t test for PFAS, lead,
mercury, or bacteria.

As touched on my post above, TDS testers measure the electrical conductivity of the water. “Hard water” with more salt, calcium, or magnesium is more conductive, so it is likely to have a higher TDS total. TDS is measured on a scale of parts per million. Contaminants like lead are problematic on a scale of parts per billion instead of parts per million, so a PPM TDS tester is not a meaningful way of detecting safe levels of lead. Safe PFAS is measured on scale of parts per trillion, so PFAS contaminants also would not be visible on a PPM TDS tester, if PFASs were conductive.

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So what are you trying to say Data10? My ZeroWater pitcher is not worth the plastic that holds the water :rofl:.

Not sure if this is purely a cost thing, but I refuse to pay for a manicure/pedicure.

I must confess, I also really, really dislike anyone touching my feet. It is the opposite of relaxing. :confounded_face:

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I don’t like it either but I feel like it’s going to the dentist. It keeps my feet and nails healthy. And it does look nice when done. The person who does my pedicures knows I want it to be as quick as possible and is good about it.

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I don’t mind paying for a nice pedicure. They tend to be long lasting, even with regular nail polish (my most recent one looked good for a month). I don’t do manicures very often - regular nail polish just doesn’t last and the gel really thins out your nails (plus I don’t like sticking my hands under the light - I have enough age spots already).

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If you can find dazzle dry manicures in your area I highly recommend. They use a primer, special base and top coat. But go on and off like regular nail polish. Definitely last longer than regular…not as long as gel though . Also fully dry in 5-7 minutes. I get dazzle dry pedicures in winter so I can put my socks back on quickly.

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“Fresh” has usually been frozen (at sea) and thawed before it is put in the case at the fish market.

As far as fishiness of Salmon, I think the variety matters a lot. Sockeye and Chinook (generally wild caught) have the strongest flavor, while coho and Atlantic (farm-raised) are milder.

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I’ll try it. Thanks for the recommendation.

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Dazzle Dry has been all over my social media. Apparently they have an at home kit?

As much as I envy all the beautiful nails I see, I am no longer doing gel, dip, acrylic, etc. because of the damage to my nails. I do, someday, want to try a Russian manicure. There are places near me that specialize in a natural nail look (no long nails for me). It’s $100+ though and I don’t want to get hooked on yet another pricey beauty procedure :smile: It is supposed to last much longer, so maybe it’s worth it.

I’ve always worried about that too and bring reuseable cups with me when traveling to those places. I don’t like the taste of the drinking water in Florida at all and always drink bottled water when I’m there. At home I have a reuseable cup that I fill with tap water.

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Are you assuming bottled water is safe or do you test that as well? Studies have been done showing that in the US/Canada and at least Western Europe that bottled water is generally no less likely to be contaminated than tap. Plus the issue of resealed bottles as I alluded to above is not only an issue in India but many poorer countries. I guess I’m just cynical that bottled water is really a better choice in most cases - while being careful in countries where the water is known to be unsafe like Mexico or India.

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Yes. They do have an at home kit. Both my daughters use that. I’m not coordinated enough to do my own nails but if you are it’s great.

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I don’t think I’ve ever had a pedicure, and I’ve had maybe 2 -3 manicures in my life. I do paint my nails myself often though.

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Hate to be a Debbie downer, but pedicures are mostly vanity
and little to nothing about health. You have to know that your salon has infection prevention procedures and practices them.

https://www.amazon.com/Pedicure-secrets-salons-Health-Safety-ebook/dp/B001KZH5FC

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All tap water in US/Canada + Western Europe is not uniform. For example, lead contaminants usually relate to lead plumbing. In some western European countries, nearly half of dwellings have tap water that passes through lead pipes. I’d expect odds of getting water that passes through lead plumbing are lower with bottled water, when traveling through such countries. A similar idea applies to many other contaminants. I’d expect bottled water is less likely to be collected in a region with an industrial plant contributing problematic amounts of PFAS to area water supply than a random tap when traveling.

One of the most robust US studies I’ve seen compared tap water from hundreds of households in SF Bay Area to 100 bottle water samples purchased at stores in SF Bay Area, across 89 different brands. The cumulative toxicity quotient is pictured below, which is calculated based on measured amount of contaminant / safe benchmark for contaminant. While there were significant contaminants in both tap water and bottle water, untreated tap water was tremendously more likely to exceed safe levels of particular contaminants than bottled water. The author writes, “Tap Water sample had significantly higher potential toxicity than that of both HTTW and Bottled Water samples.” The particular contaminants driving this result were primarily chloroform, THM, and lead. Lead was detected in the majority of untreated tap water samples, but only 1% of bottled water samples. A minority of taps had >1000x more lead than others. I expect there are also many regions of US and other countries that have tap water with higher contaminant levels and different problematic contaminants than the SF Bay Area taps used in this study.

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I don’t think it’s just vanity - I absolutely love the message I get on my feet and my legs - I will pay for that without getting the nails done! However, I do have decent looking feet (aside from my arthritic bumps) and they do look nice painted. I do not waste money on painting my nails because my hands are in everything, including dirt, and I just can’t keep them looking nice, ever. So, every 2nd or 3rd pedicure, I will get a manicure to keep my cuticles in shape, I also pay for the arm and hand message with that as well. One of the few things I do for myself. Edit: I get “massages” NOT messages!

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Actually, it was my doctor that told me several years ago that I should get regular pedicures. She recommended the place she herself goes. It’s a spa not an assembly line type nail salon. You get a new disposable foot bath each time and the tools are both disinfected and machine sanitized and sealed in a new package after every customer. My nails are thick and grow very very quickly. I get a lot of pain in shoes when I do not have my nails kept short and I can’t easily cut them myself.

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My daughter just told me about a new coffee that’s being offered by George Howell (the specialty coffee legend who has a small number of coffee shops in the Boston area). For Mother’s Day she offered to treat me to a cup of Howell’s rare, high-elevation Panamanian “La Esmeralda Tumaco” Geisha coffee that costs $24 per 12-ounce cup. I like coffee, but I can’t imagine paying that much.

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As long as they’re not being cut, which is not recommended.