4 Reasons Your Toilet Water is Blue

Last Updated on September 15, 2022 by Alex Cubias

Toilets are a modern marvel. It is something that we often take for granted. Because toilets are something that are just always there for some families, it can be quite a shock to open up your porcelain contraption and find the water a vibrant blue. Why is your toilet water turning blue?

Here are 4 possible answers as to why your toilet water has turned blue.

1. Blue Toilet Tablets

Let us get this one out of the way. The first reason your toilet water is blue could be because of a cleaning tablet.

Your toilet water will undoubtedly be blue if there is a blue cleaning tablet attached. While this is an obvious or implied reason, it is important to bring up. These cleaning tablets are more dangerous for your toilet than you think. Sure you don’t have to clean your toilet on your own anymore, but you may have to pay for some pipes to get fixed. It’s up to you to weigh the pros and cons. (Source)

Blue toilet tablets contain powerful chemicals that eat away bacteria. They are so powerful that over time these chemicals can cause malfunctions for a once working toilet. Specifically, cleaning tablets ruin a toilet’s flush valve or rubber pieces such as gaskets. These chemicals also will contaminate the environment around the septic tank, including the soil down below and the air in your very home.

Additionally, if you have small children or a beloved pet, they can get sick from the blue tablet water. The best way to help your pet when they drink blue toilet water (cleaning tablet or otherwise) give them a small amount of milk or clean water and get them to a local veterinarian if they have more than an upset stomach. If your pet eats a cleaning tablet they need to be taken to the vet immediately. (Source)

So double check your cleaning tablet placed in your toilet bowl. Is this something you want in your home? The answer may be yes for someone living alone or with a significant other only, but for young children, pets, and sensitive loved ones, it may be best to say goodbye to the blue cleaning tablet.

2. High Copper Levels

The second reason for blue water in your toilet bowl is due to high levels of copper in your water.

If you don’t have a blue cleaning tablet in your toilet bowl and the water is still blue, this is an indicator of high levels of copper in your water. While low levels of copper in your water are actually good for you with 2mg/L being the best daily consumption, high levels can lead to health and home problems. In this scenario, the blue water itself is not dangerous, but your plumbing system is at risk. (Source)

High levels are not always shown through pristine blue waters. It can be blue or green particles or cloudiness in your water. Water with high levels when heated to high temperatures will have brown or black particles drifting across the surface of your water. Keep an eye out for any unusual colors other than blue water in your toilet bowl.

Another indicator of high copper levels is a blue ring in your toilet bowl. It can sit where the water tends to lie, but it does not need to be exact or the same color of blue. Check for any kind of blue stains on your toilet, as this is an indicator that something is wrong.

3. Copper Corrosion

As copper levels rise, so do the issues you will find in your home. The third reason why your toilet water is blue could be that your pipes are damaged.

Copper corrosion means that as copper levels increase, the plumbing in your home will start to deteriorate.

Copper refined water has implications not just in your toilet, but around your home. If your toilet water is blue it most likely means that all water sources in your home have high levels of copper. This is seen through a blue ring in your toilet bowl, loss of water in the toilet, flooding, and dampness in the walls.

Related Article: WHY COPPER TURNS WATER BLUE

4. Your Water Well is Contaminated

The final reason your toilet has blue water is that your water source is contaminated.

Copper levels rise most often in wells or small bodies of water. Sometimes chemicals from mining, construction, or farming can lead to these levels rising to dangerous levels, thus affecting your home and your toilet bowl.

How do I fix it?

Now that we understand that blue toilet water, besides the use of cleaning products, comes from high levels of copper, here are a few options to get this fixed.

If the reason your water is turning blue is because of water source contamination, purchase water filters for your homes.

If the cause is because of damaged pipes and you want to prevent the discoloration after water filtering, you might need to replace your pipes which could be a lengthy process. The best thing to do is purchase filters in the meantime until you’re ready to make that long-term investment.

Some locations across the country, such as Montana, naturally have high levels of copper from their water sources. The best thing to do would be to install water filters if that is something not already done or you want permanently fixed. Again, blue water is not dangerous itself, so you should be okay. However, its arrival at your home may mean that something is off. It is best to get it checked out once resources are available and not put it off before it’s too late.

Unfortunately, if your toilet water is blue and it’s not from cleaning chemicals, your pipes and possibly your home water system has high levels of copper in it. The best step to take would be to call your local plumber and create a game plan. This includes installing water filters, fixing pipes as needed, or removing any blue cleaning chemicals in your toilet bowl.