Imagine your glass of water as a tiny pool party for minerals and other microscopic guests. These guests are things like calcium, magnesium, sodium, and even traces of potassium—all dissolved into the water like sugar in tea. TDS is simply the total weight of all those invisible party-goers in a given volume of water.
Don’t freak out—most of these solids are completely harmless and actually good for you! Those minerals are what give your tap water a specific taste, from “mountain stream crisp” to “chalky backyard hose.”
