# Why does water from a garden hose always seem to taste good? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 3, 2005, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924 "2005-07-03T17:18:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/1 "2005-07-03T17:18:45Z")
Whenever I drink water directly from a garden hose it always seems to taste better than water from a kitchen faucet, or even bottled water. Does anyone else agree? I’m not sure why this is the case. Is it psychological, or might there be a physical explanation? ---
**Author:** ![SlyFrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SlyFrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlyFrog)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/2 "2005-07-03T17:28:34Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Whenever I drink water directly from a garden hose it always seems to taste better than water from a kitchen faucet, or even bottled water. Does anyone else agree? I’m not sure why this is the case. Is it psychological, or might there be a physical explanation? Surrounding circumstances might have something to do with it. When I drink from a garden hose, it’s generally when I’ve been working outside, am quite hot, and really want a drink badly. Beer from the fridge tastes better under those circumstances too. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/3 "2005-07-03T17:30:11Z")
I have noticed that as well. In addition, I used to have a tin cup that I loved to drink out of, the water always seemed to be more refreshing from it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/4 "2005-07-03T17:39:51Z")
I found it tastes nasty unless you let it run for a bit. Then you get the “extra refreshing” “coolth”. My first guess would be the same as **SlyFrog**. One more possibility- generally, the water from your faucet runs through less household pipes than your tap water. This could effect the tatse. ---
**Author:** ![ScoobyTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@ScoobyTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ScoobyTX)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/5 "2005-07-03T17:50:58Z")
It tastes better because it is flavored with the excretions of molds and other organisms. The warm moist environment of a hose is an ideal breeding ground for all kinds of nasty organisms. Drinking from a hose is a good way to get sick. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/6 "2005-07-03T17:52:39Z")
I thought I read somewhere on this board not to long ago, that aerating the water effects the taste. Possibly the difference is because the water out of the hose isn’t aerated. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/7 "2005-07-03T17:53:52Z")
Personally, I think water from the hose tastes like ass. But maybe that’s just me. For me, it seems to have a more metallic or maybe even rubbery taste. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/8 "2005-07-03T18:02:40Z")
I’ll bet on the psychological aspect. Water from the hose may trigger subliminal feelings of when you were just a little scamp and after playing your butt off, your thirst was quenched via the means most available, and your life didn’t involve taxes, jobs, bills, and everything else that clutters adulthood. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/9 "2005-07-03T18:16:15Z")
This question strikes me as better suited to IMHO. Moved from GQ **samclem** ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/10 "2005-07-03T19:16:36Z")
This might be a slight hijack. When you are hot and tired, do you know what is even better than drinking from the hose, better than a cold shower and even better than drinking a cold beer? Drinking a cold beer **in the cold shower**. Cub Hubby says this is heaven. I am spreading the gospel. ---
**Author:** ![jdc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@jdc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jdc)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/11 "2005-07-03T20:46:44Z")
It is the lead that leaches from the garden hose into the water. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/12 "2005-07-03T20:51:44Z")
> [@jdc](#): > > It is the lead that leaches from the garden hose into the water. Plastic or rubber garden hose has _lead_? Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/13 "2005-07-03T21:40:49Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Plastic or rubber garden hose has _lead_? Cite? Lead and other nasty stuff. From [here](http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1041/is_5_82/ai_n6006602) > [@](#): > > Most garden hoses contain a compound called polyvinyl chloride, which can cause cancer and birth defects. Small amounts of lead and other harmful chemicals may also leech out into the water, particularly when the hose is sitting in the sun on a warm day, says Dr. Fermin Barrueto, Jr., an emergency medicine physician and medical toxicologist with Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. “The carcinogenic compounds are many and vary from hose to hose,” he says. “One sip isn’t likely to hurt you, but repeated exposures can.” And from [here](http://www.wral.com/money/2379998/detail.html) > [@](#): > > “In some of these hoses, we measured 10 to 100 times more lead than the government considers safe coming from a faucet,” tester Jim Nanni said. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/14 "2005-07-03T22:17:36Z")
That’s why you let the water run. To push out the water with the bad stuff in it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/15 "2005-07-03T22:27:39Z")
> [@Turek](#): > > From [here](http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1041/is_5_82/ai_n6006602) \*\* WARNING, THIS SITE CONTAINS POP-UPS THAT PREVAIL DESPITE FIREFOX.\*\* :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/16 "2005-07-03T23:18:21Z")
Drinking a little water from a garden hose is not harmful unless that’s all you drink out of. If that was the case, _then_ I’d worry about illness. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/17 "2005-07-03T23:24:03Z")
> [@Cub Mistress](#): > > This might be a slight hijack. When you are hot and tired, do you know what is even better than drinking from the hose, better than a cold shower and even better than drinking a cold beer? > > Drinking a cold beer **in the cold shower**. > > Cub Hubby says this is heaven. I am spreading the gospel. Cub Hubby does not lie. I started drinking beer in the shower this past year and find it very refreshing. Of course, this was my last year of college and I found ways of drinking as much beer as possible. All the time. I had a lot of fun (and headaches). ---
**Author:** ![Pythian\_Habenero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a6a055/32.png) [@Pythian\_Habenero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pythian_Habenero)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/18 "2005-07-04T01:47:58Z")
I don’t drink from garden hoses. However, I’ve found that cold water from a bathroom sink is always nice and tasty. Not so that from the kitchen faucet. Can anyone explain this one? ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/19 "2005-07-04T02:18:24Z")
When I was a kid, working in the yard on a hot day, I used to like to drink out of the hose. Then a Stupid Adult caught me doing it and explained how gross it is. There could be all sorts of nastiness in that hose. Then, he unsrewed this filter-type thing from the end of the hose and sure enough, there were some grub-like things living in there. To appease the Stupid Adult, I said, “eww, gross! I’ll never drink out of a hose again!” But secretly inside, I was thinking, “so what? I let the water run first. Ain’t gonna kill me. Don’t some people actually eat bugs?” ---
**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924/20 "2005-07-04T03:50:19Z")
**Pythian Habenero** - in our house, at least, the kitchen faucet is the only inside faucet that gets cold water straight from the hard city water supply. All the other faucets indoors get cold water from the water softener. It is arranged this way so that your regular drinking water from the kitchen sink is not high in sodium. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-from-a-garden-hose-always-seem-to-taste-good/310924.md?page=2)