Does anyone know what the clear sticky residue is that is left on surfaces from tap water? I get that the powdery white are the mineral salts, but I have been noticing a build up of clear, very sticky gunk where tap water is spray on plants or hits the floor or edges of pots. The Google is not helping, trying the people.
Clear, sticky, or slimy residue in tap water is usually caused by mineral buildup (hard water), soap scum interaction, or bacterial growth (iron/slime bacteria). It often appears as white, slippery, or sometimes pinkish-colored slime on fixtures. To fix it, clean faucets with white vinegar and consider installing a water softener or filtration system.
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Got that from google..
TNHunter
Thank you. I got that as well and it doesn’t fit. Our tap water is leaving a totally clear, sticky gel. Not in the sink or around the faucet which is cleaned/used too many times a day to count, just wherever I spray/water indoor plants and water hits and doesn’t get wiped up.
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Seems strange, I would get your water tested.
Could it be a residue of something already dried on the surface and the water is mixing with it?
Yes, I agree I need to get it tested. Do you/anyone know of a good lab to do that? I’ve only soil tested. There have been a ton of water breaks in the area since winter began. I check pH and that went up to 8 and then abruptly down to 3.5-4 today, so I have no idea what is going on. There are definitely salts as I see this dried on leaves as a white powder.
I don’t think it’s a product of the water reacting with anything since it happens on anything the water touches: wall, window, floor, pot, leaves, etc..
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Just search for a “Water Testing Lab near me”. Avoid any company that sells water treatment equipment (softeners, et.al), go to a Lab that tests water without the retail sale of equipment. I assume this is a municipal water supply, not your own well or spring? If so, call them directly and see what they can tell you.
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Do you have a water softener or something like this installed? It sounds like the filtrant is leaking. I wouldn’t drink it right now.
Nope, no water softener. Use a carbon filter attached to the cold water line and that’s it.
I’m not sure if I’m interpreting your post correctly, but it seems like you are just seeing this near indoor plants? If that is the case I would examine them very carefully for scale or any other pests. I’ve been amazed how much sticky mess can find itself around a citrus, orchid or other plant that developed an infestation I didn’t notice right away.
Just a thought.
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Also, those pH readings are bonkers. Are you on a well or something? Tap water generally ranges in the 7-8 range and I believe it is often buffered to keep it from being acidic since that could leach metals like lead. It is part of what makes growing blueberries challenging.
I would definitely retest regularly and if you really are getting numbers that low you will at least have some very happy blueberries.
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It can be a bit acidic due to dissolved co2 from running from the tap, but 4 is rellt pushing it. 5.5 isnt crazy though if its right from a tap and bounces up after resting for a bit. What is crazy is its swinging that hard. Measure the ph after it sits out for an hour
OK. I think the huge pH drop has something to so with air in the line from shutting off water to the house 2 days ago. That’s when it swung from 8 to 3.5-4. Seems to be going back up now.
@zendog scale was my first thought since it is around my citrus, but it’s distinctly from where the water is sprayed and is on the floor, walls, window, side of pot etc all in spray droplets if I didn’t wipe it up right away. I think it started in December around when the water main in front of our house broke a few feet down from where it was repaired the year before. If wssc was easy to reach I would call them…I’ll get it tested. I stopped misting my indoor plants and they already look better. The sticky crap was definitely hurting them via idk what suffocating the leaves.
We had the same problem at our kitchen at the Firehouse. The water line broke and we started to get a residue in our sink, but our water filter would turn brown after a period of time. We have a well and a chlorine system for purification. The people that test our water told us that the chlorine was dissolving the scale in the pipes and causing our problem. They still approved our water; we just change the filter more often.
Ugh, thanks for telling me about your experience. I still have to get it tested. It is starting to look more and more like it is coming from the plants (ie scale) despite my resistance to accepting that. @zendog you saw tiny, tiny droplets everywhere when you had scale? It’s shocking because it truly looks like tiny spray droplets everywhere and extends 1’ away from the plants literally everywhere I sprayed. But, we haven’t sprayed for a while and they continue to show up. I heavily soapy water cleaned down the plants twice outside over the last few days and they’ll go outside for the foreseeable future on Wednesday, we’ll see.
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Yup. I don’t know, but it almost seemed like they were ejecting their “honey dew” or something. Nasty critters. The fact that you saw droplets made me think it could be it, since I couldn’t imagine that you’d have enough non-water stuff in your water that it could make much more than a thin film. Otherwise it would seem the concentration would be so high your water would almost be viscous and you would notice it right away.
If I get scale on plants (particularly citrus) over the winter it is really hard to get rid of, but once outside it seems that some predators find them and it pretty much goes away.
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Thanks for the info. You must be right. I have been diligently checking and smooshing any I see all winter, I can’t believe what’s there could spray this much! Learning, learning…
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