Water softener cleaner turned my water colors and I drank some.

August 6, 2023 7:51 AM

I put water softener cleaner (Out brand citric acid from Fleet Farm) into my water softener, ran a recharge/regeneration cycle, and proceeded as normal. In the morning, I ran water from the faucet, and it was bluish, greenish yellowish. I drank some before I realized this. Am I dying?

I believe the softener did two recharge cycles (one is scheduled to run in the middle of the night, so it ran in addition to the immediate recharge cycle I did after putting in the cleaner). This morning I filled the tea kettle, drank a cup of tea, and noted it’s extremely bitter taste. “There’s something wrong with these teabags!” I said. Should I call an emergency plumber? Poison control? Go to the doctor? I already started another recharge cycle on the softener—should i just let the water run after that until it (hopefully) stops looking bluish greenish yellowish and tasting terrible? Should I just put on the bypass and and enjoy the safety of unsoftened water till Monday?

Sorry this is such a jumble! I am freaking out and definitely feeling bumped back down to newb homeowner status (level -22 at least). Deep breaths.

posted by pepper bird to Home & Garden (5 answers total)

Best answer: I pulled the SDS for the cleaner, and that is basically a strong concentration of citric acid, and might cause some stomach distress, but as long as you don't get it in your eyes you should be fine.

That doesn't take into account what it was pulling out of the water softener system. I've never had one so have no knowledge of what is involved or could be pulled out of it during cleaning.

In my opinion, you're probably going to be ok, but a call to poison control would be helpful. Hang in there !
posted by Sparky Buttons at 8:06 AM on August 6, 2023 [3 favorites]

Call Poison Control. They have tons of data and it will be fast and accurate. pretty sure you're fine, but it's nice to get reassurance.
posted by theora55 at 9:30 AM on August 6, 2023 [5 favorites]

Your water softener is not supposed to do this, obviously. So put the thing on bypass and call your plumber on Monday morning.
posted by beagle at 9:38 AM on August 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Save a sample of the funky water in case you need to test it.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 6:41 PM on August 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you for the calm and clear-headed answers. I talked to Poison Control and they were also delightfully calm and reassuring. After a third recharge the water ran clear and smelled better, but I will still be calling a plumber and picking up a water test kit in the morning, and petting the dog a lot in the meantime. Bah. Thanks, all.
posted by pepper bird at 8:25 PM on August 6, 2023 [3 favorites]