Leaf Home & Nextdoor partner to reach neighbors all over the U.S. to raise awareness around the benefits of filtered water

A report from Leaf Home finds rising bottled water consumption, untested taps, and low public awareness of threats to drinking water.

NEW YORK, March 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study by Leaf Home™ highlights a significant disconnect between Americans' concerns about drinking water and their actual habits. The study reveals that, despite citing contaminants as their top worry, a vast majority of Americans (63%) have never had their drinking water tested. Additionally, the study found a significant rise in bottled water consumption (69%), increasing by nearly 20% since 2022. These findings also showcase a dependence on unreliable indicators of water safety, such as taste and appearance, and a lack of awareness about threats from microplastics and forever chemicals.

To eliminate this knowledge gap and empower communities, Leaf Home and Nextdoor are partnering on a multi-city initiative leading up to National Drinking Water Week, the first week of May. Free water testing—both in-home and in public locations—will be offered in select cities, starting with Tampa, Houston, Cleveland and Detroit. Members of the community are encouraged to share their results on the Nextdoor app to elevate awareness of local tap water conditions with neighbors, and potentially win free home water purification systems.

"There's a surprising contrast between people's behavior, concerns, and awareness of water issues," said Jon Bostock, CEO at Leaf Home. "This new study exposes a blind spot of consumers relying on guesses about water safety. Americans are overwhelmingly unaware of threats like forever chemicals, which traditional filtration methods may not be equipped to handle and are silently showing up in 60% of U.S. tap water."

Key findings from the report include:

Lack of awareness about drinking water quality and safety.

• Only 13% of Americans know about forever chemicals (PFAs) and 17% about microplastics.
• Nearly a quarter have received a boil water advisory, which did not impact the trust in drinking water for 41%.
• 66% are interested in learning more about their home's water quality and safety; the rate increases to 72% in urban areas.
• Taste, appearance, and smell are the top factors used by Americans to determine the safety of drinking water.

Top Issues and Solutions. 

• Contaminants, hard water, taste, and chlorine are the top issues cited by Americans about drinking water.
• The top water purification solutions in place are bottled water, refrigerator filters, and pitcher-style filtration.
• One third of Americans think nothing can be done to improve their water quality or don't know what to do.

By working together, Leaf Home and Nextdoor aim to raise awareness about water quality and provide actionable solutions for healthier homes. As 95% of Nextdoor neighbors are the main/joint household decision-makers, Nextdoor is the perfect place to drive awareness around Leaf Home's filtered water solutions.

To view the full report, please visit: https://www.leafhome.com/2024-better-water-together-report

About the report
Leaf Home™ worked with Morning Consult to survey 2,193 respondents in the United States February 28, 2024, and March 4, 2024 about their attitudes, perceptions, and concerns about tap water.

About Leaf Home 
Leaf Home ™, is a home improvement products and services company in North America with more than 200 locations, providing gutter protection (LeafFilter), home safety products, water purification, windows and doors, kitchen and bath, and more. With more than 50% of consumers worried about the cost and effort of home maintenance, Leaf Home focuses on enhancing the safety, enjoyment and comfort of homeowners and their families. Trusted by millions of homeowners across U.S. and Canada, Leaf Home and its products have earned numerous awards and recognition from Good Housekeeping, Qualified Remodeler, Angi, Consumer Reports, This Old House and more. Leaf Home has been consistently named one of the fastest growing private companies by Inc 5000 and recognized as a top employer nationally. For more information, visit https://www.leafhome.com

About Nextdoor
Nextdoor (NYSE: KIND) is the neighborhood network. Neighbors, businesses of all sizes, and public agencies in more than 330,000 neighborhoods across 11 countries turn to Nextdoor to connect to the neighborhoods that matter to them so that they can thrive. As a purpose-driven company, Nextdoor leverages innovative technology to cultivate a kinder world where everyone has a neighborhood they can rely on — both online and in the real world. Download the app or join the neighborhood at nextdoor.com. For more information and assets, visit nextdoor.com/newsroom.

Media Contact: [email protected], 813-526-1195

SOURCE Leaf Home Solutions