Things You Must Know about Urine pH Test Strips

Things You Must Know about Urine pH Test Strips

In some of our previous articles, we have discussed the importance of our body’s pH balance in detail. If you are serious about maintaining a healthy pH balance, the first thing you should do is to visit a local pharmacy and purchase a pack of urine pH test strips. These testing strips are single parameter testing tools designed for self-measurement of urine for its acidity or alkalinity. This test can also help determine how urine’s acidity or alkalinity levels may get affected by diets, medicines, or illnesses.

pH test papers and strips:

There is a common perception that pH test papers and strips are two names for the same thing. However, this is far from the reality. Continuous pieces of papers soaked in urine of saliva to display the pH level are known as pH test papers. Whereas, the testing strips comprise of two pads mounted on plastic backing strips or cards.

Advantages of pH strips:

• Accurate and sensitive
• Measures body pH with urine or saliva
• Provides results from around fifteen seconds
• Comes with color charts that are easy to read and interpret
• Unlike pH papers, there is no bleeding
• Lasts for a long time

The use of urine pH test strips is accepted as a method of screening in contemporary medical practice. These non-invasive measurements are used to obtain important information related to the health status of the patients. As a result of the flexible shape of these strips, they only require a very small amount of urine for pH measurement.

How do the pH test strips work?

In simple words, pH test strips are pieces of paper capable of changing their color depending on the pH level of a liquid. These strips are mostly designed to test the acidity or alkalinity of water, saliva, or urine. Structurally speaking, these are filter paper strips soaked in different types of pH indicators.

Many different types of pH strips are available, offering different levels of sensitivity and operating within different pH ranges. Most of the commonly available urine pH test strips operate within the range of 0 to 14. However, it is also possible to have strips with a narrow range (4.5 to 9 for example) and higher sensitivity. The most sensitive urine pH strips can measure pH fluctuations as small as 0.25.

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pH indicators:

Usually, these are weak bases and acids that can change colour at different levels of pH. Methyl Red, a common indicator, is yellow and red at the pH levels of 6 and 5 respectively. The change of color takes place when a proton is accepted or donated by an acid or a base.

Using Urine pH Strips:

Measurement of urine pH using urinalysis strips is easy, painless, and non-invasive.

• Use a container to collect urine midstream
• Dip the strip in the sample for just two seconds and remove the excess liquid
• Compare the changed color with the color chart to determine the urine pH

Please remember that the human body is most acidic immediately after waking up. The best time to test your urine pH is at least two hours between a meal.