You can buy a pocket-sized digital pH meter. They look like a weird thermometer from a steampunk convention. You stick the probe into your liquid, press a button, and it spits out a number like a wise, electronic oracle. This is the nuclear option, and I respect your commitment.
But calibrate the thing! You have to dip it in special buffer solutions first, or it will lie to your face. A liar meter is worse than a broken clock. I once calibrated mine with old pickle juice and got a reading that said my tap water was pure anxiety. Don’t be like me. Use the official calibration packets. They cost like three bucks.
