The term “hard water” is one that we, as American consumers, all know. But, if you’re like me, you have only a vague understanding of what hard water really is and why it’s so undesirable.
So I decided to go on an information quest to learn more. What I discovered made me realize that before another day went by, I needed to purchase a good water softener system for my home.
First of all, I wanted to know exactly what made water hard. What I learned is that water described as "hard" is high in dissolved minerals.
So how do these minerals end up in our water? As water moves through soil and rock, it dissolves very small amounts of minerals and those dissolved minerals stay in the water. The two most common minerals that dissolve in water this way are calcium and magnesium. The level of hardness increases as the water’s calcium and magnesium content increases.
The level or severity of water hardness is measured by the grains of a mineral present per gallon of water. For example, if your water has more than one grain of calcium or magnesium per gallon (GPG), it’s considered hard.
Then I discovered that around 85% of the homes in the United States have problems associated with hard water. Which, of course, led me to the question “what kind of problems?”
While hard water isn’t necessarily a health risk, it can definitely wreak expensive havoc in your home. For instance, doing your laundry in hard water can damage fabric fibers and actually shorten the life of your clothing by up to 40%.
While we’re talking about cleaning problems associated with hard water, you should also know that bathing in hard water leaves a film of your soap on your skin, which adversely affects your skin’s pH level and can cause skin irritations. The same goes for shampoos, whose film can make your hair look dull and lifeless as well as make it difficult to manage.
Now let’s talk about the damage hard water can cause to your appliances and pipes. Any appliance that uses hot water is susceptible to limescale deposits from the minerals in hard water. This stuff builds up inside the appliance every time hot water runs through it, reducing the performance and even the life of the appliance. In fact, the build-up of limescale in water-using appliances has been known to increase energy bills by as much as 25%.
So what can you do to eliminate these hard water problems? Well, the solution is an easy one and rather inexpensive (especially compared to replacing my clothes and appliances) and effective: A salt-free water softener. (Not to be confused with a whole house water filter.) Check out our new environmentally friendly NaturSoft Salt Free Water Softener / Conditioner, you will be amazed.
